RFP mod 1.pdf

RFP No.: SOL-492-12-000001

Amendment No. 1

Page 2 of 4 pages

The purpose of this amendment is to incorporate responses to questions received on the RFTOP. The questions and responses are found below.

1. Reference: SOL Section B.5, paragraph 1, page 5

The RFP includes a budget template that only lists two years rather than five. Could USAID please clarify if the budget template should include all five years?

Response: The budget template should include all five years.

2. Reference: SOL Section C.2, paragraph 4, page 9

Could USAID please provide the proposed results framework for the planned USAID/Philippines Mission‟s Country

Development Cooperation Strategy showing Objective 1 (Broad Based and Inclusive Growth Sustained) and its

Intermediate Results?

Response: The USAID/Philippines Mission Country Cooperation Strategy is still an internal document that is in progress. USAID/Philippines cannot share this document at this point. However, the draft IRs under DO1 (Broad

Based and Inclusive Growth Accelerated and Sustained) are: 1) Trade and Investment Increased, 2) Quality

Education Improved, 3) Natural Resources and Environmental Services Improved, and 4) Family Health Improved.

3. Reference: SOL Section C.3, table 1, page 10

The RFP states that the project will be working in the province of Tawi-Tawi (Marine Key Biodiversity Area #7 –

Sulu Archipelago). Could USAID please confirm whether there are any requirements for implementers working in these insecure areas?

Response: Contractors will comply with USAID/Philippines‟ security requirements in Mindanao.

4. Reference: SOL Section L.13, paragraph 2, page 70

The RFP states that proposals shall be typed using “10 characters per inch.” Could USAID please confirm that Times

New Roman font size 11 will be acceptable, and that a smaller font will be acceptable for tables, charts, and graphics?

Response: USAID/Philippines requires Times New Roman font size 12. Tables, charts and graphics should use the same font size.

5. Reference: SOL Section L.13.6, paragraph 1, page 71

The RFP provides under Annexes an Illustrative Table on Summary of Project Information. Could USAID please confirm that this table does not count against the proposal page limit?

Response: Yes, the Illustrative Table on Summary of Project Information does not count against the proposal page limit.

6. Reference: SOL Section C.8; paragraph 1, page 16 of 83

Can the Mission please provide a plug amount for the budget that should be set aside for the Special Activities Fund

(SAF)?

Response: The Special Activities Fund has an estimated budget of $1M over five years.

7. Reference: SOL Section C.8; paragraph 4, page 16 of 83

Will Grants under Contract (GUC) be permitted under the ECOFISH contract as a mechanism to provide financial support to cooperating organizations?

Page 3 of 4 pages

Response: USAID/Philippines can consider a Grants under Contract (GUC) as a mechanism to provide financial support to cooperating organizations depending on how it relates with the overall approach of the technical proposal.

8. Reference: SOL Section H.7; paragraph (f), page 33 of 83

What does BPI stand for in the fourth bullet? “the contractor has obtained COTR approval of the individual‟s technical appropriateness to work on BPI activities.”

Response: This is a typo-error, it should be ECOFISH activities.

9. Reference: SOL Section H.26; paragraph 3, page 41 of 83

The RFP states that “An Initial Environmental Examination (IEE) has been approved by the Mission Environmental

Officer which covers the funding for this contract.” The RFP further states that “The Contractor will be responsible for implementing all IEE conditions pertaining to activities to be funded under this contract.” To ensure that our technical and cost proposals are fully compliant with any IEE conditions, could the Mission please provide Offerors a copy of the approved IEE?

Response: Copy of the approved IEE is attached.

10. Reference: SOL Section H.26; paragraph 3, page 41 of 83

The RFP states that “The IEE covers activities expected to be implemented under this grant.” We assume that the reference to „grants‟ should be „contract.‟ Could the Mission please confirm.

Response: USAID/Philippines confirms that the correct reference should be „contract.‟

11. Reference: SOL Section L.13; paragraph part 5. Past Performance; page 71 of 83

As evidence of the quality of our performance on relevant projects, may Offerors include Quality Awards and

Certification in the annex containing past performance information, which does not count against the 40-page limit?

Response: Yes, the Quality Awards and Certification can be placed in the annex and will not count against the proposal page limit.

12. Reference: SOL Section L.16; paragraph (c), page 73 of 83

Could the Mission please clarify the reference to the two-year contract period in the following statement from the

RFP: “The cost proposal must be provided in a summary and detailed budget, broken out by major cost elements, for the contract period of 24 months or 2 years, from date of award.”

Response: The cost proposal should be for five years. Refer to response to Question #1.

13. Section L.16, para (d), page 74 of 83

Can USAID please provide the FSN scale for the Philippines‟ Mission?

Answer: The highest FSN salary rate per day is $171.82 ER:$1=Php43.00

Page 4 of 4 pages

14. Reference: SOL Section L.13; paragraph 2, page 70 of 83

The RFP states that “items such as graphs, charts, cover pages, dividers, table of contents, and attachments…are not included in the 40-page limitation. Do these items include the summary table specified in Section 3.0 Key Results on page 71? Is it permissible for Offerors to put full page graphics, charts, tables, etc., on unnumbered pages in the body of the text or should they be placed in an annex?

Response: The Summary of Project Information does not count against the proposal page limit (See response to

Question #5). All graphics, charts and tables should be placed in the Annex.

15. Reference: SOL Section L.13; paragraph 2, page 70 of 83

The RFP specifies that Offerors use a 10 character per inch font. This is a very large font – with proportional fonts available, is it permissible for Offerors to use Times New Roman 12 pt. for the text?

Response: Refer to response to Question #4.

16. Questions are with respect to section C.9 KEY PERSONNEL.that part expressly provides that

"1. Chief of Party

Supervise all activities under the contract and have overall responsibility for the performance of the project team

Provide strategic leadership and support to partners to ensure the achievement of the project objectives

Report to and advise the USAID COTR on important strategic and substantive matters relating to contractual objectives under this project

Develop and maintain constructive working relationship with key stakeholders questions:

1.1. may the chief of party and the contractor be one and the same person? my observation is that said solicitation specifically defines the key personnel, in which the chief of party is a very critical position and compliance and performance of the contract must be at all times be implemented. also, though the qualifications are also clearly defined, there is no specific far provision stated. by analogy, it is a common practice not only here in america, but also in the Philippines, that the position of president and chief executive officer of a corporation is delegated in the same person.

1.2Senior Governance and Institutional Development Specialist ,Senior Fisheries/Coastal Resource Management

Specialist , Senior Resource Economics Specialist - the solicitation also stated 3 key positions in addition to the chief of party. subject to consultation with the contracting officer , cotr and the far provisions, does the contractor has the flexibility to modify, add personnel including the qualifications? the evaluation of the proposal will be subject to the best evaluation method.it is a fact that in the bfar/da, most of the best scientist in the field of fishery leave the country and migrate to other countries for economic reasons. can the contractor hire in which the minimum years of experience is below the standard set by the solicitation? but the said personnel to be hired is given a citation, award by the said agency because of his talents and service to the said agency.

Response: USAID/Philippines requires that offerors be guided by the identified key personnel positions and qualifications as stated in the RFP. The contractor is the company, and the Chief of Party is the lead staff member running the project for the company in the Philippines. The positions and their corresponding qualifications are indicated as USAID‟s required qualifications and cannot be modified. The company may offer staff with other alternative qualifications, but properals may be negatively scored if they do not meet the minimum qualifications.

Offerors will be assessed on the soundness of the team composition and structure, and on whether or not the key personnel‟s experience and expertise is relevant and appropriate to achieve the objectives of the program as stated in Section M.3 TECHNICAL EVALUATION CRITERIA (page 81).

All other terms and conditions remain unchanged.

FACESHEET FOR

INITIAL ENVIRONMENTAL EXAMINATION

Program/Project Data:

Activity Name: Ecosystems Improved for Sustainable Fisheries (ECO-FISH)

Program Country/region: Philippines Funding Period: April 2012 - May 2017 IEE Amendment (Y/N) N Date of original IEE: N/A

Environmental Action Recommended:

Categorical Exclusion: (X) Negative Determination with Condition: (X) Positive Determination: ( ) Deferral: ( )

SUMMARY OF FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDED THRESHOLD DECISION

The objective of ECO-FISH program is to improve the management of important coastal and marine resources and associated ecosystems that support local economies. It will conserve biological diversity, enhance ecosystem productivity and restore profitability of fisheries in eight marine key biodiversity areas (MKBAs) using ecosystem-based approaches to fisheries management as a cornerstone of improved social, economic and environmental benefits. ECO- FISH will strengthen the capacity of national and provincial governments to provide institutional support to local government units (LGUs), strengthen local non-governmental organizations and universities, and institute innovative approaches to behavior change and catalyze reform at the local level. Networks of universities and NGOs in the target sites will be tapped to deliver key research, training and public education services. Existing collaborative networks among Philippine universities will be strengthened and new partnerships established with U.S. universities, allowing Philippine universities to become regional leaders in fisheries reform and ecosystem approaches to fisheries management.

Public-private partnerships will be established to create new business models on fisheries and eco-tourism.

The ECO-FISH Program will incorporate Population, Health, and Environment (PHE) components and focus on reproductive health and family planning as it directly relates to the sustainability of food fish resources into the future through collaboration with the USAID-Washington funded Building Actors and Leaders for Advancing Community Excellence in Development BALANCED Project. ECO-FISH will link with the Coral Triangle Support Partnership (CTSP) project that is funded under the RDMA Leader with Associates Cooperative Agreement Award. CTSP is currently supporting a University Mentorship Program where Philippine Centers of Excellence mentor state universities and colleges to enhance their scientific and technical support to LGUs for informed policy making processes.

It is anticipated that the provision of technical assistance, assessments, studies, policy analyses, biophysical and socio-economic research, and stakeholder consultations to be conducted under this program will not have a direct impact on the environment. These activities are specifically designed to have a positive impact on the coastal habitats, the environment and marine biodiversity. A Categorical Exclusion is thus recommended for these activities. However, technical assistance targeting livelihoods or natural resource regeneration actions such as mangrove reforestation which may have negative consequences if environmental considerations are not factored into these activities and the resulting program designs. Therefore a Negative Determination with Conditions is recommended for these activities with the following conditions:

All technical assistance, workshops, consultations, research and recommendations for program designs will include Best Practices regarding sustainable use, including principles of environmental protection, impact mitigation and environment sustainability.

Any technical assistance targeting alternative livelihoods will first require submittal and approval of a brief activity description including an evaluation of the environmental implications of the alternative livelihood sector being developed. This document must be approved by the Agreement/Contracting Officer Technical Representative (A/COTR), and if deemed necessary by the A/COTR, an IEE will be required.

No pesticides or fertilizers may be procured or used, or recommended for procurement or use without first completing an amendment to the Initial Environmental Examination that addresses the requirements of 22 CFR 216.3(b) including a Pesticide Evaluation Report/Safe Use Action Plan which must be approved in writing by the EGAT Bureau Environment Officer.

All research will be conducted so as to minimize or eliminate any potential impacts on biodiversity or human health, and must abide by any national or local requirements on the use of biological resources.

If, during implementation, activities are considered other than those described above, such as pilot demonstrations, further environmental review will be conducted by the implementing partner, which will be cleared by USAID prior to activity implementation.

These conditions will be integrated in the contract and/or grant agreement and shall be reflected in the over-all work plan of the contractors and/or grantees, as appropriate. If necessary, the contract or agreement will require the preparation of an environmental mitigation and monitoring program that will be reviewed and approved by the COTR/AOTR and the MEO.

Due diligence investigation of the environmental record and practices of each partner in a Public-Private Partnership will be made particularly an analysis of a partner’s past record of environmental accountability and how it might affect the partner’s specific plans under the PPP.

Only native and locally-sourced species of mangroves will be used for any mangrove reforestation activities. These activities will follow the recommendations made by the Ecosystems Research and Development Bureau, the principal research and development unit of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. The

Bureau has published “The phenology of selected Philippine mangrove species: A calendar,” which provides a list of native and locally-sourced mangrove species for use in establishing mangrove plantations (http://erdb.denr.gov.ph/pub.php?pub=denr).

INITIAL ENVIRONMENTAL EXAMINATION

Program/Project Data:

Activity Name: Ecosystems Improved for Sustainable Fisheries (ECO-FISH)

Program Country/region: Philippines Funding Period: April 2012 - May 2017 IEE Amendment (Y/N) N Date of original IEE: N/A

Environmental Action Recommended:

Categorical Exclusion: (X) Negative Determination with Condition: (X) Positive Determination: ( ) Deferral: ( )

1. BACKGROUND AND ACTIVITY DESCRIPTION

1.1 Purpose and Scope of IEE

The purpose of this IEE, in accordance with 22CFR216, is to provide the first review of the reasonably foreseeable effects on the environment, as well as recommend Thresholds Decisions for the activities under the ECO-FISH Program that contribute to the same results framework and objective of conserving biodiversity and sustainable fisheries productivity in at least eight key marine biodiversity areas. This IEE provides a brief statement of the factual basis for a Threshold decision as to whether an Environmental Assessment or an Environmental Impact Statement or an Environmental Impact Statement are required for the activities managed under this program.

1.2 Background

Coastal and marine resources and the fisheries sector in particular plays a key role in the social and economic life of 94 million Filipinos - providing employment, food security, essential nutrition, and enterprise opportunities like tourism for a rapidly expanding, predominantly coastal population. Yet numerous signs of degradation continue with the dramatic decline of catch exacerbated by the effects of global climate change. On an annual basis, the Philippines loses about $120 million in economic benefits derived from coastal and marine resources, and almost half of this is caused by unsustainable fishing (World Bank, 2009).

This trend in fisheries decline and coastal habitat destruction is not unique to the Philippines, as it is occurring in many developing countries with weak resource management. However, the impact of USAID’s Fisheries Improved for Sustainable Harvest (FISH) project is unique. The final project result showed an average overall increase of 13 percent in fisheries biomass in the four project sites in 2010 from 2004 baseline information, surpassing the project target of a 10 percent increase. The evidence from the FISH project clearly demonstrates that conserving coastal biodiversity and restoring the productivity of fisheries is not only possible and replicable, but more importantly addresses a pressing development and poverty reduction issue.

The proposed ECO-FISH Program is in line with the current U.S. Country Assistance Strategy with respect to assistance directed at reducing threats to biodiversity. The ECO- FISH Program will also contribute to achieving Intermediate Result 1, “Natural Resources Base Conserved and Sustained” under Objective 1, “Broad Based and Inclusive Growth Sustained” of the proposed results framework for the planned USAID/Philippines Mission’s Country Development Cooperation Strategy.

1.3 Description of Activities

1.3.1 Objective and Results

The objective of ECO-FISH program is to improve the management of important coastal and marine resources and associated ecosystems that support local economies. It will conserve biological diversity, enhance ecosystem productivity and restore profitability of fisheries in eight marine key biodiversity areas (MKBAs) using ecosystem-based approaches to fisheries management as a cornerstone of improved social, economic and environmental benefits.

By the end of this program, the following results are expected:

1. A 10 per cent increase in fish biomass in selected program sites.

2. One million hectares of municipal marine water will be under improved management.

3. A core of 30 municipal LGUs are implementing ecosystem approaches to fisheries management.

4. Research, education and training programs are strengthened in 16 State Universities and Colleges.

5. 75,000 people will have increased economic benefits derived from sustainable fisheries management, nature-based tourism and related industries.

6. Number of people gaining employment or better employment in nature-based tourism and related industries.

7. Number of public-private partnerships established for sustainable fisheries.

1.3.2 Activities

Program Contractor: The services of a US-firm as Program Contractor will be procured to serve as the primary program implementer ECO-FISH Initiative. The Contractor will be responsible for: a) establishing and implementing a national training program improving the understanding of EAFM of local government units (LGUs) within the 8 MKBAs, b) improving the governance capacity of National Government and LGU partners through targeted technical assistance, c) improving the management of municipal marine waters within the 8 MKBAs, d) creating Public Private Partnerships (PPP) in support of the ECO-FISh objectives, e) developing baselines and applied metrics on coastal and marine resources and relevant socio-economic information to monitor EAFM in the 8 MKBAs, and f) facilitating improved collaboration among from the National Government, LGUs, academic institutions, and private sector partners engaged in the various projects under the ECO-FISH Program.

Coral Triangle Support Program in the Philippines: Existing Associate Award at

RDMA

NGO partners (WWF and CI) under the CTSP will expand their activities into the new ECO-FISH sites, including community conservation efforts and the University Mentoring program. Any field work or research performed will be conducted such as to minimize or eliminate any potential impacts on biodiversity or human health. An IEE already exists for this activity that covers efforts in the Philippines. Environmental lessons learned and best practices from this program will inform the design of scopes of work and activities.

Building Actors and Leaders for Advancing Community Excellence in Development in the Philippines: The ECO-FISH Program will incorporate Population, Health, and Environment (PHE) components as well and focus on reproductive health and family planning as it directly relates to the sustainability of food fish resources into the future through collaboration with the BALANCED Project implemented by Path Foundation with USAID assistance. USAID/OEE intends to buy-in to the BALANCED-Philippines activity funded by OH and require the collaboration of ECO-FISH implementing agencies and partners with BALANCED-Philippines in scopes of work. This program will focus on delivering family planning services to underserved communities living in key marine biodiversity areas. The integration with fisheries and marine conservation will occur through policy advocacy with LGUs, and an effective outreach, education and behaviour change communication approach which draws parallels between population pressures, fisheries decline, and household food security and poverty. An IEE already exists for this activity that covers efforts in the Philippines. Environmental lessons learned and best practices from this program will inform the design of scopes of work and activities.

US-Philippine University Partnerships: Grants and cooperative agreements involving increased collaboration between Philippine universities and U.S. universities will be provided. Collaborations will be focused in several areas, including: development of course curricula to enhance training in ecosystem-based fisheries management, marine protected area management, and marine biodiversity conservation. Aside from implementing a research program, universities will be tapped to develop methodologies on integrated fishery management tools and approaches that incorporate climate change analyses with the intent of increasing coastal resilience. Any field research performed will be conducted such as to minimize or eliminate any potential impacts on biodiversity or human health.

2. COUNTRY AND ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION (BASELINE

INFORMATION)

2.1 Locations Affected

The Philippines is one of the 17 countries with the most diverse biological resources but it is also one of the major biodiversity hotspots. International trade largely drives the harvesting of wildlife; but a greater part of biodiversity loss is more likely to be due to habitat loss through overexploitation, land use conversion, pollution and other development activities. Actual forest cover of the country decreased to about 6.46 million hectares in 1988 from a high of 20 million hectares in the 1900s. Coastal and marine resources are also showing a steady decline. World Bank (2009) estimated that the annual cost from degradation of coastal and marine resources is more than USD$120 million while forest degradation is estimated to cost the Philippines about USD$60 milion a year.

The ECO-FISH Program will be implemented in eight MKBAs covering 8 of the 15 regions in the country. MKBA refers to a priority area for conservation chosen by the Philippine government in consultation with multiple stakeholders. These MKBAs have from high to extremely high need for marine biodiversity conservation.

2.2 National Environmental Policies and Procedures (of host country both for environmental assessment and pertaining to the sector)

In 2011, USAID conducted the “Philippine Biodiversity and Tropical forestry analysis” which provides the information necessary for USAID to comply with Sections 118 and 119 of the U.S. Government Foreign Assistance Act (FAA) of 1961, as amended, to guide and inform USAID/Philippines as it develops its new Country Development Cooperation Strategy for the Philippines. The assessment showed that recent USAID environmental programs have focused on catalyzing local governments to directly invest in and implement environment and natural resource programs and in linking environmental investments with improved status of natural resources to demonstrate that achieving multiple co-benefits across sectors is possible. However, mainstreaming and scaling-up remain a challenge, even if good practices are being replicated at the local government level. At this stage, what is needed is a set of actions to mainstream the conservation and sustainable utilization of tropical forests and biological diversity in the overall development strategy in order to achieve broad-based economic growth. The recommended actions to USAID fall on three key areas, which are the same areas that the ECO-FISH program will work on: (a) Governance - Strengthening the monitoring and evaluation systems of governments, expanding and deepening co-management arrangements, managing environment and natural resource conflicts and law enforcement, and building institutional capacity of governance actors; (b) Knowledge creation and management –support mainstreaming valuation of ecosystems services to inform macro-economic and local development planning, and set up payment for ecosystem services mechanisms for improved management of land and resource uses. (c) Economic incentives - design and implement economic instruments tailored to the unique conditions of the areas where they are applied such as payments for water, erosion-prevention, and climate regulation that a forest protected area provides to agricultural areas.

Since 1978, the Philippines has been governed by the Philippine Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) System, which requires all government agencies, government-owned or controlled corporations, and private companies to prepare an environmental impact assessment (EIA) for any project or activity that substantially affects the quality of the environment. The Philippine EIS system is very comprehensive and entails an EIA being conducted to study the relationship between a proposed project and its surrounding environment. Not only does the EIS system emphasize the regulation of industrial pollution, but also aims at protecting natural resources, fragile ecosystems and the rights of local communities. Aside from being a regulatory scheme, the EIS plays a role of a comprehensive planning and management instrument as well. The Environment Management Bureau is responsible for policy development and review as well as implementation monitoring of the Philippine EIA Law.

In addition, the Philippines is a signatory to several international environmental agreements such as the Convention on Biological Diversity, which aims to promote biodiversity conservation, the sustainable use of its components, and fair and equitable sharing of benefits from the use of resources at the ecosystems, species and genetic levels. As a signatory to the CBD, the Philippines government is required to develop and implement national biodiversity strategies and action plans, integrate these into broader national plans for environmental conservation and sustainable development, and report on measures undertaken to implement the Convention and their effectiveness in meeting its objectives.

The Philippines is also one six countries in the Coral Triangle Region to form a multilateral initiative called the Coral Triangle Initiative for Food Security, Coral Reefs and Climate Change. The goal of the country-led initiative is to safeguard the region’s biodiversity and economic resource base through adoption of an ecosystem approach to fisheries management; establishment of effectively managed marine protected areas;

conservation of endangered species; and adoption of ecosystem-based approaches to climate adaptation.

3. EVALUATION OF ACTIVITY/PROGRAM ISSUES WITH RESPECT TO

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT POTENTIAL

It is anticipated that the provision of technical assistance, assessments, studies, policy analyses, biophysical and socio-economic research, and stakeholder consultations to be conducted under this program will not have a direct impact on the environment. These activities are specifically designed to have a positive impact on the coastal habitats, the environment and marine biodiversity. A Categorical Exclusion is thus recommended for these activities.

However, there could be technical assistance targeting livelihoods or natural resource regeneration actions such as mangrove reforestation which may have negative consequences if environmental considerations are not factored into these activities and the resulting program designs. Therefore a Negative Determination with Conditions is recommended for these activities.

4. RECOMMENDED MITIGATION ACTIONS (INCLUDING

MONITORING AND EVALUATION)

4.1 Recommended IEE Determination

It is anticipated that the provision of technical assistance, assessments, studies, policy analyses, biophysical and socio-economic research, and stakeholder consultations to be conducted under this program will not have a direct impact on the environment. These activities are specifically designed to have a positive impact on the coastal habitats, the environment and marine biodiversity. A Categorical Exclusion is thus recommended for these activities.

However, technical assistance targeting livelihoods or natural resource regeneration actions such as mangrove reforestation which may have negative consequences if environmental considerations are not factored into these activities and the resulting program designs. Therefore a Negative Determination with Conditions is recommended for these activities with the following conditions:

All technical assistance, workshops, consultations, research and recommendations for program designs will include Best Practices regarding sustainable use, including principles of environmental protection, impact mitigation and environment sustainability.

Any technical assistance targeting alternative livelihoods will first require submittal and approval of a brief activity description including an evaluation of the environmental implications of the alternative livelihood sector being developed. This document must be approved by the Agreement/Contracting Officer Technical Representative (A/COTR), and if deemed necessary by the A/COTR, an IEE will be required.

No pesticides or fertilizers may be procured or used, or recommended for procurement or use without first completing an amendment to the Initial Environmental Examination that addresses the requirements of 22 CFR 216.3(b) including a Pesticide Evaluation Report/Safe Use Action Plan which must be approved in writing by the EGAT Bureau Environment Officer.

All research will be conducted so as to minimize or eliminate any potential impacts on biodiversity or human health, and must abide by any national or local requirements on the use of biological resources.

If, during implementation, activities are considered other than those described above, such as pilot demonstrations, further environmental review will be conducted by the implementing partner, which will be cleared by USAID prior to activity implementation.

These conditions will be integrated in the contract and/or grant agreement and shall be reflected in the over-all work plan of the contractors and/or grantees, as appropriate. If necessary, the contract or agreement will require the preparation of an environmental mitigation and monitoring program that will be reviewed and approved by the COTR/AOTR and the MEO.

Due diligence investigation of the environmental record and practices of each partner in a Public-Private Partnership will be made particularly an analysis of a partner’s past record of environmental accountability and how it might affect the partner’s specific plans under the PPP.

Only native and locally-sourced species of mangroves will be used for any mangrove reforestation activities. These activities will follow the recommendations made by the Ecosystems Research and Development Bureau, the principal research and development unit of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. The Bureau has published “The phenology of selected Philippine mangrove species: A calendar,” which provides a list of native and locally-sourced mangrove species for use in establishing mangrove plantations (http://erdb.denr.gov.ph/pub.php?pub=denr).

Limitations of the IEE

This IEE does not cover activities involving:

1) Assistance for procurements (includes payment in kind, donations, guarantees of credit) or use (including handling, transport, fuel for transport, storage, mixing, loading, application, cleanup of spray equipment, and disposal) of pesticides (where pesticides cover all insecticides, fungicides, and rodenticides, etc. covered under the “Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act” FIFRA) or activities involving procurement, transport, use, storage, or disposal of toxic materials, which will require preparation of a PERSUAP in accordance with Reg.216.3(2)(b)(1)-(2) in an amended IEE submitted to Asia/BEO for approval.

2) Activities involving support to wood processing, agro-processing, industrial enterprises and regulatory permitting.

3) Assistance, procurement or use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), which would require preparation of biosafety assessment (review) in accordance ADS 201.3.12.2(b) in an amendment to the IEE approved by Asia BEO.

4) Procurement or use of Asbestos Containing Materials (ACM) (i.e., piping, roofing, etc.), Polychlorinated Biphenyl’s (PCB) or other toxic/hazardous materials prohibited by US EPA as provide at http://www.epa.gov/asbestos and/or under international environmental agreements and conventions, e.g. Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants as provided at http://chm.pop.int

Any of these actions would require an amendment to the IEE duly approved by the Asia

BEO.

Revisions

Pursuant to 22CFR216.3(a)(9), if new activities are added and/or information becomes available which indicates that activities to be funded by the Program might be “major” and the Program’s effect “significant,” this Categorical Exclusion will be reviewed and revised by the originator of the project and submitted to the Bureau Environmental Officer for approval and, if appropriate, an environmental assessment will be prepared.”

4.2 Mitigation, Monitoring, and Evaluation

Although it is anticipated that the provision of technical assistance and other activities designed for this program will not have a direct impact on the environment, an

Environmental Mitigation and Monitoring Program (EMMP) will be prepared and approved by A/COTR and MEO. The EMMP will be developed at the project or activity level to monitor and implement the conditions stated above. In addition, project work plans and budgets will specifically provide for the implementation of the EMMP.

Performance management plans will also incorporate measures of EMMP implementation for review and approval of the A/COTR.

IEE Approval