Expertise: coordinator
Expertise Group: Project Management/ Institutional Development
Consultant Source: National
TOR Keywords: national coordinator, coastal management, public engagement
Objective and Purpose of the Assignment
I. Objective of the Assignment
The Government of the Philippines (GOP) has expressed an interest in working with the Asian Development
Bank (ADB) to strengthen the country’s capacity to sustainably manage coastal and marine biological
resources while concurrently enhancing the contribution of these resources to sustainable development,
thereby countering biodiversity loss, the impacts of climate change and losses from natural disasters.
These terms of reference (TOR) will assist the GOP, specifically the Department of Environment and
Natural Resources (DENR), other government agencies to be identified, and ADB to scope the elements of a
potential policy-based loan (PBL) from ADB that will assist GOP to pursue a sustainable Blue Economy.
II. Background
A. Introduction
Comprising 7,100 islands, the Philippines’ coastal and marine habitats rank among the most biodiverse in
the world. The country’s vision for ecosystems conservation and sustainable use and protection of
biodiversity is stated in the Philippines Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan as follows: “By 2028,
biodiversity is restored and rehabilitated, valued, effectively managed and secured, maintaining
ecosystem services to sustain healthy, resilient Filipino communities and delivering benefits to all.”
It goes on to state, “The ability of policy makers to address the key challenge of reducing poverty in
the country is dependent on building the capacity to appropriately manage and conserve ecosystems and
the services they provide.”
Ecosystem services are the multitude of benefits nature provides to society. Examples from coastal and
marine areas include:
• Water: Thousands of small coastal basins with outlets to the sea are essential sources of freshwater
to human communities along the coast as well as to coastal flora and fauna which are important local
sources of food and medicine.
• Food: Fish is the second most important staple food of Filipinos. Every square kilometer of coral
reefs can supply up to 30 tons of edible and economically important fish annually. Mangroves produce
about $538 worth of fish/ha/yr.
• Pharmaceuticals: These include plants used to treat skin infections, wounds, allergies, rheumatism,
gout and other human ailments.
• Carbon sequestration: Coastal salt marshes, mangroves and seagrasses efficiently absorb carbon
dioxide; conservation and restoration of these carbon sinks are an important contribution to global
climate change mitigation efforts.
• Coastal areas protection from extreme weather events: mangrove forests are contributing to protect
coastal communities and infrastructures from the hazards resulting extreme weather events exacerbated by
climate change.
• Cultural, intellectual and spiritual inspiration: Tourism, recreation and leisure activities provided
by coastal areas are important local and national sources of income.
Currently, coastal and marine tourism in the Philippines contributes $3 billion in value added to the
economy and 900,000 jobs, while fisheries/aquaculture contributes $2.3 billion and 260,000 jobs, and
ports and shipping contribute $1.4 billion and 700,000 jobs. One of the world’s leading fish-producing
countries, the Philippines produced 1.89 million tons of marine capture fisheries in 2018 alone. In
2016, marine-based industries contributed over 6% to GDP.
Regrettably, it is widely recognized that the biological resources providing these ecosystem services
are under serious threat. The Philippines ranks within the top 10 countries globally as concerns the
number of species threatened with extinction. Continuing habitat loss in coastal and marine areas
remains a major threat to ecosystem resources. Principal threats and pressures include:
• Pollution: e.g., wastewater and sold waste (including plastics) from industries and commercial
establishments, agriculture and community/household activities that end up leaking into waterways and
oceans. A recent global study, Plastic Polluters , commissioned by an independent UK-based organization,
ranked the Philippines as the country with the highest plastic waste emissions into the ocean per person
per year, at 3.30 kg.
• Habitat and biodiversity loss: e.g., the Philippines is among the top ten countries in the world with
the highest aerial mangrove loss (Bryan-Brown et al. 2020); in 1920 the Philippines had 450,000 ha of
mangrove forests but lost about 317,500 ha by 1990 (Primavera 1995), leading to loss of ecosystem
services and economic opportunities for local communities.
• Overfishing and overexploitation of the fishery resource: overexploitation of fish stocks and illegal,
unregulated and unreported (IUU) fishing are depleting the fishery resources and revenues of the fishing
communities. Economic pressures also result in loss of 30-50% of Philippine seagrass beds due to
industrial development, ports and recreation in the last 50 years.
• Risks from climate change and natural hazards: the Philippines is in the top ten countries most
adversely affected by climate change through ocean acidification, sea level rise and increased losses
due to extreme weather among other impacts. Under a business-as-usual scenario, the country can expect
an estimated loss of 6% of GDP annually to the year 2100, but if the Philippines starts investing in
climate change, losses can be reduced by up to 4% by 2100.
• Fragmented ocean governance: e.g., problems associated with the “tragedy of the commons” and a failure
to resolve overlapping economic regulatory interests.
• Marine protected areas (MPAs): fragmentation and oftentimes ineffective protection and management of
MPAs.
• Nascent nature capital accounting: calculation of the stocks and flows of natural resources and
services in the country’ ecosystems is a prerequisite to identification of priority conservation areas
so as to better inform government policies and decision-making concerning the use and consumption of
maritime resources and ecosystem services.
B. The Blue Economy – a view from DENR
Blue Economy is defined as “a practical ocean-based economic model using green infrastructure and
technologies, innovative financing mechanisms and proactive institutional arrangements for meeting the
twin goals of protecting our oceans and coasts and enhancing its potential contribution to sustainable
development.”
In the view of DENR, harnessing the potential of the Blue Economy depends on careful attention to key
sectors which deliver essential outcomes, as follows:
• Agriculture, fisheries and food security. Improved management of agriculture, fisheries and food
security in coastal and marine areas can result in (i) productive and resilient agriculture and
fisheries; (ii) conservation and sustainable use of the natural resources on which these sectors rely;
(iii) enhanced livelihood opportunities for farmers and fishers.
• Water resources. Effective management of freshwater resources in coastal areas will (i) build
inclusivity and resilience into water infrastructure; (ii) protect water supply and quality from shifts
in weather patterns; (iii) protect watersheds and surrounding ecosystems.
• Ecosystems and biodiversity. Proper management and protection of nature in the Blue Economy will
ensure a sustainable supply of the resources of fundamental importance to maintaining healthy ecosystems
and the services they supply to local communities, the nation and, in some cases, the world.
• Managing wastewater and solid waste. Solid waste management and plastic pollution reduction in
waterways and oceans
DENR identifies a number of important actions that should be taken to harness the Blue Economy’s
potential in the Philippines. Among others, these include:
• Nature-based job creation programs. This could include work in ecosystem restoration, including
seagrass beds, coral reefs, mangroves and coastal wetlands, as well as enhancing the management of
marine protected areas (MPAs) and monitoring of coasts.
• Digitizing the ocean. Examples include developing apps that connect fishers who practice sustainable
fishing with markets, and promoting marine mapping and surveillance programs using electronic and
satellite monitoring.
• Sustainability upgrades. This would include activities that increase resilience and sustainability in
social and economic settings, such as effective wastewater and solid waste management facilities;
climate proofing infrastructure; employing nature-based solutions to development issues; and promoting
green infrastructure and clean energy.
• Promotion of a circular economy. The National Plan of Action on Marine Litter suggests activities such
as collecting science- and evidence-based baseline information on marine litter, enhancing recovery and
recycling coverage and markets, preventing leakage of disposed waste, reducing sea-based sources of
wastes, managing litter, enhancing policy support, developing and implementing social marketing and
strengthening local implementation.
• Scaling up programs and projects. This includes sustainable fisheries and agriculture; sustainable
coastal and marine tourism; sustainable and green ports; and emerging Blue Economy industries.
• Measure the Blue Economy for evidence-based policy. This includes ocean accounting; assessment of
backward and forward linkages of the ocean economy; trade impacts and multiplier effects; and measure
the contribution, impacts and benefits of Blue Economy initiatives.
• Pursue an Integrated Coastal and Ocean Act. Actions include intersectoral integration among coastal
and marine sectors, and between coastal and marine sectors and land-based sectors; whole of government
integration; spatial integration between the land and the ocean; ocean science-economics-policy
integration; and international integration to address transboundary issues, SDGs and multilateral
environmental treaties.
• Regional cooperation is imperative. Regional cooperation is needed due to transboundary issues and the
highly complex nature of ocean management. Within the context of regional cooperation, a mechanism for
establishing meaningful partnerships, effective follow up and review and inclusive sharing of experience
across stakeholders and countries is essential. Finally, technical support is needed to strengthen this
inclusive and action oriented regional platform.
• Potential Areas for Policy Reform. Potential areas under a programmatic approach to harness ocean-
based blue economy through Integrated Coastal Management (ICM): (i) enhance sustainable fishery
resources management, fishery value chain and aquaculture to improve food security and the livelihood
options among the coastal poor, (ii) promote marine and coastal ecosystems protection and conservation,
especially by improving the effectiveness of the MPA network and promotion of Other Effective Area-Based
Conservation Measures (OECMs) (iii) promote coastal and marine ecotourism; (iv) protection and
improvement of water quality in coastal areas and associated river basins through wastewater and solid
waste management and plastic pollution reduction in waterways and oceans (i.e., banning of single use
plastics); (v) enhance policies/regulations for ecosystem- based adaptation and climate change
adaptation (CCA) planning, (vi) support the roadmap on nature capital/ocean accounting of marine
ecosystem services for evidence-based policy to inform science-based indicators for planning and
investment (i.e., blue carbon and nature credits); and (vii) integrate marine spatial planning (MSP)
into the guidelines for renewable for offshore-based renewable energy projects (wind and solar)
developed by the Philippines Department of Energy (DOE) to further boost environmental safeguards and
mitigate/minimize the impacts of such projects on the marine environment.(i.e., projects that threaten
marine biodiversity-rich environments; turbine creating noise and impacts on marine mammals; solar
energy panel blankets denying fisherfolks’ access to their sources of income). . Other areas may be
contemplated under the programmatic approach upon discussion with the Government. The policy reforms
would aim to promote sustainable blue economy initiatives that will enhance local revenue generation
across the country’s coastal communities and economies.
• Potential Areas for Future Investment. These could include (i) sustainable fisheries and aquaculture;
(ii) sustainable coastal and marine tourism; (iii) green ports; (iv) marine renewable energy; (v) marine
biotechnology; (vi) shipbuilding and ship repair; (vii) solid waste management and plastic recycling;
and (vii) ecosystem restoration.
DENR has also identified key areas of growth, as follows: (i) natural capital accounting of marine
ecosystem services; (ii) coastal and marine tourism; (iii) coastal and marine resource management; (iv)
fisheries and aquaculture; (v) ports and shipping; (vi) marine renewable energy; (vii) water quality and
quantity; (viii) wastewater treatment.
C. Examples of Key National Regulations, Policies, Programs and Commitments to International Agreements
Programs
• Philippine Fisheries and Coastal Resiliency Project. Supported by the World Bank, this $176 million
project aims to improve management of targeted fisheries resources and enhance the value of fisheries
production to coastal communities and selected fisheries management areas (FMAs). The project comprises
three components: (i) fisheries and coastal resilience resource planning and management, which aims to
strengthen FMA governance through climate-resilient planning to recover fishery resources and build
ecosystem resilience; (ii) modern and resilient livelihood investments to enhance the economic value of
fisheries and aquaculture for fishing communities through strategic and climate resilient investments to
reduce post-harvest losses, expand aquaculture production and add value to fisheries production; and
(iii) support to project implementation and management to finance technical and operational support for
project management and coordination.
• Coastal and Marine Ecosystems Management Program (CMEMP).This is an $80 million keystone national
program (implementation period, 2017-2028) supported by the UN and led by DENR which aims to
comprehensively manage, address and effectively reduce the drivers and threats of degradation of the
coastal and marine ecosystems in order to achieve and promote sustainability of ecosystem services, food
security and climate change resiliency for the benefit of present and future Filipino generations. The
program consists of the following components: (i) MPA network establishment and strengthening; (ii)
biodiversity friendly social enterprise development; (iii) capacity building; (iv) technical assistance;
(v) knowledge management; (vi) social marketing and mobilization; and (vii) monitoring and evaluation.
• Regional Flyway Initiative (RFI): Investing in the East Asian-Australasian Flyway (EAAF) for Nature
and People. This is a multi-country program supported by ADB which intends to build a business case for
nature-based solutions in the EAAF to help protect habitats and species while supporting communities and
delivering climate co-benefits. It aims to mobilize $3 billion of support over the medium term for
coastal biodiversity conservation, sustainable development activities and climate resilience. The
Philippines is a key member of the East Asian-Australasian Flyway Partnership, which extends across 22
countries. GOP has already identified the RFI as key program to support with DENR allocating $3 million
of GEF resources to a Philippines Flyway Project to be administered by ADB. The PBL will further build
on this project and GOP has expressed an interest further expand RFI activities because the activities
are aligned with a number of international conventions GOP is signatory to (Ramsar, CMS, CBD, etc.) as
well as the Philippine Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan, which references EAAF directly.
• Philippines: Climate Change Action Program, Subprogram 1. This is ADB’s first dedicated climate change
policy-based loan and addresses climate change as its core objective. It will support the Philippines to
implement its national climate policies, including its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), which
aims to peak greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2030, and scale up climate adaptation, mitigation and
disaster resilience. The program will increase and intensify actions to transform key sectors toward a
climate-resilient and low-carbon economy. It focuses on sectors that are of national priority for
climate action, targeting adaptation in highly vulnerable sectors (agriculture, natural resources, and
environment), and mitigation in emissions-intensive sectors (energy and transport). The program reform
areas are (i) strengthening planning, financing, and institutional linkages for climate action; (ii)
enhancing resilience to climate impacts; and (iii) strengthening low-carbon pathways.
Policies, Strategies and Regulations
• Philippine Development Plan (2023-2028). The PDP is subtitled “Economic Transformation for a
Prosperous, Inclusive, and Resilient Society”. The overall goal of the PDP is to reinvigorate job
creation and poverty reduction by steering the economy back to its high-growth path, and it hopes to
achieve this through an 8-point agenda. The proposed PBL can contribute to this in a number of ways. For
example, Point 4 – Create More Jobs, calls for investment promotion, including harnessing the potential
of the creative industry to generate interest in Philippine products, including tourism. Point 4 also
envisages improved infrastructure through, inter alia, flood protection and improved climate resilience.
Point 5 – Create Quality Jobs, recommends developing technologies that contribute to climate action, and
those that mitigate and adapt to climate change impacts. Point 6 – Create Green Jobs, discusses ways to
establish livable and sustainable communities resilient to climate change and disasters by incentivizing
LGUs to focus more on climate-friendly projects in sustainable tourism, nature-based solutions (coastal
habitat restoration and biodiversity protection) and others.
• Promoting Stewardship and Sustainable Development of Coastal and Marine Ecosystems and Resources
(filed on 14 March 2023) or the “Blue Economy Act”. This includes a “Declaration of Policy” to (i) adopt
Blue Economy as a framework for sustainable and safe use and development of marine wealth within the
Philippine maritime zones, as a pillar of the national economy and patrimony; (ii) exercise stewardship
of the seas and coasts, and protect and conserve the health and resilience of marine and coastal
ecosystems and habitats to promote the well-being, prosperity and security of present and future
generations; (iii) preserve the maritime heritage, recognize the social, cultural, and historical value
of seas and coasts, and foster public understanding and respect of the value of our seas and coasts to
build a strong foundation for social responsibility; (iv) enrich scientific understanding of marine and
coastal ecosystems, the benefits gained from these ecosystems (e.g., carbon sequestration), their
changing conditions and the causes thereof, and use the best available scientific knowledge to inform
decisions affecting seas and coasts and to enhance national capacity to respond and adapt to changing
maritime environments; (v) foster international cooperation, and exercise rights and jurisdiction in
accordance with applicable international laws, including on freedom of navigation; (vi) strategically
address the factors that adversely affect the oceans and the living and non-living resources that
comprise Philippine seas, turning threats into opportunities and preventing further harm to water bodies
including land-based pollution; (vii) ensure a whole-of-nation approach and a comprehensive, integrated
framework for the stewardship of seas and coasts to facilitate cohesive action of the national
government, local authorities, academe, non-governmental organizations, the private sector, and the
public. The Blue Economy Act directs the Coastal Watch Council to formulate a policy framework on the
Blue Economy within six months from effectivity of the Act and describes the components of the policy
framework.
• Republic Act 7586: National Integrated Protected Areas System (NIPAS) Act of 1992 (amended through the
Expanded National Integrated Protected Areas System Act of 2018). Aspirationally, this is a fundamental
Act in terms of protecting and sustainably managing the country’s most precious coastal and marine
resources. NIPAS could be considered the crown jewel of the Blue Economy.
• Integrated Coastal Management (ICM) Act: A pending bill to be administered by DENR, it aims to
institutionalize the ICM policy (EO 533) as a national strategy to ensure the holistic and sustainable
management of various ecosystems and natural resources through the “ridge to reef” approach. In
addition, the bill pursues the development of an ICM framework as a guide for local government units and
building the resiliency of coastal communities to climate change and other hazards.
• Philippines Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (2015-2028). In line with the intention of the
proposed PBL, the Philippines Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (PBSAP) states upfront that that it
intends to support the conservation of biodiversity to improve human well-being, thus contributing to
the attainment of the Philippine Development Plan goals and thereby firmly conjoining biodiversity
conservation with socioeconomic development. Additionally, at the time of the preparation of the PBSAP,
the Biodiversity Management Bureau institutionalized coastal and marine biodiversity conservation into
its mandate, signaling the government’s keen interest in this sector. The PBSAP presents 20 targets and
associated indicators, of which more than half are directly applicable to the Blue Economy. Priority
programs identified in the PBSAP are: (i) sustainable financing of the Philippines PA system; (ii)
enabling investments in natural capital; (iii) strengthening fisheries value chains; (iv) financial
monitoring and evaluation capacity in the Coral Triangle; (v) implementation of Sulu Celebes Seas Large
Marine Ecosystems Regional and National Strategic Action Plans; and (vi) exploration of collaborative
conservation framework in line with MARPOL and CBD in the East Asian Seas.
• National Climate Change Action Plan (2011-2028). The NCCAP prioritizes food security, water
sufficiency, ecological and environmental stability, human security, climate-smart industries and
services, sustainable energy and knowledge and capacity development as the strategic direction for the
period 2011 to 2028.
• National Adaptation Plan. Unveiled at COP28 but not publicly available as of the time of TOR
preparation, the NAP was developed through a Philippines-UK collaboration and derives from the National
Framework Strategy on Climate Change (2011-2022). It is expected to focus on four thematic priority
areas, namely food security, water sufficiency, ecosystem and environmental stability and human security.
• National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Plan (2011-2028). The NDRRMP covers four thematic
areas, namely (i) disaster prevention and mitigation; (ii) disaster preparedness; (iii) disaster
response; and (iv) disaster rehabilitation and recovery, all of which correspond to the structure of the
National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).
• Roadmap to Institutionalize Natural Capital Accounting in the Philippines. Natural capital accounting
(NCA) is an umbrella term covering efforts to use an accounting framework to provide a systematic way to
measure and report on stocks and flows of natural capital. NCA covers accounting for individual
environmental assets or resources, both biotic and abiotic (such as water, minerals, energy, timber,
fish), as well as accounting for ecosystem assets (e.g., forests; wetlands), biodiversity, and ecosystem
services. Developed by NEDA and DENR, the Roadmap provides strategic guidance on the national
implementation of NCA from 2022 to 2040.
• Natural Capital Accounting (NCA) Act: A pending bill to be administered by DENR and the Philippine
Statistics Authority, it aims to enable greater stakeholder engagement and sustained budgetary support
for the implementation of NCA activities at the national and subnational levels. The
institutionalization of the NCA will enable the government to quantify and internalize the economic cost
and benefits of environmental and climate change externalities into policies and decisions.
• National Plan of Action for the Prevention, Reduction and Management of Marine Litter (NPOA-ML).
Released in 2021 by DENR, the document presents a vision of having “A Philippines free of marine litter
through shared responsibility, accountability and participatory governance” and an overarching goal of
“Zero waste to Philippine waters by 2040”. It recommends 10 strategies: (i) establish science- and
evidence-based baseline information on marine litter; (ii) mainstream circular economy and sustainable
consumption and production initiatives; (iii) enhance recovery and recycling coverage and markets; (iv)
prevent leakage from collected or disposed waste; (v) reduce maritime sources of marine litter; (vi)
manage litter that is already existing in the riverine and marine environments; (vii) enhance policy
support and enforcement for marine litter prevention and management; (viii) develop and implement
strategic and targeted social marketing and communications campaigns using various media; (ix) enable
sufficient and cost-effective financing and other institutional resource requirements for the
implementation of the NPOA-ML; (x) strengthen local government unit capacities and local level
implementation of NPOA-ML.
• Bills addressing issues related to single-use plastics. In July 2022, an effort to gain legislative
support to develop an integrated and comprehensive policy for managing single-use plastic waste was
introduced in the Philippines House of Representatives: House Bill No. 507. The bill called for
regulating the manufacture, sale, use and importation of single-use plastic products as well as the
distribution, recovery, collection, recycling and disposal of such products. The bill was rejected, but
its author reportedly continues his efforts to gain House approval. Prior to this, on 28 July 2021, the
House voted unanimously to prohibit the production, import and sale of many single-use food packaging
products. House Bill No. 9147 called for phasing out within four years non-compostable plastic products
like plates, cups, cutlery, expanded polystyrene, film wrap and sachets; production of straws, stirrers,
bags thinner than 10 microns and other products would be banned within one year. However, the bill was
not passed by the Senate.
International Agreements and Regional Cooperation
• Convention on Biological Diversity. The CBD was signed by 150 government leaders at the 1992 Rio Earth
Summit; currently 196 countries have ratified the convention, including the Philippines. It is a
multilateral treaty with three main goals: the conservation of biological diversity; the sustainable use
of its components; and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from genetic resources.
• Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF). The GBF was adopted in 2022 and presents a
pathway to reach the global vision of a world living in harmony with nature by 2050. The implementation
of the GBF will be guided and supported through a monitoring framework; an enhanced mechanism for
planning, monitoring, reporting and reviewing implementation; the necessary financial resources for
implementation; strategic frameworks for capacity development and technical and scientific cooperation;
and an agreement on digital sequence information on genetic resources. Importantly, all Parties,
including the Philippines, committed at COP15 to set national implementation targets, and the next COP
will meet to take stock of these targets and commitments.
• United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement. The UNFCCC entered into
force in 1994 and currently 198 countries (including the Philippines) have ratified the Convention. The
ultimate objective is to stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations at a level that would prevent dangerous
human-induced interference with the climate system. It also considers climate adaptation and resilience
issues, financing, technology and knowledge. The Paris Agreement is an international treaty on climate
change adopted in 2015. It covers climate change mitigation, adaptation and finance.
• Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. Ramsar is an intergovernmental treaty that provides the framework for
national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their
resources. As a contracting Party to the Convention, the Philippines has updated and implemented the
National Wetlands Action Plan; designated two additional wetlands of international importance;
identified seven potential Ramsar sites; and organized an interim National Wetland Committee.
• Convention on Migratory Species: Adopted in 1979 and entered into force in 1983, the CMS aims to build
and strengthen global conservation efforts for migratory species in the air, on land and in the seas.
Also known as the Bonn Convention, it is an international and intergovernmental treaty backed by the
United Nations Environmental Programme. The Philippines has been a member of CMS since 1994.
• Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, 2015-2030. The Framework focuses on the adoption of
measures which address the three dimensions of disaster risk, i.e., exposure to hazards, vulnerability
and capacity, and hazard’s characteristics in order to prevent the creation of new risk, reduce existing
risk and increase resilience. It has four priorities for action, i.e., (i) understanding disaster risk;
(ii) strengthening disaster risk governance to manage disaster risk. (iii) investing in disaster risk
reduction for resilience; and (iv) enhancing disaster preparedness for effective response, and to “Build
Back Better” in recovery rehabilitation and reconstruction.
• Proposed international agreement on ending plastic pollution. At the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA-5)
in March 2022, representatives from UN Member States endorsed a resolution to end plastic pollution
throughout the entire life cycle of plastics and produce a draft Internationally Legally Binding
Instrument (ILBI) by the end of 2024/mid 2025. The agreement is expected to reflect diverse alternatives
to address the full lifecycle of plastics; the design of reusable and recyclable products and materials;
and the need for enhanced international collaboration to facilitate access to technology, capacity
building and scientific and technical cooperation. The GOP, led by DENR, is a party to the
Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) that are working on and heading to the Zero-Draft text of
the ILBI on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment.
• Partnerships in environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA). A regional partnership
programme implemented by the UNDP and executed by the United Nations Office for Project Services
(UNOPS). Originally know as Prevention and Management of Marine Pollution in the East Asian Seas, the
partnership is being hosted by the DENR. PEMSEA’s areas of work include coastal and ocean governance,
natural and man-made hazard prevention and management, habitat protection, restoration and management,
water use and supply management, pollution and waste reduction management. The PEMSEA program is
building on the Integrated Coastal Management (ICM) pilot sites and promoted strategies.
Scope of Work
Under the guidance of ADB, DENR,DA and other GOP agencies to be identified, the consultant, who will be
working with a team of experts, will undertake the following main tasks:
- Act as the main liaison and focal point to coordinate with government agencies, ADB and international
individual consultants - Review key documents and collate inputs from the individual consultants; conduct an initial
stakeholder mapping of key government agencies and other stakeholders; describe the regulatory and
legislative process; hold initial discussions with ADB, DENR, DA, and other stakeholders to receive
feedback on the expert team’s preliminary findings from the above tasks; and prepare an inception
report. The inception report will be based on the findings and inputs provided by the international
individual consultants. - Review documents and databases identified by the international individual consultants that identify
the key biodiversity areas and ecosystem services they provide so that future proposed policy reforms
and innovations can be focused for maximum impact. - Review core policies, strategies, legislation and regulatory frameworks under each of the potential
policy reforms identified by the international individual consultants (See section B. The Blue Economy –
a view from DENR: Potential Areas for Policy Reform). - Map major ongoing and proposed Blue Economy initiatives by GOP, the private sector and civil society,
particularly those initiatives supported by ADB and other development partners. - Based on conclusions from Tasks 1, 2, 3, and 4, suggest those policies, legislation and programs that
could be pursued under two subprograms, with an implementation period spanning from the end of 2023 to
December 2025 for the first subprogram and until the end of 2027 for the second subprogram. - For each of the priority areas in section B supra, identify barriers to private sector participation
and identify policies and legislations that are needed to remove these barriers and encourage private
sector to participate. - Describe technical assistance interventions essential for supporting the implementation or
acceleration of the main policy actions and achieve the objectives of the PBL, if warranted. - Conduct public, private and civil society stakeholder consultations.
- Based on the inputs collated from the the individual international consultants, prepare a draft
inception report that presents the salient information and conclusions from the tasks described above,
discuss the draft with and note feedback from ADB, GOP and other stakeholders and incorporate this
feedback into a final report.
Detailed Tasks and/or Expected Output
i. Leads and coordinates the expert team.
ii. Has overall responsibility for the quality of deliverables.
iii. Primary author of the inception report and scoping study.
iv. Ensure visibility of the ACGF and partners as appropriate (please contact the ADBs Green Finance Hub
for specific requirements) in reports, presentations etc. produced
Primary Tasks:
- Review key documents; conduct an initial stakeholder mapping of key government agencies and other
stakeholders; describe the regulatory and legislative process; hold initial discussions with ADB, DENR
and other stakeholders to receive feedback on the expert team’s preliminary findings from the above
tasks; and prepare an inception report. Objective: To initially review and summarize key policies, legal
frameworks, strategies and legislation that will allow the expert team to present a foundation for
proceeding with the scoping study as well as to confirm or modify the TOR, finalize a work plan and
prepare a timeline in agreement with ADB and DENR.
Activities:
a. Review key documents related to relevant policies, legal frameworks, strategies and legislation and
draw conclusions as to how these documents will influence the design of the PBL. (Attachment 1 provides
examples of these documents.)Describe the regulatory and legislative process, including step-by-step
procedures leading to approvals and implementation. Refine the descriptions of stakeholders, agencies
and processes as the expert team continues its work through to production of the draft final scoping
report, if required.
c. Throughout Task 1, facilitate and support discussions with stakeholders in close consultation with
ADB.
d. Prepare an inception report that summarizes the main challenges and rationale for interventions in
the Blue Economy, including conservation and sustainable development of biodiversity, disaster risk
management, climate change adaptation, natural capital accounting in the coastal and marine space and
opportunties for innovative financing among others; describes roles of key agencies and identifies
agencies responsible for administration of specific legislation, programs, etc; describes the
legislative process; provides conclusions from the review, including modifications to these TOR if
necessary; and proposes a final work program, timeline and deliverables. In the inception report,
briefly demonstrate the expert team’s understanding of ADB’s PBL approach.
- Identify and characterize core policies, strategies, legislation and regulatory frameworks under each
of the potential policy reforms (See section B. The Blue Economy – a view from DENR: Potential Areas for
Policy Reform). Objective: To obtain a comprehensive understanding of the
policy/strategic/legislative/regulatory environment surrounding the Blue Economy in the Philippines so
that reform areas can be identified and described, and programs through the proposed PBL formulated (see
Task 4).
Activities:
a. Identify areas in the Blue Economy amenable to potential policy reform under a programmatic approach
through ICM that would promote sustainable Blue Economy initiatives to enhance local revenue generation
across the country’s coastal communities and economies. Consider the following areas and others which
may have been identified during the inception phase or through subsequent discussions with ADB and GOP:
(i) sustainable fisheries management, fisheries value chains and aquaculture to improve food security
and the livelihoods of coastal poor; (ii) marine and coastal ecosystems protection and conservation,
especially by improving the effectiveness of the MPA network and recognition of OECMs; (iii) documents
and databases that identify the key coastal and marine biodiversity areas and ecosystem services they
provide so that future proposed policy reforms and innovations can be focused for maximum impact; (iv)
coastal and marine ecotourism; (v) wastewater and solid waste management and plastic pollution reduction
in waterways and oceans leading to improvement of water quality in coastal areas and associated river
basins; (vi) disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation planning; (vii) the roadmap on
natural capital accounting for coastal and marine ecosystem services, enabling evidence-based policy and
an appropriate environment for biodiversity finance, as well as for innovative financing solutions and
emerging new economy industries; (viii) investments in green industry , technology and practices,
including sustainable green ports, shipbuilding and marine renewable resources.
c. Identify and characterize existing and proposed policies, legislation and strategies relevant to the
aforementioned areas of potential policy reform. A partial list is included in Attachment 1. Give
attention to relevant policy and project evaluation reports done by ADB and others which describe the
successes and failures of past initiatives.
d. Formulate preliminary options for interventions that can support existing or proposed policies and
programs of high government priority and for which ADB can add value.
- Map major ongoing and proposed Blue Economy initiatives by GOP, the private sector and civil society,
particularly those initiatives supported by ADB and other development partners.
Objective: To ensure that the scoping exercise learns from, is aligned with and identifies
opportunities to exploit possible synergies or scale-up policies and programs supported or implemented
by ADB, other development partners, GOP, the private sector and civil society.
Activities:
a. Gather and describe the salient features of major ongoing and proposed initiatives that fall under
“Blue Economy”. Develop a summary table that presents such information as project title, main
components, goals and objectives, implementation area, implementing agency, implementation period,
supporting entities and modality of support, budget and so on.
b. Examples of ongoing projects would include (i) the Coastal and Marine Ecosystems Management Program
(CMEMP), a comprehensive effort to improve management of coastal and marine ecosystems in the
Philippines: (ii) ADB’s Regional Flyway Initiative, a sprawling multi-country cooperative program to
protect coastal waterbirds, conserve their habitat and sustainably develop the associated ecosystem
services to benefit local communities. The Philippines is a key participant in this program and could
profit from support through the proposed PBL; (iii) the World Bank-supported Philippine Fisheries and
Coastal Resiliency Project, which aims to improve management of targeted fisheries resources and enhance
the value of fisheries production to coastal communities.
c. Consideration of evaluation reports of completed projects to glean lessons learned would be
particularly valuable. Examples include (i) Performance Evaluation Report of Philippines: Integrated
Coastal Resources Management Project by ADB; (ii) Performance Evaluation Report of Indonesia: Coral Reef
Rehabilitation and Management Project Phase II.
d. Undertake an analysis of programmatic strengths and weaknesses and draw conclusions on gaps that
require attention or opportunities for scaling up successful programs. - Based on conclusions from Tasks 1, 2 and 3, suggest those policies, legislation and programs that
could be pursued under two subprograms, with an implementation period spanning from the end of 2023 to
December 2025 for the first subprogram and until the end of 2027 for the second subprogram. Objective:
Describe and recommend two subprograms that could form the basis for a PBL concept note and eventual
support from the end of 2023 to the end of 2027.
Activities:
a. Drawing from the above work, confirm or modify the preliminary options for interventions that can
support existing or proposed policies, strategies, legislation and/or programs of high government
priority and for which ADB can add value accomplished under Task 2. Identify policies and legislations
that are needed to unblock private sector participation in the key priority areas.
b. Discuss these options with ADB, DENR, DA, and other key stakeholders. Based on feedback received,
recommend the options most suitable to be initiated, pursued or accelerated under an implementation
period spanning from the end of 2023 to the end of 2025 for a first subprogram, and from the end of 2025
to the end of 2027 for a second subprogram.
c. Identify core preliminary policy actions forming respective reform areas (by sector) would derive
from this preliminary mapping.
- Conduct stakeholder consultations. Objective: To provide key stakeholders with opportunities to
contribute their knowledge and experience to this scoping exercise, thereby increasing the likelihood of
successful design and implementation of the proposed PBL as well as garnering support from these key
stakeholders.
Activities:
a. Perform a rapid stakeholder identification exercise.
b. Conduct two major stakeholder consultations, one following approval of the inception report and the
other after ADB and DENR have reviewed the draft final report.
c. Regular consultation with ADB, DENR, DA and other key counterparts will be essential.
At all times, ensure that close consultation and coordination with ADB is undertaken before facilitating
and supporting discussions with stakeholders.
- Prepare a draft scoping report that presents the salient information and conclusions from the tasks
described above, discuss the draft with and note feedback from ADB, GOP and other stakeholders and
incorporate this feedback into a final report. Objective: To provide information to ADB and GOP allowing
them to determine the most appropriate design of a PBL that will strengthen conservation and sustainable
use of the Philippines’ biological resources for the benefit of Filipinos, including building resistance
to climate change and natural disasters.
Activities:
a. Consolidate findings from the above tasks and present them in a draft scoping report.
b. The draft should include, among other items, (i) an overview of the purpose of the scoping study, the
process undertaken and the persons involved; (ii) findings concerning the current state of the Blue
Economy and its administration in the Philippines; (iii) initial options for activities to be supported
under the proposed PBL; (iv) results of discussions with key stakeholders concerning these options; (v)
major elements of the two recommended subprograms emerging from the initial options.t.
c. The major elements of the two recommended subprograms could include, for example, (i) description of
the subprograms, including rationale, subprogram description and alignment with policies, legislation,
regulations and related programs in the Philippines; (ii) modality, such as policy-based loans,
technical assistance and innovative financing elements; (iii) background concerning the economic,
conservation and development context as well as current constraints to more effective progress in
achieving benefits from the Blue Economy; (iv) reform areas, ADB’s value addition and sustainability;
(v) expected outcome of the reform; (vi) financing needs and budget support; (vii) suggested
implementation arrangements; (viii) elements of the PBL to be assessed; and (ix) stakeholder engagement.
d. Discuss the draft with ADB, DENR and other core stakeholders and record their feedback. Subsequently
organize a roundtable with all major stakeholders to receive their comments.
e. Incorporate the feedback into a final scoping report for submission to ADB and DENR.
Minimum Qualification Requirements
i. University degree from recognized university in environmental sciences, environmental management,
environmental planning, governance, sustainability or related fields.
ii. Has at least 10 years of experience in designing and implementing public engagement programs with
the Government of Philippines, including within a development project context.
iii. Has at least 5 years of experience in implementing environmental projects, including projects
associated with coastal and marine ecosystems.
iv. Excellent research, analysis, writing and communication skills in the English language.
iv. A working knowledge of DENR and DA institutional structure and administrative responsibilities is
preferred.
Minimum General Experience: 10 Years
Minimum Specific Experience (relevant to assignment): 5 Years
