Abstract:
The Philippine Clean Air Act was enacted in 1999 as the government’s response to the worsening air quality in Metro Manila and to the public clamor for government to do something about the problem. The law recognized that the public not only had the right to clean air but that the public also had the right to participate in decision-making processes including associated rights to information as well as recourse to judicial remedies. This assessment seeks to determine how well the particular provision on public participation has been implemented using a set of indicators developed by the Access Initiative to measure the scope and quality of the effort that the government has put into ensuring this right, the cost imposed on the public for such participation, the fairness and equity with which the provision is implemented particularly with regard to participation by marginalized groups such as women, differently-abled persons, the poor, etc., the timeliness with which such participation has been sought, how government has ensured that such participation would be of the quality required, and what effect such participation has had on decision-making with regard to air quality management. The paper will include a short assessment of the provision of timely information in a public accessible and useful that is the foundation for effective public participation.
Full paper:
Assessing public participation in air quality management in Metro Manila |
