Philippines Issues Administrative Order to Designate and Restore Non-Attainment Water Areas

On June 4, 2025, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) of the Philippines issued “Administrative Order No. 2025-24: Guidelines on the Designation of Waterbodies as Non-Attainment Areas (NAAs) and Attainment Areas (AAs) and Procedures for Monitoring Restoration/Revival/Rehabilitation of Initially Designated NAAs.” The order was published in a national newspaper on July 16 and submitted to the University of the Philippines Law Center on July 17. It takes effect 15 days after submission. The order provides criteria for classifying waterbodies into NAA or AA based on water quality monitoring data.