ENVIRONMENTALLY CRITICAL PROJECTS & AREAS
Signed by: President Ferdinand E. Marcos
(December 14,1981)
PROCLAIMING CERTAIN AREAS AND TYPES OF PROJECTS AS ENVIRONMENTALLY
CRITICAL AND WITHIN THE SCOPE OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT
SYSTEM ESTABLISHED UNDER PRESIDENTIAL DECREE NO. 1586.
• WHEREAS, it is the national policy to attain and maintain a rational and orderly balance
between socio-economic growth and environmental conservation and protection;
• WHEREAS, there is an urgent need to bring about an intensive, integrated program of
environmental protection through a requirement of environmental impact assessments
and statements;
• WHEREAS, the environmental impact statement system established under Presidential
Decree No, 1586 calls for the proper management of environmentally critical areas;
• WHEREAS, the pursuit of a comprehensive and integrated environmental protection
program necessitates the establishment and institutionalization of a system whereby the
exigencies of socio-economic undertakings can be reconciled with the requirements of
environmental protection and conservation;
• WHEREAS, the national leadership mandates the establishment of such a system to
regulate and minimize the environmental impacts of projects and undertakings which
may significantly affect the quality of the environment in Presidential Decree No. 1586;
and
• WHEREAS, in the effective implementation of such a system, there arises the need to
identify and declare certain projects determined to be environmentally critical;
ENVIRONMENTAL CRITICAL PROJECTS
• are projects or industries that have critical environmental impacts and therefore need to
undergo environmental impact assessment and need to acquire Environmental
Compliance Certificates (ECC) prior to implementation.
• Even though the LGU may not play a significant role in the environment impact
assessment system, it is important to monitor these projects in order to plan for the
appropriate location of these projects vis-à-vis residential and other land uses.
I. Heavy Industries
A. Non-ferrous metal industries
A non-ferrous metal is any metal, including alloys, that does not contain iron in
appreciable amounts. Generally more expensive than ferrous metals, non-ferrous
metals are used because of desirable properties such as low weight
(e.g., aluminum), higher conductivity (e.g., copper), Non-magnetic property
or resistance to corrosion (e.g. zinc). Some non-ferrous materials are also used
in the iron and steel industries.
B. Iron and Steel Mills
Manufacture of iron and steel
C.
Petroleum and petro-chemical industries including oil and gas
Petrochemicals are chemical products derived from petroleum. Some chemical
compounds made from petroleum are also obtained from other fossil fuels, such as coal
or natural gas, or renewable sources such as corn or sugar cane.
D. Smelting Plants
Smelting is a form of extractive metallurgy; its main use is to produce a metal from its
ore. This includes production of silver, iron, copper and other base metals from their
ores.
A smelting plant is an industrial location where metal is extracted from raw ore. Common
examples of metal smelting include tin, lead, copper, bronze, and iron.
II. Resource Extractive Industries
A. Major Mining and Quarrying Projects
Mining on Sibuyan Island, Philippines
B. Forestry Projects
1. Logging
Logging is the cutting, skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees
or logs onto trucks or skeleton cars.
2. Major wood processing projects
3. Introduction of fauna (exotic-animals) in public/private forests
Invasive alien species (IAS) includes exotic or non-native micro- and macro-species introduced,
accidentally or deliberately, to a place that is not part of their natural habitat or distributional
range, and have adverse ecological and economic impacts.
4. Forest occupancy
5. Extraction of mangrove products
6. Grazing
Grazing is a type of feeding, in which a herbivore feeds on plants (such
as grasses), and also on other multicellular autotrophs (such as algae)
C. Fishery Projects
1. Dikes for Fishpond Development Projects
III. Infrastructure Projects
A. Major Dams
Magat Dam,
Cagayan
River
Ambuklao
Hydroelectric Dam, Cordillera Region
B. Major Power Plants (fossil-fueled, nuclear fueled,hydroelectric or geothermal)
KEPCO's Malaya thermal power plant Sarulla Geothermal Power Plants
C. Major Reclamation Projects
Land reclamation, usually known as reclamation, and also known as land-fill (not
to be confused with a landfill), is the process of creating new land from ocean,
riverbeds, or lake.
South Road Properties, Cebu
D. Major Roads and Bridges
Gumain River Bridge
San Juanico Bridge
