PNoy set to sign the proposedPhilippine Green Jobs Act

President Aquino is expected to sign into law the proposed "Philippine Green Jobs Act of 2016," which seeks to create job opportunities in the field of green technology to promote the protection of the environment.

Rep. Karlo Alexei B. Nograles (1st District, Davao City) said both the House of Representatives and the Senate passed the proposed Philippine Green Jobs Act. The House has adopted Senate Bill 3092 to fast track the enactment of the bill into law.

Nograles, chairman of the House Committee on Labor and Employment and principal author of the House version of the Philippine Green Jobs Act, said the bill encourages the creation of green jobs that produce goods and services that benefit and preserve the environment or conserve the natural resources.

The bill entitles green companies, which use fewer natural resources in their production process, to fiscal incentives that may include additional deduction of labor expense and duty free importation of capital equipment, Nograles said.

Nograles said green companies are the business enterprises that are involved in the production of environment friendly products and those that offer services to promote environmental protection and conservation.

"With this measure, we will see the establishment of many green investments in the country such as those that are involved in the production of electronic vehicles, solar panels, water recycling plants and even power companies that use renewable resources," said Nograles.

Nograles was encouraged by the growing level of awareness on the need to generate more jobs while promoting the protection of the environment.

He noted the existence of windmills in Ilocos Norte and solar farms in Rizal Province. He also said "companies offering to sell 'solar electricity' and water recycling equipment are also now being put up at a very rapid rate."

The bill mandates the Department of Labor and Employment to formulate a National Green Jobs Human Resource Development Plan on the development, enhancement and utilization of the labor force, both in the private and public sector, 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," Nograles said.

Nograles said the bill was hailed by the United Nation's International Labor Organization (ILO) as the first of its kind and was considered a creative innovation to address the challenges of climate change. (House of Representatives)