House bill mandating gov’t to buy ‘green’ OKs
THE House Committee on Sustainable Development Goals, headed by its chairman and Citizens Battle Against Corruption CIBAC Party-list Rep. Eduardo “Bro. Eddie” Villanueva approved on Tuesday a bill promoting in government the culture of procuring “green” or environment-friendly goods and services to lead the country’s direction toward sustainable development.
House Bill (HB) 1272 – or the Green Public Procurement Bill, authored by Representatives LRay Villafuerte, Migz Villafuerte, Hori Horibata, and Nicolas Enciso VIII – aims to institutionalize in government procurement the concept of sustainable development or green procuring wherein the government meet its needs by purchasing goods and services that benefit not only the organization but the entire society and economy as well while minimizing or causing no hazard or damage to the environment.
The bill will be consolidated with House Bill (HB) No. 5747 or the Sustainable Procurement Bill authored by Villanueva and with other similar bills before it is reported to the plenary for deliberation.
“Sa gitna po ng mga naranasan nating bagyo, pagbaha, sakuna, kalamidad at kahirapan sa nakalipas na mga linggo o buwan, kailangan nating maging seryoso sa pagtatrabaho at pagpupunyagi upang makamit ang mga sustainable development goals na ito lalo na sa pangangalaga sa ating kapaligiran at paglaban sa kahirapan,” Villanueva said in a speech during the meeting.
“That is why for this Representation, equally urgent and crucial with our fight against corruption in the government is our quest for sustainable development – a kind of progress that does not destroy our natural resources and does not compromise the ability of the future generations to meet their own needs. If we want to save lives, we need to be sustainable,” Villanueva said.
Under the measure, the Government Procurement Policy Board (GPPB) is mandated to establish a system of developing “green” criteria and including the same in the project requirements of procuring entities. The bill also directs the verification of goods or items being procured by the government if the same complies with the green criteria established by the GPPB.
The bill envisions the government to be an environmentally-responsible consumer and a lead player in promoting sustainable development in the country. It also aims to stimulate the market and economic players to gear the trend toward producing ecologically-friendlier goods and services.
