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Group photo of the members of the NGB-PFCS and TC 78 as the Exposure Trip Participant. Photo © Jouelle Nerveza / PCEPSDI An Exposure Trip: Members of the Interim National Governing Board of Philippine Forest Certification System (NGB-PFCS), and Bureau of Philippine Standards (BPS) Technical Committee (TC) 78 goes to the Timber Corridor of the Philippines A two-day learning Exposure Trip in the CARAGA Region for the “Providing Capacity Building project” took place on April 10-12, 2019 for the members of the Interim National Governing Board of Philippine Forest Certification System (NGB-PFCS), and Department of Trade and Industry – Bureau of Philippine Standards (DTI-BPS) Technical Committee on Forest and Forest Products (TC 78). This trip to the timber value chain process aims to exhibit the operations and production in upstream level to the stakeholders of wood value chain. Chairman Ermito Minerva of Balungagan Farmers Association, Inc. (BAFA) sharing issues and concerns on their tree farm.  Photo © Jouelle Nerveza / PCEPSDI The first highlight of the trip is the Balungagan Farmers Association, Inc. (BAFA) wherein the members of NGB-PFCS and TC 78 was accommodated by the BAFA Chairman Ermito Minerva. The exposure trip has helped BAFA to share their issues and concern on their tree farm production of Falcata. Chairman Minerva also toured the participants to the tree plantation as he shared how the trees are grown, harvested and shipped to sawmills. Chairman Jaime Oclaret of Ibuan Agro Forestry Farmers, Inc. (IBAFA) sharing the inclusive growth through the rubber tree plantation. Photo © Jouelle Nerveza / PCEPSDI The second stop of the exposure trip is the rubber tree plantation of Ibuan Agro Forestry Farmers, Inc. (IBAFA). Chairman Jaime Oclaret discussed the inclusive economic growth of their association through the plantation. He also shared the issues and concerns of the association. After the orientation and the interview of the participants, Chairman Oclaret brought the participants to the plantation wherein he showed the rubber trees and the harvesting of rubber saps. Women in action at Orgon Plywood Industry. Photo © Jouelle Nerveza  / PCEPSDI The last site of the trip is in a plywood manufacturer in Agusan Del Norte, the Orgon Wood Industry. Before the visit, Engr. Napoleon Mordeno, Plant Manager conducted a short briefing on the basic operation of plywood production and he also answered queries from the members of the NGB-PFCS and TC 78. As the participants toured the plant, it was observed that the production has provided an opportunity for women in plywood manufacturing. Group photo with Director Nonito Tamayo of Forest Management Bureau-Department of Environment and Natural Resources (FMB-DENR) (1st row 3rd from the left). Photo © Jouelle Nerveza  / PCEPSDI Before the trip has ended, the members of the NGB-PFCS and TC 78 had the opportunity to sit with the Director of the Forest Management Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (FMB-DENR), Dir. Nonito Tamayo and former DENR Undersecretary Mendoza. Challenges, struggles and next steps has been proposed on forest certification and chain of custody for the stakeholders of the industry. The exposure trip is made possible through a project of PCEPSDI in partnership with FAO under the assistance of EU FEGT Programme. The project aims to provide capacity building for the members of the NGB-PFCS for forest certification and TC 78 for the standards on chain of custody. To know more about the project you can check our website or email us at forestcertification@pcepsdi.org.ph

PCEPSDI and WWF-Philippines conduct Policy Planning Workshop with the Quezon City Local Government Unit Photo © Alexa Jeanne Lasch / WWF-Philippines The Sustainable Diner project team of WWF-Philippines and PCEPSDI with representatives from the Quezon City LGU’s Tourism, Health, Planning, and Environmental Protection and Waste Management Departments.   World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Philippines in partnership with the Philippine Center for Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development, Inc. (PCEPSDI), The Sustainable Diner: A Key Ingredient for Sustainable Tourism project conducted a policy planning workshop together with the Quezon City Local Government Unit (LGU) last January 24, 2019 at the Quezon City Hall. The workshop was attended by representatives from the LGU’s Tourism, Health, City Planning, and Environmental Protection and Waste Management Departments, with the goal of validating action recommendations and strategies from the recently-concluded project Action Planning Workshop, assisting the LGU in the integration of the Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) concept into their policies and plans, and identifying specific departments or units that will be assigned to handle each recommended strategic action.   Photo © Pauline Abello  / PCEPSDI Ms. Diana Sadili, PCEPSDI’s Project Officer for The Sustainable Diner project, opens the workshop with a presentation consolidating the challenges being faced when promoting the SCP concept in the country.   Ms. Diana Sadili, PCEPSDI’s Project Officer for The Sustainable Diner project, set the background of the policy planning workshop by presenting project action recommendations and strategies, consolidated the inputs gathered from the Action Planning Workshop held last September 24-25, 2018. The aim of the Action Planning Workshop was to define the medium- and long-term strategic goals of select national and local government units on the implementation of SCP in the food service industry, and to integrate SCP principles into local and national policies and plans. The gathered recommendations and strategies were classified under four major themes: the creation of an SCP council, the institutionalization and harmonization of SCP concepts, the adoption and implementation of SCP practices and policies, and the development of a support system for the food service industry’s transition to SCP compliance.   Photo © Pauline Abello / PCEPSDI Ms. Liezl Stuart Del Rosario, The Sustainable Diner Project’s Policy Specialist, discussing one of the consolidated strategies to the QC LGU representatives.   The presented action recommendations and strategies were then assessed by the QC LGU representatives, particularly on how these can be improved and implemented through the lens of local policy-making and governance. During the workshop proper, the QC LGU representatives were able to connect the consolidated challenges and opportunities, shared during the Action Planning Workshop by stakeholders from the food service industry, the academe, and other civil society organizations, with some of the challenges that they are facing as a part of the city’s local governing departments. They were able to further validate, enhance and localize the action recommendations and strategies, and followed it up with the assignment of roles and responsibilities to the concerned LGU departments.   Photo © Alexa Jeanne Lasch / WWF-Philippines Project team members from WWF and PCEPSDI facilitating the workshop proper where QC LGU representatives gave their comments on how the identified action recommendations and strategies can be improved.   The outcome of the policy planning workshop will be further synthesized until a revised batch of action recommendations and strategies, specifically for Quezon City, can be presented and implemented with the help of the LGU’s different departments. In the succeeding months, the same policy planning workshop will be conducted with the Tagaytay City LGU and the Cebu City LGU – The Sustainable Diner project’s other two key city partners.   The Sustainable Diner project, under WWF-Philippines’ Sustainable Consumption and Production, is part of the International Climate Initiative (IKI). The Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, and Nuclear Safety (BMU) supports this initiative on the basis of a decision adopted by the German Bundestag.