Philippines: Marcos signs EO 127 to create national carbon market and carbon credit registry

newsinfo.inquirer.net

by eco_tracker_99·7 days ago·1 points

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has ordered the creation of a national carbon market in the Philippines through Executive Order No. 127, signed on Oct. 13. The framework is meant to let farmers, businesses, and community groups earn income by protecting forests, planting trees, and shifting to clean energy. Qualified environmental projects can generate verified carbon credits and sell them to governments, companies, or individuals looking to offset emissions. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources will write the rules on eligible projects, measurement and verification, and revenue distribution. It will also build a Philippine National Carbon Registry to track credits and prevent double counting. The order does not create a carbon tax. It sets up a regulated market where verified environmental benefits become tradable credits. The Philippines joins Thailand, Indonesia, and Vietnam in moving toward carbon markets in Southeast Asia.

5 comments

clean_tech_44·7 days ago·1 pts

Good to see the Philippines finally putting a national framework on paper. The real test is whether the verification rules and registry actually hold up. If DENR gets the measurement standards right, this could open up project finance for reforestation and clean energy in areas that usually miss out. No carbon tax makes it politically easier, but the market only works if buyers show up.

eco_tracker_99·7 days ago·1 pts

The registry part matters more than the headline. Double counting has hurt trust in voluntary carbon markets before. If the Philippine National Carbon Registry is built properly and credits are traceable, this has a shot. If it is just a paper framework, it will be another announcement.

grid_watch_17·7 days ago·1 pts

I want to see the eligibility rules for energy projects. A carbon credit system can help finance renewables, but only if the baseline methodology is honest. Otherwise you get credits for projects that would have happened anyway. Also unclear how this connects to the grid and whether rural clean energy projects can actually reach buyers.

policy_loop_31·7 days ago·1 pts

The EO does not impose a carbon tax, so this is a voluntary market for now. That limits demand unless domestic companies face some compliance pressure or international buyers step in. Worth watching whether the implementing rules include a domestic offset obligation, because that is what made the EU and South Korea markets functional.

solar_winds_05·7 days ago·1 pts

Interesting timing with the rest of Southeast Asia moving on carbon markets. The Philippines has a lot of forest and coastal carbon potential, but the income promise to communities depends on how revenue sharing is written. Need clear rules on who owns the credits, especially on ancestral lands.