Philippine Clean Water Act of 2004

Section 15

The Department shall require program and project proponents to put up environmental guarantee fund {EGF) as part of the environmental management plan attached to the environmental compliance certificate pursuant to Presidential Decree No.1586 and its implementing rules and regulations. The EGF shall finance the maintenance of the health of the ecosystems and specially the conservation of watersheds and aquifers affected by the development, and the needs of emergency response, clean-up or rehabilitation of areas that may be damaged during the program's or project's actual implementation. Liability for damages shall continue even after the termination of a program or project and, until the lapse of a given period indicated in the environmental compliance certificate, as determined by the Department. The EGF may be in the form of a trust fund, environmental insurance, surety bonds, letters of credit, self-insurance and any other instruments which may be identified by the Department. The choice of the guarantee instrument or combinations thereof shall depend, among others, on the assessment of the risks involved and financial test mechanisms devised by the Department. Proponents required to put up guarantee instruments shall furnish the Department with evidence of availment of such instruments from accredited financial instrument providers.

Section 16

Notwithstanding the provisions of Sections 15 and 26 hereof, any person who causes pollution in or pollutes water bodies in excess of the applicable and prevailing standards shall be responsible to contain, remove and clean-up any pollution incident at his own expense to the extent that the same water bodies have been rendered unfit for utilization and beneficial use: Provided, That in the event emergency clean-up operations are necessary and the polluter fails to immediately undertake the same, the Department, in coordination with other government agencies concerned, shall conduct containment, removal and clean-up operations. Expenses incurred in said operations shall be reimbursed by the persons found to have caused such pollution upon proper administrative determination in accordance with this Act. Reimbursements of the cost incurred shall be made to the Water Quality Management Fund or to such other funds where said disbursements were sourced.

Section 17

The Department shall implement programmatic compliance with the environmental impact assessment system, as in the following types of development: a) development consisting of a series of similar projects, or a project subdivided into several phases and/or stages whether situated in a contiguous area or geographically dispersed; and b) development consisting of several components or a cluster of projects co-located in an area such as an industrial estate, an export processing zone, or a development zone identified in a local land use plan. Programmatic compliance with the environmental impact assessment system shall be guided by carrying capacity assessments determined from ecological profiles. Ecological profiles shall Identify environmental constraints and opportunities in programmatic areas. Programmatic assessment shall also take into account cumulative impacts and risks. Consistent with the provisions of the Local Government Code, the Department may enter into agreement with LGUs to incorporate programmatic environmental impact assessment into the preparation, updating or revision of local land use plans and area development plans.