Letter of Instructions No. 549, issued on June 6, 1977, directs the National Environmental Protection Council (NEPC) to enhance environmental quality in the Philippines. It mandates the establishment of an administrative system for evaluating the environmental impact of various projects undertaken by government entities and the private sector. Additionally, the NEPC is tasked with coordinating inter-agency efforts to address major environmental threats, such as soil erosion and toxic substance proliferation, and to research vulnerable ecosystems like coastal zones and inland lakes. The instructions aim to promote harmony between human activity and nature for a dignified and well-being life.
June 6, 1977
LETTER OF INSTRUCTIONS NO. 549
TO : The Executive Officer, National Environmental Protection Council
Pursuant of the National Policy to create, develop, maintain and improve conditions under which man and nature can thrive in productive and enjoyable harmony with each other, and to insure the attainment of an environmental quality that is conducive to a life of dignity and well-being, I hereby issue the following instructions:
1. The National Environmental Protection Council Secretariat, is hereby ordered to establish an administrative system for the evaluation of the environmental impact of projects being undertaken by government agencies, government-owned or controlled corporations, and the private sector. cd
2. The National Environmental Protection Council shall organize and coordinate inter-agency task forces to study the major environmental threats in the Philippines, such as soil erosion and the proliferation of toxic substances in the Philippine environment. cd i
3. The National Environmental Protection Council shall organize and coordinate inter-agency task forces to conduct researches of vulnerable ecosystems in the Philippines such as coastal zones, inland lakes, the Manila Bay, and similar areas.
This Letter of Instructions shall take effect immediately.
DONE in the City of Manila, this 6th day of June, in the year of Our Lord, Nineteen Hundred and Seventy-Seven.