Policy purpose and intent
- The proclamation promotes public awareness of the gravity of environmental degradation and destruction that threatens the quality of life of many Filipinos.
- The proclamation builds on prior Earth Day declarations by institutionalizing April 22 as a recurring annual observance.
Relationship to prior proclamations
- Proclamation No. 553 (issued April 16, 1990) proclaimed April 22, 1990 as “Earth Day 1990.”
- Proclamation No. 1276 (signed April 20, 2007) declared April 22, 2007 as Philippines’ Earth Day and identified the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) as the main convenor.
Scope: who must act and with whom
- The proclamation enjoins all agencies of the executive branch, including commissions and national government agencies.
- The proclamation enjoins local government units (LGUs) to participate in environmental activities.
- The proclamation enjoins state universities and colleges to participate in the observance.
- The proclamation enjoins government-owned and controlled corporations to participate in the observance.
- The proclamation enjoins these public entities in cooperation with private sectors of society, including the Church, Industry, Civil Society, and other Non-Government Organizations (NGOs).
Annual observance: what must be done
- Agencies “aforementioned” are enjoined to conduct environmental activities in partnership with private sectors.
- Environmental activities must be conducted for the month of April of this year and every year hereafter.
- Agencies and private sectors must participate in cooperative endeavors during the Earth Day observance period.
Reporting, listings, and DENR coordination
- Agencies and private sectors must provide listings of their environmental activities to the DENR.
- The DENR must make a nationwide list of environmental activities.
- The nationwide DENR list must be used to engender cooperative endeavors with interested parties.
Implementing effect and operative directive
- The proclamation’s operative directive is that April 22 of every year is the “Philippines’ Earth Day.”
- The proclamation’s operative directive requires coordinated environmental activity during April through partnerships among government agencies, LGUs, educational institutions, GOCCs, and private sectors.
- The proclamation’s operative directive establishes DENR as the central entity for consolidating activity listings and generating nationwide cooperative coordination.
Authority statement and formalities
- The proclamation is issued by the President by virtue of the powers vested in the President by law.
- The proclamation is signed by Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and countersigned by Ignacio R. Bunye, Acting Executive Secretary.
- The proclamation is done in Manila on the 10th day of April, Two Thousand and Eight.