Philippines EITI National Conference

15 – 16 May 2014

The Philippine Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (PH-EITI) conducted a two-day national conference designed to inform relevant government agencies, business sector and civil society organizations about the current efforts being undertaken by the PH-EITI Multi-Stakeholder Group (MSG) in EITI implementation.

The conference served as an opportunity for the PH-EITI MSG to present the milestones it has achieved for the past year, with particular focus on the finalization of the PH-EITI Reporting Template which is crucial to the first EITI report that the country is expected to publish by December 2014.

The event with the theme "Moving Forward with Transparency through the EITI" is the second national conference organized by the PH-EITI and first after the Philippines had been admitted as an EITI candidate country in May 2013.

The event had been conducted in collaboration with the World Bank, Open Government Partnership Philippines, Department of Interior and Local Government, Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines, and Bureau of Local Government and Finance.

The conference covered the topics on:

1) Global EITI Implementation;

2) Creating Impact in the Government;

3) Communicating the EITI;

4) Annual Activity Report;

5) Open Data Philippines;

6) Challenges in the Governance of EI in the Philippines;

7) Status of Implementation of Executive Order No. 79 (EO 79);

8) What makes a good EITI report;

9) Scope of the first EITI report;

10) Workshop Reporting Templates; and

11) Next Steps

Among the resource persons during the conference were: Mr. Woulter Biesterbos, Regional Director, EITI International; Hon. Alfredo Pires, Minister of Petroleum & Mineral Resources, Timor-Leste; Asst. Sec. Ma. Teresa S. Habitan, Department of Finance; Ms. Elisea "Bebet" G. Gozun; Mr. Elmer B. Billedo, Ph.D., Assistant Director, Mines and Geoscinces Bureau; Mr. Andrew Schloeffel, Senior Mining Specialist, Sustainable Energy, Oil Gas and Mining Unit, World Bank; Atty. Marie Gay Alessandra V. Ordenes, National Coordinator, PH-EITI; Pricewaterhouse Coopers; and Ms. Maria Meliza T. Tuba, Program Offices, PH-EITI Secretariat.

The conference was held on May 15-16, 2014 at the Crowne Plaza Manila Galleria Hotel, Ortigas, Pasig City. Technical staff from the Mines and Geosciences Bureau Mineral Economics and Publications Division attended the event.

The participation of the country in the EITI is an effort by the current administration under the EO 79 to improve transparency, accountability and governance in the mining sector.