A former legislator, who is the main author of the Clean Air Act, said he has realized that it is easier to make laws than to implement them, especially those on the environment.

Nereus Acosta, Presidential Adviser for Environmental Protection and general manager of the Laguna Lake Development Authority, said being in the executive, it is more difficult to implement laws on environment than to craft them.

If given the chance to come back as legislator, he said, he will push for a massive review and revisiting of environmental standards to make them realistic, such as policies on emission standards, and water standards, among others.

Acosta, who lost in his senatorial bid in 2010, did not make categorical statements about his plans for the 2016 polls, but said, “If I will be back in a legislative role, I will immediately conduct a policy review on environmental laws not just strengthen but to also make them more realistic.”

He said some leaders in the private sector told him that he might have passed environmentally sound laws because that is the standard in Europe or in America, but they cannot be applied immediately in the Philippines.

He said he has a better appreciation of that sentiment, but added that there are many businessmen who are also very abusive.

The government is looking for ways to enforce environmental laws based on incentives, like tax break and rewards, where a tool can be used for everybody to really comply with provisions of environmental laws, even without the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Office of the President, or local government units,  chasing erring industries, and penalizing them.*JG

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