The Technical Working Group (TWG) on Environment Statistics and Task Force on Energy Flow and Solid Waste Accounts are set to account for energy and solid waste of the Cordillera region. This endeavor is under the Environment and Natural Resource Accounting (ENRA) Project which adopted the United Nations (UN) System of Environmental-Economic Accounting (SEEA) 2012 Central Framework, the international standard set by the UN Statistical Commission for environmental-economic accounting.

Earlier, the Cordillera region produced three environmental accounts namely, Asset Accounts for Land: 1999-2018, Asset Accounts for Timber Resources: 1999-2018, Physical Asset and Flow Accounts for Water Resources: 2008-2018, and Asset Accounts for Mineral Resources: 2004-2016. Updated mineral accounts are underway. This year, the Cordillera region will continue to embark on two new environmental accounts, the Energy Flow Accounts and Solid Waste Accounts of the Cordillera region for the period 2015-2022.

The TWG and Task Force were created by the Regional Statistics Committee-Cordillera Administrative Region (RSC-CAR) responsible for facilitating initiatives for the compilation of environment and natural resources of the region and ensuring data and technical support of various agencies and offices. During the joint meeting of the TWG on Environment Statistics and the Task Force on Energy Flow and Solid Waste Accounts held last 14 March 2024 at the Philippine Statistics Authority-Cordillera Administrative Region (PSA-CAR) Conference Hall, several updates, expected outputs, and timeline of activities were discussed.

The updating of the Cordillera mineral accounts under the ENRA Project which aims to measure the mineral reserves in the region was among the focus of the meeting. Another agenda was the update on the compilation of the regional energy flow and solid waste accounts, wherein insights on approaches and possible data sources of the project were laid down.

Present during the meeting were the members of the TWG on Environment Statistics composed of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) as Chairperson and the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) as Co-Chair, Watershed and Water Resources Research Development and Extension Center (WWRRDEC), Department of Agriculture (DA), Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), Department of Health (DOH), Department of Transportation (DOTr), Office of the Civil Defense (OCD), Benguet Provincial Planning and Development Office (PPDO), and the  Baguio City Planning and Development Office (CPDO). 

The Task Force on Energy Flow and Solid Waste Accounts members present were the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP), Benguet Electric Cooperative (BENECO), and the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA). The Energy Flow Accounts Team is led by the Department of Energy, while the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) heads the Solid Waste Accounts.

The compilation of environment accounts and statistics in the Cordillera region serves as the basis for policymaking as regards to a holistic approach to counter environmental degradation, climate change mitigation and adaptation, and ensure environmental sustainability and preservation.

(SGD)
VILLAFE P. ALIBUYOG
Regional Director

AFRB/JRB/JPL