Sections Global Warming UN, Spain, RP Sign $8M Climate-change Program (RP Senate Ratifies Renewable Energy Bill)
| UN, Spain, RP Sign $8M Climate-change Program (RP Senate Ratifies Renewable Energy Bill) |
The United Nations and the Government of the Philippines (GoP) on Wednesday signed a 3-year Joint Programme on "Strengthening the Philippines' Institutional Capacity to Adapt to Climate Change" with a USD 8-million funding from the Millennium Development Goals Achievement Fund (MDGF).
UN Resident Coordinator Nileema Noble signed the Joint Programme Document (JPD) for the UN and newly installed Secretary of Socio-economic Planning and Director General of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Ralph Recto signed on behalf of the GoP, while Alvaro Trejo, Charge' d' Affaires of the Embassy of Spain witnessed the JPD.
The six participating UN agencies in the joint programme namely United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), UN Habitat, International Labour Organization (ILO) and World Health Organization (WHO) also signed the JPD with their implementing partners National Economic Development Authority (NEDA), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) and the Province of Albay.
The program is timely given the worldwide effects now being felt from global warming and climate change. It will pursue the following outcomes:
* Climate risk reduction mainstreamed into key national and selected local development plans and processes;
* Enhanced national and local capacity to develop, manage and administer plans, programmes and projects addressing climate change risks;
* Coping mechanisms improved through pilot demonstration adaptation projects.
Specifically, the programme will determine the vulnerability of critical sectors of the Philippines to climate change and strengthen the country's adaptive capacity by enhancing the policy making, planning, programming and implementation capacities of key stakeholders, particularly the responsible national government agencies.
The said program will contribute to the Philippines' achievement of its MDG targets by enhancing socioeconomic development through reduced vulnerabilities of key affected sectors and the target stakeholders in 43 or more provinces. It will also showcase innovative and document best practices on climate change adaptation.
The MDG-F is a global USD 700-million facility contributed by the Government of Spain to the UN in December 2006.
It aims to accelerate progress towards attainment of the MDGs in select countries by supporting programmes in areas widely acknowledged as central to the achievement of MDGs and other internationally agreed development goals.
These areas are in environment and climate change, gender, culture diversity, democratic economic governance, private sector development, conflict prevention, food security and employment and migration.
The Philippines is a signatory to the 2000 Millennium Declaration that rolled out the time-bound MDGs as a global agenda for development by 2015.
The eight MDGs are: halve extremely poverty and hunger; universal primary education; gender equality; reduce child mortality; improved women's health; stop and reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS and other diseases; environmental sustainability and global partnerships for aid, trade and debt relief. (Philippine News Agency) # # #
10/09/2008 | 04:39 AM
MANILA, Philippines - The Senate last night ratified the renewable energy (RE) bill that would provide incentives for developers of clean energy, which include biomass, solar, hydro, geothermal and ocean energy sources.
On Tuesday, members of the bicameral conference committee approved the consolidation of Senate Bill No. 2046 and House Bill No. 4193.
Under the measure, an income tax holiday of seven years was provided to renewable energy developers, and 10% corporate income tax, against the regular 30%, was also provided once the income tax holiday expires.
Senator Edgardo J. Angara, principal author of the Senate version, said "the only way to attract investors is to provide a package of incentives" with the RE sector already a "promising industry."
"The aim in cleaner air is inestimable. If we generate 2,500 megawatts out of renewable energy sources between now and 2014, we would have saved nearly $5 billion on oil import bills," he told reporters.
"So over that period, we would have saved at least $1 billion a year."
The measure also grants tax exemption for carbon credits generated from renewable energy projects. RE facilities are also given a 1.5% realty tax cap on the original cost of equipment and facilities used to produce RE. The importation of equipment and materials to be used for RE projects would be duty-free for 10 years.
Mr. Angara, citing the 2007 Renewable Energy Global Status Report, said more than 65 countries have already set targets for the development of their own RE sectors. Germany leads the world in new capacity investment, followed by China, the US, Spain and Japan. — Bernard U. Allauigan, BusinessWorld
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