Philippines House of Representatives passes Bill on green public procurement

The House of Representatives of the Philippines unanimously passed a Bill on green public procurement (House Bill No. 6954, or the Green Public Procurement Act, hereinafter referred to as the Bill) on its third reading on August 25, 2020.

The Bill, which covers all government agencies in the country, aims to foster and promote a culture of green, sustainable, and informed decision-making among the executive, judicial, and legislative branches of government, and is in line with the Philippines’ commitment to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Luis Raymund Villafuerte Jr., the principal author of the Bill and the deputy speaker, said that the Bill supports Goal 12 of the SDGs on Sustainable Consumption and Production which encourages the government agencies to procure products with low environmental impact. “I believe that the Philippines should be a major driving force towards this policy, and such policy should be integrated into the government procurement process,” he said.

Once the Bill is enacted, the Government Procurement Policy Board (GPPB) will formulate and implement capacity building programs for all relevant procuring agencies and suppliers. Also, each agency’s compliance with green procurement standards will be verified.