Book of Abstracts: 20 January 2014 Paliwanagan sa UP Diliman | Page 15

research on a broad range of political, economic, social and cultural issues
affecting Asia and the Pacific.
The Asian Center’s mandate is underpinned by law, Republic Act 5334. RA
5334 enabled the Center to become a degree-granting institution while
continuing to perform research functions. Among its purposes are to develop
closer and broader contact with Asian peoples in the field of learning and
scholarship, and to attain knowledge of Filipino national identity in relation to
other nations through studies on various aspects of Asia. The Asian Center
thus promotes initiatives to understand the Philippines in its broader Asian
context, and to understand Asia from the Philippine vantage point.
The Asian Center trains country and area specialists through its degree
programs in Asian and Philippine Studies. By producing a core of country and
area specialists, the Asian Center hopes to serve the needs of government
personnel and private sector entrepreneurs and managers, in the process
engaging the nation in the discourse of the community of nations. Reinforcing
the degree programs, the Center designs and implements short-term educational
and training packages for public and private sector clients. (Source: http://
ac.upd.edu.ph/index.php/about-us)

STRATEGIC ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT TOWARDS
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: PUTTING ENVIRONMENT
AND NATURAL RESOURCES INTO THE AGENDA
OF PLANNERS AND DECISION-MAKERS
Mario R. Delos Reyes
Strategic environmental assessment (SEA), as a framework for developing/
designing policies, plans and programs aimed at sustainable development (SD),
has been widely implemented in developed regions such as Europe and North
America, but still has limited application in developing regions such as Latin
America, Africa and Asia. SEA gives emphasis to the environment and natural
resources (ENR) sector because it cuts across other sectors, i.e., economic,
social, infrastructure and institutional sectors. Further, SEA emphasizes that
the ENR sector must be be considered in the early stages of the planning and
management process/cycle.
Unlike the environmental impact assessment (EIA) approach for projects, which
has been widely practiced for more than 30 years, SEA has yet to gain
recognition in the Philippines. In order to promote its practice in the country,
approaches, guidelines and tools for SEA have been prepared. Pilot-testing of
the tools/guidelines have been undertaken, especially a case study for the
Philippine National Tourism Development Plan of 2011-16. Efforts were and are
being exerted to institutionalize SEA in the country, particularly in the national
25 Paliwanagan sa UP Diliman

government agencies (e.g., the Departments of Environment and Natural
Resources, Agriculture, Interior and Local Government, etc.), which are
envisioned to lead towards giving SEA a legal mandate via an administrative
order or a law. The pilot-testing has yielded valuable lessons towards a
more effective and efficient implementation of SEA, a framework that the
country should pursue as a valuable tool for sustainable development.
About the Presenter
Mario R. Delos Reyes is an Associate Professor and the current Dean of the
University of the Philippines Diliman School of Urban and Regional Planning
(SURP). Dr. Delos Reyes is currently the SPRING Programme Global Partner’s
Network Coordinator, and Steering Committee member representing Asia-Pacific
in the UN-Human Settlements Programme (Habitat) University Network Initiative
or UNI. Since 2008, he has been a me