PHILIPPINE LEGISLATORS ENGAGE GERMAN MINISTRY FOR THE ENVIRONMENT ON CLIMATE CHANGE, RENEWABLE ENERGY, AND LAND USE (BMUB)

October 29, 2014

A high-level delegation of senior Philippines legislators and policymakers met with technical experts of the German Federal Ministry for Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety (BMUB) earlier this month to discuss German and EU climate change and renewable energy policy.

The Philippine side, for its part, stressed the importance of pursuing both climate change mitigation and adaptation measures, including leveraging technology to ensure that the disaster prone communities have the necessary information and tools to be prepared for natural hazards. The German Alliance for Development Works has consistently ranked the Philippines as one of the most disaster prone countries in the world.

The BMUB briefed the delegation that its climate change policy was firmly focused in pursuing ambitious mid-term and long-term targets for renewable energy and energy efficiency. Germany has targeted that by 2025, renewable energy sources should account for 40-45 percent of the energy mix and by 2050 this should reach at least 80 percent. Germany is also modernizing its energy supply system and grid infrastructure to ensure that renewable energy can be distributed throughout the country. While the Philippines already has a strong renewable energy mix, predominantly through geothermal and hydroelectric sources, both sides acknowledged the need to jointly pursue more cooperation in rationalizing climate financing to allow for the greater adoption of renewable energy technologies and related infrastructure in the Philippines.

The Philippines and Germany are currently pursuing more than ten programs funded under Germany’s International Climate Initiative (IKI). The programs are pursing innovative strategies such as harnessing indigenous knowledge and practices for natural resource management in the Agusan Marah Wildlife Sanctuary, conservation and improved management of marine protected areas, forest and climate protection in Panay, and the development of a national REDD+ mechanism.

Senators Sergio Osmeña, Loren Legarda, and Gregorio Honasan as well as Representatives Arlene Bag-Ao, Teddy Brawner Baguilat, 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).***END

PH LEGISLATORS AND POLICYMAKERS ENGAGE GERMAN EXPERTS

October 17, 2014

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

PHILIPPINES AND GERMANY LAUNCH LANDMARK AGREEMENTS ON TECHNICAL AND VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING

October 8, 2014

Berlin, 8 October 2014. As part of President Aquino’s official visit to Berlin, the Philippines and Germany signed two (2) agreements on technical and vocational education and training (TVET). Witnessed by DFA Secretary del Rosario, DTI Secretary Gregory Domingo, TESDA Director General Joel Villanueva and high-ranking German officials, Philippine Ambassador to Germany Maria Cleofe R. Natividad and German Ambassador to the Philippines Thomas Ossowski signed the Joint Declaration of Intent that provides a comprehensive bilateral framework for cooperation on TVET.

As part of efforts to boost TESDA’s capabilities, Secretary Joel Villanueva and President Prof. Dr. Friedrich Hubert Esser of the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB) also signed a Cooperation Agreement for collaborative research and development of TVET. The Bonn-based BIBB is a German and international center of excellence for research on vocational education and training and the progressive development of VET.

While previous cooperation has been relatively ad hoc and delivered through stand alone projects, Ambassador Natividad stressed that “this framework agreement creates an institutional partnership between the Philippines and Germany, with both sides prioritizing TVET cooperation as part of our economic and development cooperation agenda.” Under the institutional framework, both sides will jointly identify initiatives that will further integrate dual training in the Philippine educational system, deepen engagement with the private sector, enhance the attractiveness of TVET among the general public, and improve the TVET quality assurance framework.

Ambassador Natividad further stressed that “vocational training is the core of the ‘Made in Germany’ brand and has been indispensable in securing a supply of skilled workers that has given the German economy a competitive edge. The Philippines is in the process of a major educational reform initiative, which will align our educational system with international standards. By working with Germany, we aim to have student trainees spend a significant portion of their time in the workplace accessing state of the art technology to hone their craft. And by having the German-Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GPCCI) and German companies partner with local counterparts, I am confident that we will be able to strengthen our own educational system and produce a better qualified and more competitive workforce.”

This view was echoed by Secretary Villanueva when he emphasized that “each year, some 60 percent of German school-leavers choose to enter the dual system, ensuring that in Germany young people are integrated into the labor force with a degree of success almost unparalleled in Europe… The challenge we face in skills development is the need to increase permeability of TVET. Since the issues in TVET are now global in nature, the more we should consider external support in the design of our training programs.” According to Secretary Villanueva, outputs from monitoring and research would not only address current labor market needs, but would also allow TESDA to identify future trends in program development and adoption of new technologies.

Under this framework, the Philippines and Germany have just launched the “Dual Training as Extension of the Education Reform Initiative K to 12 of the Philippines (K-12 Plus)” program, which will pursue innovative dual training approaches in Metro Manila and the Central Visayas for the tourism, construction, manufacturing, electronics and microfinance sectors. Within these pilot arrangements, German and Philippine companies will work with Chambers of Commerce and schools to develop education and training curricula that are relevant to today’s business realities. Secretary Villanueva emphasized that “we hope to beef up our dual training system and make it a sustainable program, especially for the youth. We will attain this by strengthening our advocacy and encourage more TVET institutions and companies to adopt this system” to address youth unemployment and underemployment.

The multi-stakeholder K-12 Plus initiative, includes the support of the Department of Education, TESDA, German-Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GPCCI), Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), Cebu Chamber of Commerce, Philippine Business for Education (PBEd) Foundation, AFOS Foundation for Entrepreneurial Development, German International Cooperation (GIZ), German Savings Bank Foundation for International Cooperation (SBFIC), DEG (KfW), Sequa, and the German Confederation of Skilled Crafts. *END

Philippine Embassy Berlin Holds One-Day Consular Outreach in Munich

September 30, 2014

The Philippine Embassy in Berlin composed of Consul Adrian Cruz, Ms. Melinda Hernais, Ms. Rowena Andaya Hernandez, Ms. Mylah Ann Rubio and Mr. Armand Mahinay conducted a mobile consular outreach service in München on 27 September 2014 at the Philippine Honorary Consulate in Bavaria.

The team facilitated a total of 143 e-passport applications and 25 assorted notarials, certifications and civil registry applications. Filipinos from The outreach was held at Nussbaumstr. 10/V 80336 München, where the Office of the Honorary Consulate is located. Many of the applicants seeking consular assistance came from the states of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. There was a 10% increase in the number of applicants compared to the mobile outreach held last year. The increased turnout may be attributed to the Oktoberfest celebration, a 16-day festival running from late September to the first weekend of October.

The mobile outreach is part of the Philippine Embassy’s efforts to bring its consular services closer to Filipinos residing in different parts of Germany. Many applicants expressed their appreciation for the fast processing of applications, which can be attributed to the implementation of a pre-registration system months before the outreach took place. The next consular outreach will be held at the Philippine Honorary Consulate in Essen in October 2014. (END)

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The Philippine Embassy in Berlin

PHILIPPINE LEGISLATORS ENGAGE GERMAN MINISTRY FOR THE ENVIRONMENT ON CLIMATE CHANGE, RENEWABLE ENERGY, AND LAND USE (BMUB)

PH LEGISLATORS AND POLICYMAKERS ENGAGE GERMAN EXPERTS

PHILIPPINES AND GERMANY LAUNCH LANDMARK AGREEMENTS ON TECHNICAL AND VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING

Philippine Embassy Berlin Holds One-Day Consular Outreach in Munich

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