In a historic moment, technical experts and 26 civil society groups held a roundtable discussion on September 8 to re-craft House Resolution (HR) 0008, entitled the People’s Green New Deal (PGND), into a House Bill that contains specific programs and finance mechanisms for a just and green recovery.

Convened under the Panatang Luntian Coalition, the roundtable discussion was hosted by the Manila Observatory (MO) in Ateneo De Manila University, and led by Kalikasan People’s Network for the Environment (Kalikasan PNE). They were also joined by their legislative partner, Kabataan Partylist (KPL), which filed HR 0008 last July 27.

“We are proud to lead the formulation of this bill in the hopes of a future where the Filipino people can enjoy their right to a healthy environment,” said Jon Bonifacio, acting national coordinator of Kalikasan PNE and lead convenor of the Panatang Luntian.

The delegates represented labor unions, urban poor organizations, jeepney drivers, farmers, fisherfolk, agriculturists, environmental scientists, architects, engineers, urban planners, community workers, doctors, healthcare workers, fisherfolk, and indigenous peoples.

“True climate justice will only be achieved with a grassroots-centric approach with our policy framework. The most vulnerable sectors of society need to be empowered if we are to survive the onslaught of the climate crisis,” added Bonifacio.

The key take-away of the roundtable discussion focused on identifying key metrics of the economy and priority programs that needed to be addressed in order to rollout mechanisms for financing loss and damage caused by the climate crisis. “We are pushing this package to facilitate just compensation from top polluter countries and carbon major companies for the past, present, and future ecological and climate injustices suffered by the Filipino people and the environment,” Bonifacio explained.

The first in the developing world, the People’s Green New Deal is a proposed roadmap that integrates environmental concerns in the country’s post-pandemic recovery. As such, it will also be a policy and legislative framework for the network’s advocacy work.