Davao City Representative Karlo Alexei Nograles has called for the swift approval of his  measure that aims to create jobs in industries utilizing green technologies or  innovations that reduce the adverse effects of climate change.

Dubbed as the Philippine Green Jobs Act, Nograles’ House Bill 4969 also promotes the rights of individuals to a safe and clean ecology. 

HB 4969 defines green jobs as employment opportunities that produce goods and services which benefit and preserve the environment. These particularly involve business enterprises that use fewer natural resources in their production processes, Nograles said.

Nograles, the vice president for internal affairs of the National Unity Party (NUP), said

fiscal incentives will be granted to individuals and enterprises who participate in the creation of green jobs, use green technologies, and produce green goods and services.

His measure entitles participants to special deductions from their gross incomes amounting to 200 percent of the total grants over and above the allowable ordinary and necessary business deductions under the National Internal Revenue Code.

“The bill is a stepping stone towards a green economy—one that is low-carbon and resource-efficient, contributes to the well-being of constituents, and reduces environmental risks,” said Nograles, who also chairs the House committee on labor and employment.

The International Labor Organization (ILO) has backed Nograles’ measure, calling it the  “first of its kind” in the world  as a proposed national law bearing the term “Green Jobs.”

ILO country director for the Philippines Lawrence Jeff Johnson commended Nograles, for his “initiative of recognizing the importance of ‘Green Jobs’  as part of the country’s strategy of addressing the challenges of climate change and pursuing a more inclusive path towards sustainability.”

Johnson said the ILO has tapped the expertise of specialists at the ILO Regional Office of Asia and the Pacific (ROAP) for their inputs on the bill.

Nograles and Pampanga Representative Juan Pablo Bondoc  have also filed House Bill No. 5011 or the “Green Buildings Act” which promotes environment-friendly construction innovations to reduce negative building impacts on the environment and human health.