The Philippines is pushing for standardized corporate greenhouse‑gas reporting to fix fragmented emissions data, help local businesses access climate finance, and keep up with global trade requirements, DENR Undersecretary Analiza Rebuelta‑Teh said during the COP 31 forum in Turkiye.
Many Philippine firms currently face overlapping compliance rules, inconsistent carbon data, and limited access to international climate funding, putting them at a disadvantage in overseas markets. A single, reliable MRV – Measurement, Reporting and Verification – system would cut redundant reporting work while giving investors and regulators accurate figures on corporate emissions and decarbonization efforts. Teh stressed that MRV for the climate‑vulnerable archipelago is not just paperwork, but critical economic infrastructure.
Existing rules include Executive Order 174 for the national GHG inventory system and SEC Memorandum Circular 16, Series of 2025, which requires climate disclosures for listed companies and will gradually cover large non‑listed firms. Still, there is no economy‑wide mandatory facility‑ and entity‑level GHG reporting for the broader private sector. Without verified baseline emissions data, carbon pricing, carbon credits, and climate‑risk pricing by investors cannot work properly, Teh warned.
DENR supports the pending Low Carbon Economy Investment Bill, which aims to institutionalize nationwide mandatory GHG measurement and reporting for commercial and industrial facilities. Standardized carbon accounting would also let Philippine companies meet product‑level carbon footprint requirements such as the European Union’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, strengthening both domestic and international carbon markets.
The reform effort builds on seven years of partnership with Japan’s Ministry of the Environment, starting in 2019 under the ASEAN Working Group on Climate Change. From 2023‑2025, DENR, the Climate Change Commission, SEC, and private stakeholders held consultations, capacity‑building activities, and pilot reporting exercises for industrial and waste sectors. In May this year, the DENR, SEC, and Japan’s environment ministry signed a tripartite Letter of Intent to accelerate corporate GHG reporting.
The alliance will develop uniform emissions‑calculation tools, sector manuals, training for corporate and facility teams, and a synchronized digital platform linking sustainability disclosures with environmental monitoring data. Partners have already built a Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions calculator tailored for industrial processes and waste. Next steps include releasing consolidated manuals, refining the digital tool, and holding capacity‑building workshops across Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.
“By investing in high‑integrity transparency today, we are securing market leadership, de‑risking climate finance, and building a low‑carbon, climate‑resilient future for the Filipino people,” Teh said.
