Legarda Hails Signing of Green Jobs Act

Senator Loren Legarda hailed the signing into law of the Green Jobs Act which offers tax incentives to companies that create green jobs or "employment that contributes to preserving or restoring the quality of the environment".

Incentives include tax deductions and duty-free importation of equipment, in addition to fiscal and other incentives already granted by existing laws and government orders, issuances and regulations.

Legarda, Chair of the Senate Committee on Climate Change and co-author of the said measure, said the enactment of the Green Jobs Act is a concrete move towards a climate-resilient economy.

"The passage of the Green Jobs Act clearly demonstrates the extent of our commitment to the Paris Agreement against global warming by creating a green economy where development goals are met in a sustainable way. Moreover, it sends a strong signal to the rest of the world that we take the issue of climate change seriously," she stressed.

Under Republic Act 10771, green jobs specifically refer to jobs that help "protect ecosystems and biodiversity; reduce energy, materials and water consumption through high-efficiency strategies; de-carbonize the economy; and minimize or altogether avoid generation of all forms of waste and pollution."

It covers industries that hire professionals including solar PV system designers and installers, engineers and technicians of turbines; energy- and resource-efficiency consultants; sanitation and waste management experts; biodiversity and ecology fieldworkers; forest guards; river clean-up crew; organic farmers and recycling plant workers, among others.

Legarda noted that there are already at least 3.5 million green jobs worldwide and the Philippines has the potential to generate thousands of green jobs, especially if there are more renewable energy investments in the country.

"We take note of the government's continuing efforts to generate more jobs for our growing population. I laud the efforts of the Department of Labor and Employment in pushing for the passage of this law, and I hope we can encourage more Filipinos to train in green skills such as management in agriculture, forestry, horticulture, environmental information technology and other careers that contribute to environmental preservation," Legarda concluded.