January 27, 2021, Quezon City, Philippines – The Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) virtually participated in the Joint Congressional Oversight Committee (JCO) on Clean Air Act (House of Representatives Panel) via Zoom Video Conference upon the invitation of Congressman Alfonso V. Umali, Jr., Chairman of the Committee.
The conference was participated by four committee members of congressmen and several resource institutions that includes the Environmental Management Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (EMB-DENR), Climate Change Commission (CCC), Clean Air Asia (CAA), and GGGI. The invitation accorded to GGGI from the Committee was in recognition of its expertise and sustained “advocacy towards environmental protection, sustainable development and climate change awareness”.
Congressman and the Chairperson of the Oversight Committee, Alfonso Umail Jr.
Mr. Juhern Kim, Country Representative to the Philippines, introduced the GGGI to the Chairperson, member congressmen of the House panel, resource institutions, and shared GGGI’s capacity relative to the agenda of Clean Air, citing recent global benchmark of NetZero pledges and its associated economic transformation. He particularly advised the committee to further consider wider discussion primarily on how to reduce air pollutants by accelerating green technologies, such as electric vehicles and renewable energy, among others, given the transport and power sectors are the major sources of air pollution, while welcoming the moratorium on new coal-fired power plants in the Philippines. He also shared the importance of strengthening a start-up ecosystem that encourages entrepreneurship in clean technologies, and confirmed GGGI’s further support to the Committee as a resource institution. The Chairperson recognized the comments from GGGI and proposed to keep working together towards these important undertakings.
Pursuant to Section 53 of Republic Act No. 8749, otherwise known as “The Philippine Clean Air Act of 1999,” the Congressional Oversight Committee on the Clean Air Act of the Eighteenth (18th) Congress of the Honorable Chamber intended to be fully apprised of the status of the implementation of the said law and to identify the pertinent issues and concerns relating thereto.
GGGI signed a host country agreement (HCA) with the Republic of the Philippines in June 2020, which is currently undergoing the required ratification process. This was GGGI’s first intervention to the House of Representatives, Republic of the Philippines.