The Environment and Water Committee convened to discuss its advocacy priorities including updates on the following:

• Water sector reform advocacies (Department of Water - Water Regulatory Commission bills): While the House of Representatives already passed the consolidated bill, this measure has not advanced further in the upper chamber. 

• DENR Administrative Order No. 2016-08 - Water Quality Guidelines and General Effluent Standards

  • In a recent memorandum, the EMB extended a grace period for concerned companies whose transition phase expires in 2020. This, however, is not a permanent policy, and is limited in coverage.

• Single-use plastics advocacies - The National Plan of Action on Marine Brief is in its final stages, and is up for presentation to the DENR MANCOM next week. Discussions now seem to shift from banning plastics to to implementing an Extended Producers Responsibility (EPR) model in the PH. Credit mechanism is also being studied and eyed.