Berlin, 17 October 2014.   Senior legislators and Philippine policymakers involved in climate change, urban planning and rural development recently concluded a study visit to Germany as part of efforts to support the passage and effective implementation of the National Land Use Act (NLUA).  After more than two decades of debate, President Aquino has certified the NLUA bill as urgent and both Houses are working together to push for its swift passage.

Senators Sergio Osmeña, Loren Legarda, and Gregorio Honasan as well as Representatives Arlene Bag-Ao, Teddy Brawner, Rufus Rodriguez, Francisco Matugas, Agapito Guanlao, and George Arnaiz led the twenty-five person delegation, which crisscrossed four German Federal States from 12-18 October 2014.  The familiarization study tour is a project under the framework of the “Land Use Policy and Spatial Planning, Sustainable Forest Management, Adaptation to Climate Change and Biodiversity Conservation” program supported by the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).

The Philippine delegation was able to gain a keen appreciation of how Germany has developed a cohesive legal and policy framework in the last twenty-five years to address climate change, biodiversity conservation, and urban planning.  The German policy mix has prioritized climate change mitigation through the aggressive adoption of renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies as well as stringent land use and zoning regulations.   In response to the Fukushima nuclear catastrophe in March 2011, Germany expanded its renewable energy targets through the energy transition (Energiewende) program, which helped reduce GHG emissions by 23.8% in 2013.

Senator Loren Legarda, for her part, keenly appreciated the strong coordination and open lines of communication that exist between Federal (national), local governments, business and civil society.  Senator Legarda highlighted that “it is impressive how Germany has been able to meet its ambitious greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) targets by pursuing both national and local policy measures that have focused on expanding wind and solar power, improving energy efficiency in the transport and construction sectors, promoting urban development measures, and preserving natural carbon sinks like forests.  Federal funding is supporting 2,500 municipalities to carry out 5,000 projects, including spatial modeling and monitoring tools to implement local climate change master plans.  I look forward to working with the German government to see how these initiatives could be adopted for use in the Philippines.”

The Philippine delegation agreed that the land use framework will require both “top-down” and “bottom-up” approaches for it to be successful.  In this respect, the Philippine parliamentarians stressed the need for capacity building and the transfer of technology to local municipalities.  The Philippines and Germany are co-shepherding the creation of the UN Green Climate Fund, which aims to raise USD 100 billion to help developing countries pursue mitigation and adaptation measures.  Germany, for its part, has taken the lead in pledging USD 1 billion in new funding for the Green Climate Fund.

The study tour, organized by the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ), allowed Philippine policymakers to engage experts from the Federal Ministry for Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety, the City Government of Potsdam, the Forest Information and Communication Center, the Forest Cooperative of Elsdorf-Schiedersdorf, the German Parliament, the Foundation for the Sorbic Peoples in Bautzen, the International Academy for Nature Conservation in Vilm, and the Office for Biosphere Preservation in Rügen.

The National Land Use Bill aims to rationalize the categorization of land resources into four categories: protected areas, production areas (i.e. agriculture), settlements development (i.e. residential areas), and infrastructure development areas (i.e. transportation, communication and water resources). ***END