The Philippine Center for Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development Inc. (PCEPSDI) was invited to participate in the Luzon Cluster Consultative Workshop for the Crafting of the Implementing Rules and Regulations of the Philippine Ecosystem and Natural Capital Accounting System (PENCAS) Act. The workshop was led and facilitated by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) last April 2-4, 2025 at the 456 Hotel, Baguio City.
Republic Act No. 11995, or also known as the PENCAS Act, was signed into law on May 22, 2024. The PENCAS Act aims to institutionalize Natural Capital Accounting (NCA) and emphasizes the value of the country’s natural assets and ecosystems to strengthen the promotion of sustainable development.
NCA is a tool used in measuring and reporting on stocks and flows of natural capital to take into account the economic value of ecosystem services. This framework is used to put together dispersed environmental data and determine the actual contribution of the environment to the country’s economic state and social well-being.
As the PENCAS Act Framework is built upon internationally recognized environmental-economic frameworks, the legislation is seen as a game changer as it mandates the use of NCA in national economic planning, policy development, and decision making. With the implementation of PENCAS, the country has become more equipped in balancing economic development with environmental preservation and conservation.
Representatives agreed that PENCAS is indeed an important tool in guiding policy implementation as it will provide indicators that will support the country’s Sustainable Development Goal Targets and address existing gaps. The role of the Academic Institutions, Individual Experts, and Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) was also highlighted as PSA needs to gather technical inputs that these institutions can assist with. Furthermore, all stakeholders are expected to benefit with the roll out of the Act as they can be data providers or data users.
The three-day workshop was attended by representatives from SUCs, experts, CSOs, NGOs, Private Sector, Local Government Units, and government agencies including the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Department of Agriculture (DA), National Economic Development Authority (NEDA), Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), and Department of Agriculture (DA).
The Luzon Cluster is the last leg of the Workshop Series and the Implementing Rules and Regulations is set to be published this May 2025.
