Reg’l committee fast tracks ENR cases resolution

Resolution of administrative, forestry and land cases in the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Region 2 is now fast tracked following the creation of a regional composite committee.

 

Guided by the principle that "justice delayed is justice denied," Regional Executive Director Gwendolyn C. Bambalan issued a special order organizing the Regional Committee to Deliberate on Environmental and Administrative Cases (RCDEAC) on June 23.

 

She said the creation of the committee will promote collective decisions and transparency in the resolution of cases. “Cases need to be deliberated so that all perspectives of the concerned are incorporated in every order or decision the office will make,” she added.

 

The RCDEAC which RED Bambalan chairs is tasked to convene at least once a month to deliberate environmental and administrative cases with draft decisions and orders. The committee shall recommend to the RED specific actions for every case deliberated.

 

Each handling lawyer or action officer assigned in a specific case shall prepare a case digest for presentation to the committee during the deliberation.

 

In its meeting on Aug. 13 and 14, the committee deliberated nine land-related cases in Cagayan and Isabela. After carefully evaluating the facts of the cases presented by assigned lawyers, seven were unanimously affirmed with some modifications in the dispositive portion. The other two cases are for further evaluation and action by concerned offices.

 

Land claims and conflicts cases are deliberated by the assistant regional directors; chiefs of the legal, surveys and mapping and licenses, patents and deeds division; and PENRO and CENRO concerned.

 

The assistant regional director for technical services and the chiefs of the legal and enforcement divisions are members of the committee to deliberate forestry cases pursuant to DENR Administrative Order 97-32 or the 1997 Rules for the Administrative Adjudication of Illegal Forest Products and the Machinery, Equipment, Tools and Conveyances Used in Connection Therewith.

 

Composing the committee for administrative cases are the assistant regional director for management services as vice chairperson with the assistant regional director for technical services, chiefs of the administrative and legal divisions, and division chief, PENRO or CENRO concerned as members.

 

Resolution of cases is one of the priority directives of Director Bambalan which she announced during her first executive committee meeting upon assumption as the new environment regional chief.#