THE chairman of the House Committee on Labor over the weekend said the panel has approved and endorsed for second reading a measure seeking to open job opportunities in the field of green technology and environment conservation.
The panel chairman, Liberal Party Rep. Karlo Alexei B. Nograles of Davao City, author of the bill, said House Bill 4969, otherwise known as the Philippine Green Jobs Act (PGJA), has also passed the scrutiny of the House Committees on Appropriations and Ways and Means to determine the viability of the proposal in terms of funding.
The “Green Jobs” bill seeks to promote work that produces goods and services that will benefit and preserve the environment. These particularly involve business enterprises that use fewer natural resources in their production processes.
The measure is also pushing for fiscal incentives and tax perks to encourage individuals and enterprises to participate in the creation of green jobs, practice the use of environment-friendly techonologies and produce green goods and services.
Under the bill, the so-called green companies or business enterprises that are involved in the production of environment-friendly products and those that offer services to promote environmental protection and conservation are entitled to fiscal incentives that may include additional deduction of labor expense and duty-free importation of capital equipment.
The incentives shall be determined and administered by the Department of Finance.
The bill also said the Department of Labor and Employment is tasked to create a national green jobs human-resource development plan, which will sustain the transition into a green economy.
“It shall include programs, projects and activities pertaining to basic, higher and technical vocational education and training, a database that identifies and links green job opportunities with private and public entities, and information on knowledge and skill requirements of a green economy,” it said.
The bill also seeks to name the secretary of labor and employment as an additional member of the Climate Change Commission, as well as mandates the Department of Education and the Commission on Higher Education to design and implement the appropriate curriculum in support of the green economy.
“With the adverse effects of climate change being felt around the world and its increasing threat to lives and properties, nations have found it imperative to facilitate and guide the process of making industries less harmful to the environment,” Nograles said.
With this bill, Nograles said that he hopes to see the establishment of many “green investments” in the Philippines, such as those that are involved in the production of electronic vehicles, solar panels and even power companies that use renewable resources.
“This is the future. I think that in the next 10 to 20 years, we will already see a lot of homes equipped with their own solar panels and homes that have their own water-recycling facilities. What we need now is to encourage more investments on green technology. This is like in the early 1990s, where mobile phones were only for the rich, whereas today, every Filipino has their own cellular phone,” he said.
The lawmaker added that with the world’s dwindling resources, countries have no recourse but to move toward a more sustainable use of their natural resources and harness the full potential of renewable resources.
“Public policy must center on developing a green jobs agenda, enhancing workers skills and ensuring a just transition to a green economy,” Nograles said.
The Senate, through Sen. Juan Edgardo Angara, has also promised commitment to pass Senate Bill 2893, or their version of the Green Jobs Act, which was hailed by the United Nation’s International Labor Organization as the “first of its kind” and a creative innovation to address the challenges of climate change.