When the EIA reports are submitted, they are processed for completeness by the EMB offices whether the Central or Regional office depending on the type of EIA document submitted as indicated in Table 1 above. When the submitted document is certified to be complete, the countdown for review and approval begins to apply. A review committee comprising of technical experts makes final evaluation of the document and recommends to the EMB officials (Regional EMB Director, EMB Executive Director or DENR Secretary depending on the type of the EIA report evaluated), the issuance of ECC, Certificate of Non Coverage (CNC) or denial letter.
The ECC issued contains the conditions set by the EMB based on its rules and regulations and environmental quality standards to conserve and protect the environment and ensure the safety of population affected. Compliance to ECC by the project is monitored by the EMB or its designated monitoring and evaluation team and/or committee. Violations of the ECC will penalize the project owners and may even lead to a halt of their operations. Moreover, an environmental insurance fund may be provided for in the PPP contract.
The validity of the ECC is throughout the lifetime of the project. If the project is not implemented within five years upon issuance of the ECC, the ECC automatically expires unless a request was made for its extension three months before its expiration.
The CNC certifies that, based on the submitted CNC application form, the project is not covered by the EIS System. No ECC is therefore required for the project.
The Denial letter contains the explanation why the proposal was not approved. These proposed projects pose significant irreversible and irretrievable negative impacts on the environment and the population.