Legarda Stresses Need for Better Regulation of Environmental Planning Profession

MANILA, February 1, 2013-Stressing the crucial role of environmental planners in the development of sustainable communities and ecosystems, Senator Loren Legarda said that there is a need for a more responsive and comprehensive regulation of environmental planning practice in the country.

Legarda, principal author of Senate Bill 3138, the Environmental Planning Act of 2012 recently approved on Second Reading, said that the law regulating the practice of Environmental Planning in the Philippines, Presidential Decree No. 1308, was enacted more than 30 years ago and many parts of the law have to be updated.

“Senate Bill 3138 provides a more responsive and comprehensive regulation for the registration, licensing and practice of the profession of Environmental Planning in light of local and international developments in the field, which encompasses a plethora of planning concerns such as climate change, natural and built environments, subdivision planning, disaster prevention/mitigation/response, among others,” she explained.

“With the need of the national government and local government units (LGUs) for various types of planning for the super-regions, regions, provinces, districts, cities, and municipalities, it is imperative that these environmental planners are proven competent to perform such sensitive tasks and to assume the attendant professional responsibilities and civil liabilities for their prepared, signed and sealed plans,” Legarda said.

The bill also proposes a clearer definition of the practice of Environmental Planning and the expansion of the types of academic degrees required to qualify for the licensure examination, likewise providing for continuing professional education to make Philippine Environmental Planners globally recognized and competitive.