The Training and Public Consultation on Industry-Specific Effluent Standards (ISES), held on March 19–20, 2025, and hosted by EMB-NCR, brought together participants from across sectors — joining face-to-face, via Zoom, and through MS Teams — reflecting both the national importance of ISES and the inclusive effort to gather a wide range of perspectives.
Recognizing the need to equip stakeholders with a solid understanding of the framework before soliciting input, the two-day format combined both learning and consultation. This approach fostered deeper engagement, enhanced technical appreciation, and more meaningful contributions from participants. The event also served as a key milestone following a series of technical writeshops and capacity-building sessions previously conducted for EMB Regional Offices and industry representatives across Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.
The program opened with welcome remarks from EMB NCR Regional Director Maria Dorica Naz-Hipe, followed by an opening message from Atty. John Edward Ang, Director II, setting the tone for EMB’s commitment to collaborative, science- and evidence-based policymaking.
Day 1 focused on capacity-building, featuring:
- The legal basis for crafting the ISES DAO (Engr. Marcelino Rivera)
- A comparative review of international ISES practices (Engr. Catherine Joaquin)
- Findings from previous ISES initiatives/attempts of EMB (Engr. Michiko Sibunga and Engr. Allizandra Gulapa)
- A walkthrough of regional discussion highlights from Luzon and Visayas, and a rundown of key decision points on the DAO (Engr. Joaquin and Engr. Gulapa)
Day 2 featured the actual Public Consultation, where participants gave input section by section—from scope and coverage and application procedures to monitoring, enforcement, and EMB’s roles. The session concluded with a summary of key agreements and a closing message from EMB Assistant Director Esperanza Sajul, delivered by RD Naz-Hipe.
Moving forward, industry stakeholders are encouraged to submit position papers on or before April 25, 2025, for consideration in finalizing the ISES policy.
What truly stood out was the diverse composition of participants — from industry sectors, regulatory offices, LGUs, environmental advocates, and technical experts — all of whom actively shared insights, raised questions, and offered thoughtful recommendations.
Participants were vocal in their appreciation, expressing how refreshed and encouraged they were to see EMB Central Office genuinely open-minded and responsive to stakeholder input. Many also commended EMB’s effort in benchmarking international practices, and several congratulated the WQMS technical team for a consultation that was transparent, collaborative, and remarkably different — and arguably more effective — than those they had previously attended or participated in.
Congratulations to the EMB leadership and all stakeholders who took part in the successful conduct of this game-changing consultation. Your collective efforts — from active participation to meaningful contributions — have raised the bar in participatory policy-making and advanced a more inclusive, informed, and science-based approach to water quality management.
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