Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS,
First Regular Session

3970

HOUSE BILL NO.

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Introduced by Representative Florida P. Robes

EXPLANATORY NOTE,

One of the seventeen goals which form part of a new sustainable development
agenda geared towards ending poverty, protecting the planet and ensuring prosperity
for all is addressing the needs of the population living in urban areas. This is pivotal
since sustainable development cannot be achieved without transforming how we
make and govern our urban spaces.

The rapid growth of cities in the developing world, as evidenced by the
increasing rural to urban migration has caused extreme poverty in urban areas. As a
matter of fact, both local and national governments are grappling to accommodate
such population growth. As cities are hubs for ideas, commerce, culture, science,
productivity, they should be empowered to advance socially and economically.
Although there are obstacles in achieving this, these can be overcome by allowing
them to thrive and grow while improving resource use and reducing pollution and
poverty.

Thus, Goal No. 11 aims to make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe,
resilient and sustainable by specifically targeting access to safe, adequate, affordable,
accessible and sustainable housing and transport systems; enhanced inclusive and
sustainable urbanization and capacity for participatory, integrated and sustainable
human settlement planning and management; protection and safeguard of cultural
and natural heritage; reduction of mortality rate; decrease direct economic losses
caused by disasters, with a focus on protecting the poor and people in vulnerable
situations, ete.


On this note, the ultimate aim of this proposed legislation to improve access to
basic services, energy, housing, transportation, ete. for the residents of the City of
San Jose Del Monte, a first class suburb city in the province of Bulacan and the 19th
most populated city in the Philippines based on the 2015 census. After becoming a
component city by virtue of the passage of its charter, major economic changes have
begun to emerge. Today, major malls, commercial banks, fast food chain outlets, real
estates, and wide coverage of service utilities have spawned its development. Soon,
many other business enterprises will rise. Furthermore, the city is the preferred site
of at least forty (40) relocation sites of the national government. Its economic
growth will continue in the coming years. Therefore, a proper institutional
mechanism must be established to sustain the progress and development it has thus
far achieved. Declaring the City a Sustainable City manifests the desire of the people
to protect the environment and live sustainably.

Moreover, this proposal embarks on the current, environmental, economic,
political and social needs of the residents, without compromising the ability of the
future generations to do the same. Through the installation and implementation of
the Sustainable City Plan Structure, the City can work as a community that would
think, plan and act more sustainably. The goals, rights, principles and strategies
indicated therein will help address the root causes of the problem rather than the
symptoms confronting the residents and natural communities while conserving and
enhancing local resources, safeguarding human health and the environment,
maintaining a healthy and diverse economy, and improve the livability and quality of
life for all San Josefios, This is corollary to the local government's new tagline, " The
Rising City.”

Through this proposal, the City would be able to build on its initial success
and to better address the challenges to sustainability. While it is making progress in
the right direction nowadays, the economy and the activities of its residents,
businesses, institutions and visitors continue will continue to have an impact on
human health and the environment. Though many challenges are still be hurdled,
the City is on its way to becoming sustainable. ‘The passage of this Bill will push
forward the call to action for all stakeholders to work together as a community and
create change that will realize a SUSTAINABLE SAN JOSE DEL MONTE CITY.

FLO! A P. ROBES:


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

House BILLNo,__ 89°70

Introduced by Representative Florida “ Rida” P. Robes

AN ACT DECLARING THE CITY OF SAN JOSE DEL MONTE, PROVINCE
OF BULACAN A SUSTAINABLE CITY AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in
Congress assembled:

SECTION 1. Short Title. - ‘This Act shall be known as the “San Jose Del
Monte Sustainable City Act”.

SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. ~ It is hereby declared the policy of the
State to utilize the power of communities to enhance and conserve resources, avert
and prevent impending harm to the natural environment and human health, and
promote the social and economic well-being of the community for the sake of current
and future generations.

Further, the State recognizes the inherent rights of its people and of natural
communities and ecosystems to sustainable water, food, energy, air, soil, waste
treatment, economic, political and climate systems and that certain legal rights and
powers can be employed to secure and protect the rights of people to sustainable
future,

Specifically, the overall policy objectives are to change the current economic,
political, and legal structures to structures that advance self-sufficiency and to
address the increasingly serious threats to the health, welfare and safety of the City
residents, and to the natural communities and ecosystems within the City, posed by
unsustainable local, national and global use of the natural world.

SEC. 3. Scope. This Act is in pursuant to the inherent rights of the residents
of the City of San Jose Del Monte to govern their own community through an
Authority that precedes government and is secured, without limitation, by its Charter
and the Constitution, as well as all other relevant laws in the country.

SEC. 4. Declaration. In accordance with the foregoing policy, the City of
San Jose Del Monte is hereby declared as a Sustainable City, hereinafter referred to
as the City. Its specific mete and bounds shall be more particularly defined in the San
Jose Del Monte Sustainable City Plan and the rights of the residents are properly
designated.

SEC. 5. Sustainability Bill of Rights. The following shall be considered
the inherent and fundamental rights of the residents of the City:



. Right to Sustainable Water Sources — The residents of the City Possess a
fundamental and inalienable right to sufficient clean, affordable, and
accessible water from sustainable water sources for human consumption,
cooking, and sanitary purposes necessary for the health and well-being of
the individual and family,

Hence, the local government shall seek to adopt a policy on self-sufficiency
in local water supply by enhancing the use of appropriate water pricing as
well as facilitate as appropriate the use of recycled water or captured rain
water consistent with national water quality laws.

Also, the local government shall support and advance, through local or
national legislations or other means, the ban on “waste and unreasonable
use” of water allocations.

._ Right to Sustainable Energy ~ The residents of the City possess a right to a
sustainable energy future, which includes but not limited to the right to the
development, production, and use of energy from sustainable renewable
sources and the right to easy access to affordable public transportation.

To protect these rights, the local government shall take action to adopt and
ensure the implementation of a 100% sustainable renewable energy from
local, sustainable renewable sources and to incentivize as appropriate the
use of locally-based, renewable energy sources and investigate the use of
appropriate energy pricing to advance sustainable energy use leading to
self-stifficiency.

. Right to Clean Air, Water and Soil — The residents of the City possess the
right to clean indoor and outdoor air, clean water, and clean soil that pose
a negligible health risk to the public and a negligible ecological and
toxicological risk to the ecosystems.

To secure and protect this right, the local government shall ensure that all
significant sources toxic air contaminant and other air emissions that pose
a threat to human health and the environment within the City of San Jose
Del Monte are identified and parties to emission sources are legally
sanctioned.

. Right to Sustainable Food Systems ~ The residents of the City possess the
right to a sustainable system of nourishment which include the right to
access, buy, produce, and process food using sustainable food systems.

To secure and protect these rights, the local government shall ensure self-
sufficiency from sustainable food systems by 2030 by implementing the
use of economic and other incentivizes to advance organic gardening in the
City.

. Right to Sustainable Waste Disposal Systems — The residents of the City
possess a right to sustainable, comprehensive waste disposal systems that
do not degrade the environment locally, regionally or globally.

To secure and protect these rights, the local government shall take action
to eliminate waste through sensible management and practical recycling
and in accordance with Republic Act No. 9003 or the “Waste Management
Law.” It shall ensure that the City has “zero waste” landfill.


f, Right to Sustainable Economy - The residents of the City possess a right to
a sustainable economy, including “green” businesses, jobs and job training
opportunities.

To secure and protect these rights, the local government shall provide
economic and/or other incentives to promote local businesses that help the
City of San Jose Del Monte to met the goals of the SJDM Sustainable City
Plan and the achievement of the Sustainability Bill of Rights for the
residents. It shall also take action to ensure that all commercial and
municipal buildings greater than 10,000 square feet shall have achieved
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification.

g. Right to Sustainable Climate — The residents of the City, as well as the
natural communities and ecosystems, possess the right to a sustainable,
natural climate unaltered by fossil fuel emissions.

To further secure and protect these rights, the local government shall take
action to adopt and implement a goal of complete self-sufficiency in
preventing and addressing the impacts of climate change in the City, which
shall include, but not be limited to prohibiting new development or re-
development in environmentally-protected areas, with consideration of
extreme weather events; incentivizing climate adaption strategies that
enhance the natural adaptive capacity of ecosystems; providing accessible,
affordable, low-carbon emission, mass transportation options for residents
and workers; and additional actions needed to achieve the greenhouse gas
reduction targets in the San Jose Del Monte Sustainable City Plan.

h. Rights of Natural Communities and Ecosystems within the City - The
residents of the City possess inalienable and fundamental rights to exist,
persist, maintain themselves, and regenerate their own vital cycles,
structure, functions, and evolutionary processes and the legal standing to
enforce against violations of these rights on behalf of natural communities
and ecosystems within the City.

To further secure and protect these rights, and to promote broad-based
recognition of the significance of natural communities and ecosystems, the
local government shall take action to increase awareness of the City’s
natural heritage through such initiatives as restoring historic ecosystems
and ecosystem connections, using signage and art to illustrate the history
of developed ecosystems, requiring the use of native plants on all City
property being re-landscaped, and incentivizing and/or requiring the use
of native landscaping on private property.

i, Rights to Political Stability and Governance — The residents of the City
possess the inalienable right to be governed by an Authority which is
favored by them and does not experience strong indicators of social unrest.
A political system is said to be stable if it can endure societal upheavals
and its leaders have the ability to respond to crises without jeopardizing
the rights and welfare of the governed, while giving the people the right to
participate in its governance mechanisms.

To further secure and protect these rights, it is important that a machinery
must be in place to keep the economy going amidst political bickering and
civil unrest. As every aspect of life is affected due to political instability,


the City must institute sustainable programs that will prevent economic
stagnation, maintain the functions of the City's legislative council to enact.
relevant laws or ordinances, and discourage political apathy.

SEC. 6. Sustainable City Plan Structure - The San Jose Del Monte
Sustainable City Plan shall be organized into nine (9) goals which comprise the core
of the vision and represent what San Jose Del Monte must achieve in order to
become a sustainable city , viz:

a.

Resource Conservation - Significantly decrease overall community
Consumption, specifically the consumption of non-local, non-renewable,
non-recyclable and non-recycled materials, water, and energy and fuels’
The City should take a leadership role in encouraging sustainable
procurement, extended producer responsibility and. should model
innovative strategies to become a zero waste city. Within renewable limits,
encourage the use of local, non-polluting, renewable and recycled
resources (water, energy, and material resources).

. Environmental and Public Health - Protect and enhance environmental

health and public health by minimizing and where possible eliminating the
use of hazardous or toxic materials by residents, businesses and city
Operations; the levels of pollutants entering the air, soil and water; and the
risks that environmental problems pose to human and ecological health;
ensure that no one geographic or socioeconomic group in the city is being
unfairly impacted by environmental pollution; increase consumption of
fresh, locally produced, organic produce to promote public health and to
minimize resource consumption and negative environmental impacts.

- Transportation - Create a multi-modal transportation system that

minimizes and, where possible, eliminates pollution and motor vehicle
congestion while ensuring safe mobility and access for all without
compromising our ability to protect public health and safety; and facilitate
a reduction in automobile dependency in favor of affordable alternative,
sustainable modes of travel.

|. Sustainable Local Economy - Nurture a diverse, stable, local economy that

supports basic needs of all segments of the community; businesses,
organizations and local government agencies within San Jose Del Monte
City continue to increase the efficiency of their use of resources through
the adoption of sustainable business practices,

» Open Space and Land Use - Develop and maintain a sufficient open space

system so that it is diverse in uses and opportunities and includes natural
function/wildlife habitat as well as passive and active recreation with an
equitable distribution of parks, trees and pathways throughout the
community; implement land use and transportation planning and policies
to create compact, mixed-use projects, forming urban villages designed to
maximize affordable housing and encourage walking, bicycling and the use
of existing and future public transit systems; and residents recognize that
they share the local ecosystem with other living things that warrant respect
and responsible stewardship.

. Housing - Achieve and maintain a mix of affordable, livable and green

housing types throughout the city for people of all socioeconomic, cultural,


household groups (including senior citizens, families , singles, and persons
with disabilities).

f Community Education and Civic Participation - Community members of
all ages participate actively and effectively in civic affairs and community
improvement efforts and understand the basic principles of sustainability
and use them to guide their decisions and actions - both personal and
collective.

g. Human Dignity - Community members are able to meet their basic needs
and are empowered to enhance the quality of their lives; there is access
among community members to housing, health services, education,
economic opportunity, and cultural and recreational resources; and There
is respect for and appreciation of the value added to the community by
differences among its members in race, religion, gender, age, economic
status, sexual orientation, disabilities, immigration status and other special
nee

h, Arts and Culture - Retain and nurture San Jose Del Monte’s arts
community and resources, increase cultural participation and provide
greater access to a diversity of cultural programs for all ages, and enhance
the long-term sustainability of the San Jose Del Monte creative sector.

SEC. 7. Governing Principles. — ‘The San Jose Del Monte Sustainable City
Plan is hereby founded on eleven Guiding Principles that aim to provide the basis
from which effective and sustainable decisions can be made, to wit:

a. Sustainability — Policy formulations and decision-making shall be guided by
the concept of sustainability in meeting its needs without compromising the ability of
the future generations to satisfy their own needs as the long-term impacts of policy
choices must ensure a sustainable legacy.

b._ Environmental Protection, Preservation, and Restoration - As a high
priority, San Jose Del Monte City shall maximize environmental benefits and reduce
or eliminate negative environmental impacts in its decision-making. The City will
lead by example and encourage other community stakeholders to make a similar
commitment to the environment.

¢. Economic Health and Social Equity - A healthy environment shall be
integral to the city's long-term economic and societal interests and ensure that
inequitable burdens are not placed on any one geographic or socioeconomic sector of
the population and that the benefits of a sustainable community are accessible to all
members of the community.

d. Long-term Sustainability - The City shall ensure that each of its policy
decisions and programs are interconnected through the common bond of
sustainability as expressed in these guiding principles and shall reflect the
sustainability objectives. The City will lead by example and encourage other
community stakeholders to use sustainability principles to guide their decisions and

actions.

e. Community Awareness, Responsibility, Participation and Education - All
community members, including individual citizens, community-based groups,
businesses, schools and other institutions must be aware of their impacts on the
environmental, economic and social health of San Jose Del Monte, must take


responsibility for reducing or eliminating those impacts, and must take an active part
in community efforts to address sustainability concerns. The City will therefore be a
leader in the creation and sponsorship of education opportunities to support
community awareness, responsibility and participation in cooperation with schools,
colleges and other organizations in the community.

f. Linkage with the Regional, National, and Global Community - Local
environmental, economic and social issues cannot be separated from their broader
context. This relationship between local issues and regional, national and global
issues will be recognized and acted upon in the City’s programs and policies. The
City’s programs and policies should therefore be developed as models that can be
emulated by other communities. The City will also act as a strong advocate for the
development and implementation of model programs and innovative approaches by
the national government that embody the goals of sustainability.

8 Addressing Sustainability Issues - The financial and human resources
which are available to the City may be limited. The City and the community will re-
evaluate its priorities and its programs and policies annually to ensure that the best
possible investments in the future are being made. ‘The evaluation of a program's
cost-effectiveness will be based on a complete analysis of the associated costs and
benefits, including environmental and social costs and benefits.

h. Minimizing Negative Environmental and Social Impacts - The
procurement of products and services by the local government as well as by
residents, businesses and institutions results in environmental, social and economic
impacts affecting the country. The City will develop and abide by an environmentally
and socially responsible procurement policy that emphasizes long-term values and
will become a model for other public as well as private organizations. The City will
advocate for and assist other local agencies, businesses and residents in adopting
sustainable purchasing practices.

i, Multi-Sector Partnerships - Threats to the long-term sustainability of the
City are multi-sector in their causes and require multi-sector solutions. Partnerships
among the City government, businesses, residents and all community stakeholders
are necessary to achieve the goals.

J. Decision-Making in the Pursuit of Sustainability - The precautionary
principle requires a thorough exploration and careful analysis of a wide range of
alternatives, and a full cost accounting beyond short-term and monetary transaction
costs. Based on the best available science, the threats of serious or irreversible
damage to people or nature exist and the lack of full scientific certainty about cause
and effect shall not be viewed as sufficient reason for the city government not to
adopt mitigating measures to prevent the degradation of the environment or protect
the health of its citizens. Public participation and an open and transparent decision
making process are critical to finding and selecting alternatives,

k. Commitment to Sustainable Rights - The Sustainability Bill of Rights
herein enumerated asserts the fundamental rights of all City residents regarding
sustainability. It establishes the rights of the residents and the natural communities
and ecosystems to exist and flourish in the City and to enforce those rights on behalf
of the environment.

SEC. 8. Measuring Sustainability - To further secure and protect the
rights enumerated in this Act, the city government shall investigate and report to the
public on the extent to which the financial, purchasing and accounting practices


encourage and discourage self-sufficiency and sustainability, and which practices
violate or potentially violate the rights of natural communities and ecosystems to
exist, persist, maintain themselves, and regenerate their own vital cycles, structure,
functions, and evolutionary processes.

‘Two reporting tools are to be developed: The Sustainable City Progress Report
and the Sustainable City Progress Card. These will be the basis for decision-making
about policies and actions that influence the City's ability to meet the goals and
targets. ‘The Sustainable City Progress Report is a web based tool that provides
current, detailed analysis of the data for each indicator in the San Jose Del Monte
Sustainable City Plan while the Sustainable City Report Card is a summary document
that provides an overview of our progress toward, and challenges to, becoming a
sustainable community and presents goal area summaries and grades based on the
specific indicator data. Together, these two tools are the definitive resource for
community decision makers that will educate and empower them to achieve the
sustainability goals.

SEC. 9. Government Agency Support and Coordination. - The city
government is hereby authorized to call upon any department, bureau, agency or
instrumentality of the government for such assistance as may be necessary to
effectively implement this Act.

SEC. 10. Implementing Rules and Regulation — The City Government
headed by the Mayor and the District Representative, the Department of the Interior
and Local Government, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the
Department of ‘Trade and Industry, the Department of Tourism, the Department of
Energy, the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Education, Department of
Social Welfare and Development and the Department of Labor and Employment,
through their Regional Directors and all other concerned government agencies
within the City shall promulgate within sixty (60) days the Implementing Rules and
Regulations that shall be necessary to implement the provisions of this Act.

SEC. 11. Separability Clause — If any provision of this Act shall be held
unconstitutional or invalid, the other provisions not otherwise affected shall remain
in full force and effect.

SEC. 12. Repealing Clause. — All laws, executive orders or issuance, any
parts thereof which are inconsistent herewith, are hereby repealed or amended
accordingly.

SEC. 13. Effectivity Clause.- This Act shall take effect upon its approval.

Approved,