Press Releases

 

Barangay officials in Cagayan province were equipped today with effective and sustainable strategies in managing solid wastes and water quality in their respective communities during the capacity building for Liga ng mga Barangay at the Robinsons Place, Tuguegarao City.

The capacity building, conducted by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Region 2 is in line with the enhancement of Regional Solid Waste Management Advocacy Campaign of the Department.

This advocacy dubbed Pinas Basura Buster, the image of DENR in its solid waste management program, was launched yesterday at the same venue.

โ€œYou have a big role to play because you have the authority to mobilize the residents in your barangays to responsibly manage the environment,โ€ said Assistant Regional Executive Director for Technical Services Marcos Dacanay during the program.

He appealed the local officials to prioritize proper management of wastes in the communities.

The provisions of Republic Act (RA) 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management (ESWM) Act were expounded to the participants by resource speaker George Canapi, chief of the Environmental Management Bureauโ€™s (EMB) ESWM Section.

He said RA 9003 strengthens RA 7160 or the local government code of the Philippines that devolved functions to local government units (LGUs) in the enforcement of laws on cleanliness and sanitation, and implementation of SWM programs.

โ€œThe role of LGUs in SWM implementation is significant since the collection, segregation and recycling of wastes; and the establishment of materials recovery facilities are their responsibility based on RA 9003,โ€ added Canapi.

Canapi introduced innovations in managing wastes such as the use of bio-composting machine, bottle crusher, and glass pulverizer that are effective equipment in reducing and recycling wastes.

For water quality management, EMB Senior Environmental Management Specialist Jailaine Siriban educated the participants on the prevention or control of water pollution as provided in RA 9275 also known as the Philippine Clean Water Act.

She said barangay officials are responsible for the maintenance of water quality in the sea, rivers, groundwater, and other waterways in their respective areas.

Siriban also encouraged the concerned officials to participate in the transparent monitoring of establishments or industries pertinent to the discharge of water in waterways. This is to ensure environmental compliance and to prevent water pollution.

The barangay officials were encouraged to consult DENR-EMB if they need technical assistance in formulating ordinances relating to environmental management.#

Iโ€™d like to make this message quite brief but I hope that it will impart some of the key points of our stewardship role in terms of the environment and natural resources and the role which I think we would like to enjoin everyone to become a part of not just in the DENR family but also in the family of stakeholders that we actually also represent.

At the National Resilience Council, the definition we often use of resilience is the capacity not only to survive but to thrive in the face of shocks and uncertainties. And our environment today is typical of this type of regime. Shocks and uncertainties are in fact the norm.

In this light, what Iโ€™d like to propose to all of you and I hope that you will join me in, is a mission that represents the following: an ethical stewardship, to serve with excellence and virtue, and uphold shared environmental values, and scientific and technical excellence. We want a stewardship that is democratic where stakeholders can participate, where there is transparency in the Departmentโ€™s plans and decisions. We want to work across the silos. This is not a unique problem in government. It happens also in academe; it happens in civil society; it happens even among our families. We work in silos disciplinally especially in organizations such as this. We need to harness our expertise and make sure that the capabilities of the different sectors, the different bureaus, actually are in line and support each other.

We want to invest in a scientific risk-based approach, we want some quantified impact metrics. And hopefully, with the Departmentโ€™s projects and performance we can set the example for the economic, social and environmental gains that are part of the mandate of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. We strive then to make sure that legislation is evidence informed, and policies and programs involve consultation with our stakeholders.

Lastly, we strive for efficiency but also technical excellence in the conduct of our work especially in government transactions, the efficient use of our resources, and the digitization hopefully and modernization of our information management systems. This will enhance the delivery of our service to our stakeholders and ensure the level of excellence in terms of performance, and the impacts that we would like to achieve.

Perhaps as a few closing points, Iโ€™d just like to share maybe four or five other items that we hope can be made part of our shared mission together.

The first one would be really to emphasize the DENRโ€™s crucial role in the accounting of our natural resources of the country. And that accounting will need, in fact, to take place very, very soon as we make plans for the new administrationโ€™s agenda moving forward. This will in fact involve the use of science and technology, as well as the use of financial management and economics. And that means we will have to work across the different departments to achieve that foundation.

We would like to build resilient communities along with our other government agencies through risk-sensitive and balanced development of resources along what we call the antural rural-urban transect. These resources are part of our patrimony; we need to treasure them, and need to measure what we value.

Third point is to work with our cities. They are the engines of growth but they depend largely on the ecosystems that support them. And the role of DENR cannot be minimized in terms of trying to support the economy of our country at the same time the social and inclusive development of our nation.

For the last two points that Iโ€™d like to raise, and hopefully again with your kind cooperation and collaboration, we need to combat the climate emergency through practical climate change adaptation measures, the use of science to approach national scale as well as local scale impacts of climate change. We live in a multi-hazard environment not just from natural hazards but from industrial as well as what we call natural technological hazards. The compounding of these hazards has led to the development of systemic risks and threats to our entire economic and social system.

Finally, we need to strive to continuously protect our indigenous species as part of our natural heritage and at the same time harness these resources for the benefit of our country. On that note, I wish to enjoin all of you to please join us on this new course and mission. And I hope for your collaboration. Please, my office is open, please feel free to come in and share your thoughts and possibly concerns as well.

Maraming salamat po!

  

Transcribed on July 21, 2022 by Martina Constantino of DCD-SCIS

 
 
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Region 2 has resumed accepting applications for the processing and issuance of certificate of chainsaw registration.
 
In a media interview, Enforcement Division Chief Joel Daquioag announced yesterday that all Community Environment and Natural Resources Offices (CENROs) are now accepting applications for chainsaw registration.
 
In December 2020, DENR Regional Executive Director Gwendolyn Bambalan issued memorandum directing all CENROs to momentarily suspend the issuance of chainsaw registration due to the alarming increased number of chainsaws registered all over the region considering that Region 2 has only 1 million hectares of forest cover.
 
โ€œMost of the issued certificates of chainsaw registration in 2020 have already expired leaving only at least 300 registered chainsaws to date,โ€ said Forester Daquioag who also led in the chainsaw monitoring and assessment for the region to reaccept said application.
 
To regulate the use of chainsaws, Director Bambalan ordered the CENR Officers to strictly exercise due diligence in the processing and issuance of certificate of chainsaw registration.
 
Forester Daquioag discussed Department Administrative Order (DAO) 2003-24 or the "Implementing Rules and Regulations of the Chainsaw Act of 2002" where he emphasized the eligibility of applicants.
 
He said the chainsaw owners are allowed to register to include holder of a subsisting timber license agreement or any qualified lease agreement and tenurial instrument granted by the government; orchard or fruit tree farmer; industrial tree farmer; licensed wood processor; and anyone who shows satisfactory proof that the possession or use of chainsaw is for legal purpose.
 
Government agencies and government owned and controlled corporations that use chainsaws in some aspects of their functions are also qualified for registration. โ€œThese include road widening, rehabilitation, and disaster preparedness activities,โ€ added Forester Daquioag.
 
He also informed the new classification of chainsaws which are also subject for registration as defined in DAO 2018-09 or "Amending Administrative Order No. 24 s. 2003, Implementing RA 9175, known as Chainsaw Act".
 
Among the equipment classified as chainsaw include portable rotary lathe, mobile or portable band saw, wood mizer, mobile or portable wood chipper, or wood edger, and any portable power saw or similar cutting implement rendered operative by an electric or internal combustion engine.
 
The CENR Offices are likewise directed to strictly monitor the use of chainsaws and to submit monthly reports of registered chainsaws to the regional office for monitoring purposes.
 
โ€œThe applicants will be carefully evaluated to regulate the issuance of certificates of registration,โ€ said the enforcement chief.
The certificate of chainsaw registration is a document that authorizes the use of chainsaw as an equipment used during tree harvesting.#
 
(Photo is screenshot during the radio interview)
 
 
The protection and preservation of the Batanes Protected Landscapes and Seascapes in Batanes will be intensified with the action plans formulated by the Environment and Natural Resources (ENR) Ambassadors during the environmental youth camp recently held in Ivana town.
 
Focusing on ecological solid waste and forest management programs, the young environmentalists committed to conduct regular cleanup drives and tree planting activities, and initiate recycling projects.
 
They also plan to educate other youth on the importance of environmental preservation through the ENR Ambassador Handog Serbisyo Program.
 
Dubbed as โ€˜Kampo Kabataan para sa Kalikasanโ€™ or KKK, the three-day youth camp organized by the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources (PENR) Office equipped the ambassadors from the Batanes State College (BSC), Saint Dominic College Batanes Inc., and Batanes National Science High School with basic ENR laws and coastal and marine ecosystems management.
 
They also planted over 100 indigenous trees such as Antipolo, Kamagong, Bitaog and Arius in Brgy. Radiwan of Ivana.
As active partners of DENR in advocacy campaigns, the participants were also equipped on environmental leadership and journalism. They were trained on how to produce and publish photo stories about the environment.
 
PENR Officer Victoria Baliuag lauded the participants for their commitment for the environment. She also encouraged them to influence their fellow youth to protect the environment.
 
โ€œWe are happy to know that we have partners like you. With your energy and passion, mas mapapangalagaan natin ang kalikasan lalo na dito sa Batanes,โ€ she said.
 
In his message, Mayor Celso Batallones of Ivana town expressed his support to the various programs and activities of DENR.
In 2020, DENR Region 2 through Regional Executive Director Gwendolyn Bambalan partnered with BSC for advocacy campaigns, and social mobilization and partnership building activities.
 
Other activities held during the youth camp were team building, yell and banner making and search for the Kabataang Kampeon para sa Kalikasan.#

 

The Provincial Environment and Natural Resources (PENR) Office in Nueva Vizcaya forged today a Memorandum of Partnership Agreement (MOPA) with the 203rd Community Defense Center (CDC) of the Philippine Army (PA) for forest development at the DENR Ecological Park and Training Center in Aritao town.

PENR Officer Giovannie Magat and CDC director Bernard Ragus inked the MOPA to enrich the existing plantations and regreen denuded lands and cogonal areas within the eight municipalities covered by the PENR Sub-Office.

"The DENR is always ready to extend technical assistance in your endeavors and provide you quality planting materials to ensure high survival of your plantations," said Engr. Magat expressing his support to the greening endeavors of the PA.

He further appealed for the support of the uniformed personnel in forest development and protection.

For his part, Col. Ragus assured their commitment to the environment programs through 'bayanihan spirit'.

Former Provincial Board Member Flodemonte Gerdan, an army reservist, also expressed his hopes that illegal activities within the forest plantations will stop through the partnership.#