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  • The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is seeking a P25.29-billion budget for 2022 to bankroll programs that will steer the national government's agenda toward green growth.

    Secretary Roy A. Cimatu presented the DENR’s 2022 proposed budget during the budget hearing of the House Committee on Appropriations on Monday, Sept. 13.

    Cimatu said the proposed budget will help the department fulfill its water resilience and water security programs to adapt to climate change and recover from the setback caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

    "We shall be focusing on the strategic thrust of water resilience and water security to heighten integrated watershed management, promote sustainable livelihood for the upland communities, address pollution, protect wildlife and biodiversity," he pointed out.

    Cimatu underscored the need for the government to pursue transformative actions by embracing green growth in addressing the unprecedented tasks toward recovery.

    "The DENR’s thrust in 2022 will strengthen the foundation for strategic investments in nature that is seen to promote not just economic growth, but green growth for a more equitable and sustainable future for the country," he said.

     

    (Read More)

  • IPCC

     

    The Cabinet Cluster on Climate Change Adaptation, Mitigation and Disaster Risk Reduction (CCAM-DRR), chaired by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), has committed to strengthening the country's response to climate change, following the release of the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Report.

    The United Nations-led IPCC report provides the most compelling and comprehensive information on the state of the world’s climate today.

    Citing the pronouncement of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, CCAM-DRR Cluster chairperson and DENR Secretary Roy A. Cimatu said the report findings are considered a "code red for humanity" and that "the need to act collectively and decisively has never been more urgent."

    "With the urgent call set forth by the latest IPCC report, we will continue to prioritize actions and investments that will reduce the long-term impacts, and increase our resilience and adaptive capacity to both the coronavirus pandemic and climate change," Cimatu said.

    The IPCC report highlighted the irrefutable evidence that human influence caused the unprecedented warming of the planet and has exposed more regions to the increasing and intensifying impacts of climate change.

    Cimatu assured that the national government is carrying out wide-ranging reforms in fostering improved environmental governance, sustainable infrastructure, renewable energy, and knowledge management on climate and disaster solutions.

    "The CCAM-DRR Cabinet Cluster adopted the Risk Resiliency Program (RRP) as its convergence program to truly help protect our communities, especially in climate-vulnerable provinces and major urban centers, from climate-induced disasters and spare future generations from the worst impacts that climate change could bring about," he said.

    Serving as the convergence program of the Cluster, the RRP aims to increase the adaptive capacities of vulnerable communities; ensure the adequate supply of clean air, water, and other natural resources; increase the resilience of critical infrastructures; and enhance knowledge, access to information and institutional capacities of communities.

    "Given limited fiscal space for the CCAM-DRR sector, we will put focus on water security and water resilience as our policy thrust and direction in order to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, adapt to climate change, and enable economic growth by enabling the conditions for a healthy and prosperous population through a healthy environment," he added.

    The Cluster’s priority programs are on the management of watersheds, protected areas and wetlands, coastal and marine ecosystems, groundwater resources, water quality, and water conservation.

    The DENR has an approved budget ceiling in the amount of Php 25.295 billion for 2022.

    Cimatu said the Philippines has committed, in its Nationally Determined Contribution to a projected greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, the reduction, and avoidance of 75 percent from 2020 to 2030.

    Of this figure, 2.71 percent is unconditional, and 72.29 percent is conditional, representing the country’s ambition for GHG mitigation between 2020 and 2030 for the sectors of agriculture, wastes, industry, transport, and energy.

    The country’s climate change mitigation actions also include strengthening the resilience and adaptive capacity of the country, including through enhanced access to climate finance, technology development and transfer, and capacity building, especially on the implementation of the policies and measures on, and the uptake of circular economy and sustainable consumption and production practices.

    Cimatu also said that the Task Force Build Back Better--an inter-agency body which he co-chairs with Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark Villar--is steadfast in its efforts to improve adaptive capacities of ecosystems and communities in Cagayan, Marikina, and Bicol River Basins, which bore the brunt of typhoons Rolly and Ulysses in November 2020.

    Cimatu stressed the opportunity to use green recovery from the COVID-19 to push for investments and reforms addressing underlying vulnerabilities and strengthening resilience.

    "The COVID-19 pandemic provides us the opportunity to take a step back, and re-evaluate our programs and projects for the environment and economy. We need to identify recovery interventions that will also drive us towards a low-carbon, resilient, and green development," Cimatu said. #

  • By Catherine Teves | Philippine News Agency

    MANILA – The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is urging households nationwide to segregate waste to help the country meet its greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction target under the Paris Agreement on climate change. 

    Practicing segregation will enable households to recover waste for composting, DENR Climate Change Information and Technical Support Division chief Albert Magalang said Friday.

    "Without waste segregation, composting won't be successful," Magalang said during the Ang Tinig Klima program that tackled the Philippines' Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) to help meet the Paris Agreement’s global goal of avoiding the onslaught of climate change.

    (Read More)

  • The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), through its Gender and Development (GAD) Office and Climate Change Service (CCS), recently launched Mga Kwentong KLIMA-likasan Tungo sa Katatagan: A Climate and Disaster Resiliency Recognition Awards.

    In participation with the Global Good Stories Movement, the resiliency recognition awards seek to recognize the stories of individuals, both women and men, and groups on the impacts of climate change and disasters in their communities, and on how they are addressing them through pursuing relevant programs on environmental protection and conservation, climate change, and disaster risk reduction. The Global Good Stories Movement is a movement of people who share the common belief that we can change the story of the world by changing the storyline.

    “We know there are pockets of good stories and narratives at different levels. As we seek them out, document and publicize them, we hope such can create even more ripples of hope for expanded good stories,” said Atty Analiza Rebuelta-Teh, the DENR Undersecretary for Finance, Information Systems, and Climate Change, and the Chairperson of DENR National Gender and Development Focal Point System.

    The list of fields for the search of the good stories may include women leadership, community livelihood development, integrated water resources management, coastal/upland protection, critical resilient infrastructure, climate and disaster information services, solid waste management, marine conservation, coastal governance, road sharing and non-motorized mobility, edible landscaping and food gardens, eco-governance, environmental legislation, environmental education, arts for the earth, environmental jurisprudence, youth leadership, environmental diplomacy, marine enforcement, renewable energy, cultural heritage, beach restoration, environmental litigation, water use and recycling, among others.

    Winners will be awarded Php 50,000 for the First Prize, Php 20,000 for the Second Prize, and Php 30,000 for the Third Prize. Consolation prizes, amounting to Php 15,000 each, will also be awarded to 7 selected entries.

    Entries will be judged according to the Climate and Disaster Resiliency content (60%), the visual appeal of the photographs and video (30%), and the geographical reach of the initiative (10%).

    Contestants must submit their entries individually to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. on or before  May 4,  2021, with the filled-up  entry form.

    If the individual contestant is having difficulty sending the entry to the organizer, such may be submitted through the DENR CENRO/ PENRO, or Regional Office, whichever comes as most convenient to the contestant. The respective DENR Office shall quickly email the said entry submission to the DENR Climate Change Service.

    The contest is open to all Filipinos coming from any region of the country. However, relatives of the personnel of DENR Climate Change Service and the DENR Gender and Development Office, up to the second level of consanguinity are not eligible to join this contest. Winners will be announced and awarded on the last week of June 2021 as part of the celebration of the Philippine Environment Month. To learn more about the resiliency awards, you may follow the DENR Climate Change Service Facebook Page for the full mechanics.###

  • By | Daily Tribune

    The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and multinational company Nestlé Philippines on Friday announced sealing a memorandum of agreement (MOA) for the construction of a Materials Recovery Facility (MCF) that will process recyclable municipal solid waste produced by various communities.

    Apart from the establishment of MRF, the DENR and Nestlé will also educate communities on solid waste management with Caloocan City as the experimental city for the said endeavor.

     

    (READ MORE)

  • By Catherine Teves | PNA

    MANILA – The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), food giant Nestle Philippines, Inc., and the Caloocan City government are partnering to help boost the implementation of Republic Act (RA) 9003 (Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000).

    A memorandum of agreement (MOA) signed Friday will promote proper waste segregation, recycling and reuse communities along Tullahan-Tinejeros river system, which discharges into Manila Bay, to reduce the volume of trash for disposal and open up income opportunities from garbage while mitigating pollution there.

    (READ MORE)

  • ABS-CBN News

    MANILA - Nestlé Philippines on Friday signed a deal with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources for its commitment to a waste-free future, which includes the building of a materials recovery facility (MRF) in Caloocan City. 

    The facility will sort, segregate, compost and recycle wastes, in accordance with Republic Act. No. 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000, Nestlé Philippines said in a statement.

    Under the Memorandum of Agreement, Nestlé Philippines would sponsor the construction of the facility in Barangay 164 in Caloocan City. A signing was held virtually Friday which was attended by officials of DENR and Nestlé Philippines.

    (READ MORE)

  • Rehabilitation efforts in the Bicol River are now poised to go full blast with the start of the dredging of one of the ten sandbars constricting the 94-kilometer river which snakes through the provinces of Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur and Albay.

    At the launching of TFBBB’s “Bicol River Restoration Program”   held Tuesday in  barangay San Roque in Camaligan, Camarines Sur,   Department of Environment And Natural Resources (DENR) Undersecretary Rodolfo Garcia bared that the construction of seven flood control projects and the rehabilitation of flood gates and pumping stations along the river system  have already been approved by President Duterte.

    “To provide long-term protection to the people of this region,” Garcia said, in reference to the four successive destructive typhoons that crossed  the Bicol region which “is the reason why we are pursuing the construction of flood control projects , a sustainable dredging program and river bank restoration in the Bicol River.”

    Garcia, representing  TFBBB chair Roy Cimatu, was joined by TFBBB-Bicol ground commander National Housing Authority (NHA) General Manager Marcelino Escalada, Jr.,  Camarines Sur Governor Miguel Luis "Migz" Reyes Villafuerte and Camarines Sur, 2nd District Representative  Luis Raymund “Lray” Villafuerte  Jr.

    “Our short-, medium-  and long-term plans for these areas are already in place,” Garcia said, referring to the ongoing TFBBB rehabilitation and recovery initiatives that started last February in disaster-affected areas in Cagayan Valley, the Marikina River Basin and Bicol.

    According to Engineer Jerry Fano, head  of the Project Office of Flood Control Management Cluster of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH),  the drainage capacity of the river has been greatly reduced  especially the downstream portion of the river where average river width of 80 meters is now reduced to just 55 meters thus contributing to widespread flooding in outlying areas.

    Fano, also representing DPWH Secretary and TFBBB co-chair Mark Villar , noted that they have identified priority 10 sandbars that need to be dredged which have  an estimated  total volume of 1.63 million cubic meters.

    “This dredged material is equivalent to 200 Olympic-size swimming pools,” Fano said, noting an Olympic-size pool measures 50 meters long, 25 meters  wide and a minimum of  two meters deep.

    He likewise said that Lake Bato, from which Bicol River starts, needs to be dredged involving some 9.4 million cubic meters of silt, specifically at the junction of Naporog River and Quinale A River.

    Fano noted that despite the smaller amount of rainfall brought by  Typhoon Ulysses that hit Bicol in November 11-12 last year, it caused massive flooding in Bicol because of the amount of rains from three previous successive storms that hit almost the same areas within two weeks (typhoons Quinta  on October 25-26 and  Tonyo  on November 8-9) resulting to the super saturation of the catchment area of Bicol River.  Super Typhoon Rolly (international name: Goni) with the maximum sustained strength of 195 kph – compared to Typhoon Yolanda with strength of 190 kph -  is the strongest typhoon in history to make a landfall (PAGASA).

    Citing data from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), Fano said Bicol bore the brunt of Typhoon  Rolly in terms of damages to infrastructure at P12.2 billion or 97 percent of the total P12.9-billion infrastructure damage in Luzon due to the typhoon.

    Fano also added the Bicol region accounted for P3.6 billion  or 72 percent of the total P5-billion  in damages to agriculture in Luzon left by the typhoon. xxxx

  • Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary and Task Force Build Back Better (TF BBB) Chairman Roy A. Cimatu has announced the dredging of sandbars along a narrow section of the 94-kilometer Bicol River starting March 23.

    "TF BBB's rehabilitation efforts on the Bicol River completes the triumvirate targets to which we have committed ourselves to complete within the term of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte for Cagayan River, Marikina River, and Bicol River," Cimatu said.

    Cimatu pointed out that the TF BBB has early on mounted activities, such as easement recovery and river bank stabilization efforts through planting and raising of bamboos, prior to the March 23 launch.

    "In fact, 49,509 bamboo seedlings have already been planted by some 850 beneficiaries of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) which provided some 1,000 food packs for these planter-volunteers," Cimatu said.

     

    Read More

  • Elmer Navarro Manuel | Daily Tribune

    09 January 2021

    Multinational conglomerate San Miguel Corporation (SMC) is now setting its sights to intensify its dredging operations at the Tullahan-Tinajeros River System in the first two quarters of the year before the rainy season sets in.
    This is to help reduce flooding at areas near the 27 kilometer-long tributary stretching from La Mesa Dam to the Manila Bay.

    It comes after SMC president and chief operating officer Ramon Ang announced that the company was able to extract 83,600 metric tons of silt and solid waste from the river in 2020, despite limitations brought on by the Luzon-wide lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

    Read More

  • January 29, 2021

    QUEZON CITY, Jan. 29 -- The removal of sandbars to clear the constricted section of Cagayan River, known as the Magapit Narrows, and the massive planting of bamboo along its bank will begin on February 2, Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary and Task Force Build Back Better chair Roy A. Cimatu announced on Wednesday.

    "This is the culmination of weeks of meticulous planning and detailed coordination to ensure that each of the dredging equipment is safely transported to the sandbar sites and that bamboos are grown at critical portions of the riverbank needing immediate measures to address stream bank erosion and instability.

    Read More

  • Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and Build Back Better Task Force (BBBTF) Chairperson Roy A. Cimatu  wants a more pre-emptive approach  in its anti-illegal logging strategies to prevent illegall loggers from cutting trees. 

    Cimatu said    “the recent floodings should serve as a wake up call for a re-examination of our models of the forest protection operations which I think have been largely measured  in terms of apprehended undocumented forest products and not in terms of standing trees.” Cimatu said

    “My  priority is to prevent the cutting,” Cimatu said, adding that apprehended cut trees reported as accomplishments by DENR field officers is telling of the quality of their forest protection efforts within their respective  jurisdiction.

    “Ang trophy ay yung nakatayong mga puno, hindi yung mga putol na,” Cimatu stressed  as a reminder to DENR field officers that apprehended undocumented forest products “should actually be regarded as their failure to prevent these trees from being illegally cut.”  ‘pero kung naputol na yan, hulihin na lang natin , pero hindi pa rin tayo happy nyan.” 

    At the same time, Cimatu tasked DENR Undersecretary  for Special Concerns Bernardo Leonardo to  lead the creation and operationalization of three special composite teams that would augment anti-illegal logging operations in Cagayan Valley,  the Bicol Region , including the Upper Marikina River Basin Protected Landscape.

    Cimatu said the creation of the augmentation teams in these areas is a strategic move on the part of the DENR to shift its orientation in its forest protection operation more towards prevention by “going hard and swift” against the financiers and operators.

    The Order is pursuant to Executive Order 23 of 2011 which calls for the creation, from the national to the regional and provincial levels,  of  Anti-Illegal Logging Task Force and composed  of representatives from the DENR as chair; and from the Department of Interior and Local Government, the Department of Defense, the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police as members. Cimatu also said that the pro-active and aggressive  whole-of-society approach in anti-illegal logging campaign will be implemented, highlighting the role of LGUs and strong citizen and community participation.

    He  said  “pinpointing”  those  behind illegal logging  activities “is the key,” while noting that  only transporters and buyers in possession of cut undocumented forest products  are oftentimes collared  in  illegal logging operations.

    The DENR’s Environment Protection and Enforcement Task Force (EPETF) reported that some 40,385 boardfeet of undocumented forest products have been apprehended during the pandemic months between June  to September 2020.

    Most of the apprehended forest products were narra, red and white lauan, bagtikan and bitaog.

    Five conveyances were also apprehended during the period consisting of  two six-wheeler trucks, two closed vans and a motorcycle.

    Cimatu reiterated that he  would not scale down efforts to enforce forestry laws during the pandemic and that field officers would continue to patrol forests.

     "We expect to  increase the intensity in running after  forest crimes as severely as possible so that there is a deterrent effect,” Cimatu said.

  • 2UKPH

     

    Cabinet Cluster on Climate Change Adaptation, Mitigation and Disaster Risk Reduction Chairperson and Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Roy Cimatu (second row, right) signs the “Partnership Statement” with British Ambassador to the Philippines Daniel Pruce (1st row, left) signifying the Philippines-United Kingdom (UK) partnership on climate  change and environment during the first Climate Change and Environment Dialogue held virtually last November 27. Joined by COP26 (26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties) Regional Ambassador for Asia-Pacific and South Asia Ken O’Flaherty (1st row, right), British Embassy Counsellor Rebecca Shah (3rd row, right), DENR Undersecretary for Finance, Information Systems and Climate Change Analiza Rebuelta-Teh (2nd row, left) and DENR Undersecretary for Policy, Planning and International Affairs Jonas Leones as witnesses (3rd row, left), the new partnership aims to strengthen collaboration between both countries towards climate and green issues all in the fight against climate change. It targets effective implementation of the Paris Agreement, economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, and convene and establish the annual UK-Philippines Dialogue, among others. ###

  • In celebration of the upcoming National Climate Change Consciousness Week (NCCCW), the Department of Environment and Natural Resource Climate Change Service (DENR-CCS) pushes through with its fully-loaded activities--most of it to be held virtually--from November 19 to 27, 2020, while the COVID-19 is still present in the country.

    With this year’s theme “Adapting for a Sustainable Future”, this annual celebration aims to create awareness on global warming and climate change by pursuing broad and intensive public information and education campaigns to secure the cooperation of the private and public sector.

    “The ongoing climate crisis and pandemic has brought profound effects and impacts in our society. Despite limitations, we want to utilize this week to encourage individual actions and convene the public and private sector to address this dual-threat and contribute towards green recovery”, said DENR Undersecretary for Finance, Information Systems and Climate Change Analiza Rebuelta-Teh.

    Upcoming events open for the public include the webinar on Turning Digital Innovation into Climate Actions on November 19 (9 am to 12 nn); Ang Tinig Klima Special Radio Episode on DZXL on November 20 (3 pm to 4 pm) will tackle Peatlands Conservation, and Climate Change, and a webinar on Resilient Rivers, Resilient Communities on November 23 (1 pm to 5 pm).

    Interested individuals who want to attend said events can visit the DENR-CCS’ Facebook page at https://facebook.com/DENRCCS.

    “Through these activities, we aim to strengthen DENR’s partnership with the private sector in addressing climate change, especially through the use of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) which is what is vital in these times”, added Rebuelta-Teh.

    The DENR, through its CCS  and the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) will also be conducting several webinars with targeted attendees from the DENR and EMB Central and Regional offices, government agencies, non-government organizations (NGOs), and the academe. These are: Re-tooling on Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation webinar on November 19 (1 pm to 4 pm); Gender-Responsive Climate Policy webinar on November 20 (1pm to 4 pm); Climate Change and Human Security webinar on November 24 (1 pm to 4 pm); Climate Change with International NGO Clean Air Asia webinar on November 25 (9 am to 12 nn); and Climate Change Adaptation Seminar and Workshop on Site Assessment using Ecosystem-based Adaptation Criteria and Valuation Tools webinar on November 26-27 (1 pm to 4 pm).

    Co-organized by the Philippine Association of Tertiary Level Educational Institutions in Environmental Protection and Management (PATLEPAM), the DENR’s  CCS and EMB will also be holding a webinar on Green Recovery Strategies in the Environment and Natural Resources Sector for the Better Normal: Challenges for the Academe on November 26 (1 pm to 5 pm) for educators in the country.

    The Cabinet Cluster on Climate Change Adaptation, Mitigation and Disaster Risk Reduction (CCAM-DRR), the inter-agency group headed by the DENR is also set to meet on November 25 to discuss Climate-resilient Urban Plans and Designs, Maximizing ICT for CCAM-DRR Actions,  a proposed bill on Environmental Protection and Enforcement Bureau, and a Future Philippnes Initiative.

    The DENR CCS, through its Facebook page, will soon be featuring the winners of ‘Mga Kwentong KLIMA-likasan’ Photoblog contest showcasing photos from the individual’s and community’s best practices in creating a safe and healthy environment through pursuing behavior change especially during this pandemic.

    The week will culminate on November 27 with the launching of the United Kingdom-Philippine Partnership for Climate Change and Environment.

    The various bureaus, attached agencies, and regional offices of the DENR all over the country will also mount various activities highlighting climate change, and various ways to address it, in partnership with different stakeholders.

    “We hope that through these activities, we will be able to tell everyone that we all can contribute to creating a safe and healthy environment through pursuing behavior change in their communities, especially during this pandemic,” said Rebuelta-Teh.

    Tagged as the Global Warming and Climate Change Consciousness Week under Proclamation No. 1667, series of 2008, different agencies and organizations around the country annually conducts different activities to raise awareness on climate change and environmental protection in our communities every third week of  November.

    According to the Global Peace Index 2019 Report, the Philippines is the country most at risk from the climate crisis with factors such as extreme weather and climate hazards.###

  • The Philippine government continues to put in place measures to tackle climate change as it mulls declaring a “climate emergency,” according to Environment Secretary Roy A. Cimatu, who chairs the Cabinet Cluster on Climate Change Adaptation, Mitigation and Disaster Risk Reduction (CCAM-DRR).

    “All government programs and initiatives are leaning towards the declaration of climate emergency,” said Cimatu.

    Cimatu issued the statement after environmental group Greenpeace Philippines urged President Rodrigo Roa Duterte to declare a climate emergency as a policy instrument to help the Philippines achieve its goals under the Paris Climate Agreement.

    Responding to the call, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said the Chief Executive would consider declaring a climate emergency given that mitigating effects of climate change is high on his agenda.

    Cimatu said that as early as February this year, the Cabinet Cluster on CCAM-DRR approved a resolution supporting House Resolution No. 535, entitled “Declaring a Disaster and Climate Change Emergency” filed by Albay Rep. Joey Salceda in November 2019.

    According to Cimatu, the declaration of climate emergency would help deepen the country’s commitment to protect its economy, environment and communities from climate change.

    “The Philippines has already suffered billions of losses, damages and disruptions due to the impacts of hydrometeorological hazards, so there’s an urgent need to address more projected adverse impacts to ensure climate justice for the current and future generations of Filipinos,” Cimatu pointed out.

    Also in February, the Cabinet Cluster on CCAM-DRR approved another resolution underscoring the urgent need to consolidate government data in order to generate a nationwide climate risk assessment.

    Cimatu said it is high time for the government to maintain a reliable climate risk profile that could inform and support development and investment planning and climate finance.

    “With the consolidated government data, which is very important in articulation of climate rationale for project proposal development, the local government units could be enabled to have easier access to the People’s Survival Fund for their climate change-related development projects,” Cimatu added.

    The two resolutions issued by the Cabinet Cluster on CCAM-DRR support strategies to enable the country achieve its goals under the Paris Agreement, in which world leaders committed to keep the planet’s temperature below 1.5 degrees Celsius. 

    The agreement, which is the culmination of decades of international efforts to combat climate change, establishes a framework of global climate action, support for developing nations, and transparent reporting and strengthening of climate goals.

    In 2017, President Duterte signed the Paris Agreement, which came into force in November 2016. The Philippines committed to reduce its greenhouse emissions by 70 percent by 2030, but will need technical and financial support to achieve it.

    The President, in his speech at the recent 75th United Nations General Assembly, affirmed the country’s commitment to the Paris Agreement and urged “the parties, especially those who have not made good their commitment to fight climate change, to honor the same.”

    The Cabinet Cluster on CCAM-DRR is the government’s arm tasked with integrating policies and programs on climate risk management, disaster risk reduction, and sustainable management. 

    It serves as a venue and mechanism for coordination, harmonization, complementation and synergy among government agencies and instrumentalities in delivering the national vision on climate change adaptation, mitigation and disaster risk reduction. ###

  • The government is seeking a budget of P152.35 billion for the implementation of its convergence program on climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction next year.

    This was according to the Cabinet Cluster on Climate Change Adaptation, Mitigation and Disaster Risk Reduction (CCAM-DRR), chaired by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

    The Cabinet cluster said the Duterte administration has allotted P152.35 billion for the government’s Risk Resiliency Program (RRP) under the 2021 National Expenditure Program it submitted to Congress.

    The amount is roughly 30 percent higher than the P117 billion allocated for the program this year, it added.

    The increase was due to alignment of programs and activities to the priority policies, strategies and projects of the Inter-Agency Task Force Technical Working Group on Anticipatory and Forward Plan for the “new normal” in the CCAM-DDR sector.

    DENR Undersecretary for Finance, Information Systems and Climate Change Analiza Rebuelta-Teh said the proposed funding will be used to build resilient and sustainable communities as the country continues to deal with the coronavirus crisis.

    “We are still in the midst of a health crisis brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. The country needs programs that will strengthen the resilience and adaptive capacities of its communities, especially in climate-vulnerable provinces and major urban centers,” Rebuelta-Teh said.

    The RRP aims to increase the adaptive capacities of vulnerable communities; ensure the adequate supply of clean air, water, and other natural resources; increase the resilience of critical infrastructures; and enhance knowledge, access to information and institutional capacities of communities.

    For next year, the RRP will prioritize 14 climate-vulnerable provinces, which vary in risk factors of rise in sea levels, extreme rainfall and heating events, increased ocean temperature and disturbed natural resources supply.

    The provinces are Masbate, Sorsogon, Negros Oriental, Western Samar, Eastern Samar, Sarangani, Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur, Dinagat Islands, Southern Leyte, Zamboanga del Norte, Bukidnon, North Cotabato, and Sultan Kudarat.

    The program also covers four major urban centers—Metro Manila, Metro Cebu, Metro Iloilo and Metro Davao.

    Earlier, DENR Secretary Roy A. Cimatu said addressing climate change remains a top priority for the government even if it is currently preoccupied on controlling the spread of COVID-19.

    Cimatu said the climate emergency is like the COVID-19 crisis “just in slow motion and much graver” for it potentially poses existential risks for future generations.

    “The government—through the Cabinet Cluster on CCAM-DRR—will prioritize actions and investments that will reduce the long term health impacts and increase our resilience and adaptive capacity to both the coronavirus pandemic and climate change,” Cimatu said.

    Aside from the DENR, other members of the Cabinet Cluster included in the proposed budgetary proposal are the Department of Social Welfare and Development, the Department of Agrarian Reform, the Department of the Interior and Local Government, the Department of National Defense-Office of Civil Defense, the Department of Science and Technology, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, the Department of Energy, the Climate Change Commission, the Department of Agriculture, and the Department of Public Works and Highways. #

  • Santi Celario | Remate

    September 15, 2020

     
    Manila, Philippines – Nakita ng Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) ang innovative na solusyon sa problema ng paghahakot ng basura sa komunidad ng estero sa kahabaan ng Tullahan-Tinajeros River System gamit ang kanilang bersyon mula sa “habal-habal”
     
    Nabatid na ang “poor man’s motorcycle taxi” na habal-habal na isang improvised two-wheeled single motorcycle na ginagamit bilang passenger capacity lamang.
     
    Subalit may sariling bersyon dito ang DENR na bilang isang utility vehicle na ginagamit bilang eco-friendly bicycle na may automatic foot break at may two-by-three sidecar para makahakot na mga basura ng kabahayan.
     

  • Habal-Habal

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    • Habal

    The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has found an innovative solution to trash collection problems in estero communities along the Tullahan-Tinajeros River System using its own version of the lowly yet dependable “habal-habal.”

    Frequently dubbed as the “poor man’s motorcycle taxi,” habal-habal is a highly improvised two-wheeled single motorcycle usually ridden beyond its passenger capacity.

    The DENR has its own version of the utility vehicle that uses an eco-friendly bicycle with automatic foot break and two-by-three feet sidecar, allowing it to carry household waste.

    DENR Secretary Roy A. Cimatu said the habal-habal will be used to collect garbage from estero communities that are not reached by dump trucks and whose uncollected trash eventually ends up in Manila Bay.

    Citing a recent DENR study, Cimatu said that garbage generated by estero communities with narrow streets or alleys are not regularly collected since these areas are not accessible to dump trucks.

    “The accumulated uncollected wastes do not only pose health risks to the communities, but also clog canals, causing flooding in these areas. Uncollected garbage also end up in coastlines and waters of Manila Bay,” Cimatu lamented.

    Cimatu, who chairs the Manila Bay Task Force, said proper garbage collection and regular cleanups in esteros are crucial to the ongoing efforts to rehabilitate the historic bay.

    “Tough problems involving the presence of informal settlers directly dumping to the esteros, non-compliance of industries with discharge permitting regulations and lack of sewage management system are also being addressed under the Manila Bay Rehabilitation Program,” he added.

    Cimatu said the DENR will be distributing habal-habals to 10 barangays within the Tullahan-Tinajeros River System, which have relatively high number of informal settler families and with areas that are hard to reach by garbage collection trucks.

    These are Barangays 160, 162 and 163 in Caloocan City; Potrero, Catmon, Tinajeros, and Maysilo in Malabon City; Ugong and Marulas in Valenzuela City; and Sta. Lucia in Quezon City.

    Tullahan-Tinajeros River Commanders and DENR Undersecretaries Jonas Leones and Analiza Rebuelta-Teh, together with DENR-National Capital Region Executive Director Jacqueline Caancan, will lead the turnover of habal-habals to the barangay beneficiaries on Sept. 16.

    The turnover ceremony forms part of the local celebration of the International Coastal Cleanup Day, with the theme “Safe Oceans Start at Homes.”

    During the event, the DENR will also distribute educational materials on climate and environmental protection, including UNICEF-assisted climate change flip charts and children storybook entitled “Ang Paglalakbay nina Niño at Niña,” as well as hygiene kits in support of the campaign against COVID-19.

    The Tullahan-Tinajeros River System measures 36.4 kilometers, traversing 44 barangays, covering the cities of Quezon, Caloocan, Valenzuela, Malabon and Navotas.

    Dredging of the 5.25-km portion of the river system has recently started, with help from diversified conglomerate San Miguel Corporation, yielding about 2,500 truckloads of silt and garbage as of late August 2020. #

  • The DENR National Gender and Development Focal Point System (GADFPS) has initiated the review of the agency’s six-year strategic plan for proposed enrichments to align planned programs and activities of the environment and natural resources (ENR) sector with the current state of the country as it continues to face impacts and effects of climate change, health and gender issues.

    With the hands-on facilitation of the national virtual meeting on August 6, 2020, DENR Undersecretary for Climate Change and the Chairperson of the DENR National GADFPS, Atty. Analiza Rebuelta -Teh, met the GAD Focal Persons and Planning Officers of the different central, bureaus, attached agencies and regional offices of the DENR. Providing inputs were In-house GAD Consultant, Shalimar Vitan (Concerns in the GAD Strategic Plan, and Feedback/Comments to the 2021 Draft GAD Plans and Budgets), DENR Climate Change Service Director and concurrent DENR GAD Office Director, Elenida dR. Basug (Linking ENR with Climate Change, Gender and Health in GAD Strategic and Annual Plans), ERDB Chief, Dr. Marilyn Lalican (Proposed Data sets for Baseline Data Gathering), and GAD External Consultant, Wilma Rojas (Laying Down the Proposed Enrichments to the GAD Strategic Plan).

    Earlier, seven-series of webinars on the priority programs of the DENR as these are linked to climate change, gender and health, were conducted from July 8, 2020 to August 12, 2020. Webinars were conducted on “Pursuing Climate-, Gender-, and Health-responsive Programs in the following sectors: biodiversity, forestry, solid waste and hazardous wastes, air quality, water sector, land, and mineral resources development. DENR Undersecretary Teh explained the context of the webinars as to better understanding the links, and identifying entry points in mainstreaming, and emphasized the need to seriously consider going beyond mainstreaming gender in the priority programs of the DENR.

    She apprised participants on the potentials of women as “game changers” and “active stakeholders”;
    that women can be agents of change for resilient development, and that women-focused investments on resilience remain limited.

    The webinars were ably co-facilitated by DENR Assistant Secretary for Climate Change and concurrent Director of Biodiversity Management Bureau, Ricardo Calderon, and the Director of DENR Climate Change Service, and the concurrent Director of DENR GAD Office, Elenida dR. Basug.

    Invited DENR and non-DENR resource persons were experts from their field of specialization. They were as follows:

    Sectors as linked to Climate Change:
    1. BMB Division Chief, Ms. Armida Andres - biodiversity
    2. FMB Director Lourdes Wagan – forest
    3. EMB Region 1 Director Maria Dorica Naz-Hipe – solid and hazardous wastes
    4. EMB Assistant Director Vizminda Osorio – air quality
    5. NWRB Executive Director Sevillo David, Jr.- water resources
    6. EMB Region 3 Division Chief, Engr. Raldy Pagador- water quality
    7. LMB Director Emelyne Talabis – land management
    8. DENR CARAGA Director for Mines Glenn Noble - mineral resources development

    Sectors as linked to Gender and Development:

    9. GAD Expert Katherine Vinegas- biodiversity management, mineral resources development
    10. GAD Expert Wilma Rojas – forest management
    11. Environmental Planner, and Socio-gender Consultant Grace Sapuay – solid and hazardous waste management, air quality management
    12. DENR CAR Regional Executive Director Ralph Pablo – land management

    Sectors as linked to Health:

    13. Dr. Geminn Louis Apostol – solid and hazardous waste management, air quality management, and mineral resources development
    14. Dr. Helen Sigua – forest management, water quality management, and land management

    The participants were provided with a briefer, “Beyond Gender Mainstreaming: Linking Environment and Natural Resources (ENR), Climate Change, Health and Gender (Guide to Planning for Gender and Development in the ENR Sector) produced by the Office of the DENR Undersecretary for Climate Change and its Climate Change Service, to aid the participants through their enhancement process.

    Deadline for submission of the revised/enhanced GAD Strategic Plans per sector is on August 21, 2020 for consolidation as an Updated DENR National Strategic Plan (2020-2025), and the GAD Plans and Budgets for 2021 by August 27, 2020 before these will be submitted to the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) within September 2020. ###

  • Environment Secretary Roy A. Cimatu said addressing climate change remains a top priority for the government even if it is currently preoccupied on controlling the spread of COVID-19.

    Cimatu, who chairs the Cabinet Cluster on Climate Change Adaptation, Mitigation and Disaster Risk Reduction (CCAM-DRR), said climate change is a bigger crisis than COVID-19 as it potentially poses existential risks for future generations.

    “The climate emergency remains as urgent as ever. It is like the COVID-19 emergency, just in slow motion and much graver,” Cimatu said during his presentation of the 2020 Pre-State of the Nation Address Report of the Cabinet Cluster on CCAM-DRR dubbed as “Pagkalinga Tungo sa Katatagan” on July 22.

    Changes in climate have a multiplier effect, leading to other problems, from ecosystem stability to food production and human conflict. Ecosystem and biodiversity loss are threatening the planet’s ability to provide goods and services.

    Deforestation disrupts weather patterns and the water cycle, contributes to climate change, and destroys the habitats of important species. Chemicals and waste are polluting the air, soil and water, killing millions each year.

    As a strategy, Cimatu said the government will use the COVID-19 crisis as an opportunity to accelerate climate action by formulating “responses to the worst public health crisis of this generation through a climate lens.”

    “The government—through the Cabinet Cluster on CCAM-DRR—will prioritize actions and investments that will reduce long-term health impacts and increase our resilience and adaptive capacity to both the coronavirus pandemic and climate change,” Cimatu said.

    The Cabinet cluster, he said, will continue to respond to extreme weather events and disasters; increase adaptive capacities of vulnerable communities; ensure adequate supply of clean air, water and natural resources; and increase resilience of critical infrastructure.

    Cimatu said major environmental protection programs like solid waste management, reforestation and biodiversity conservation, must be consistent with the overall response to COVID-19, future pandemics and climate crisis.

    “High volumes of hazardous waste and the dramatic spread of zoonotic diseases account to the growing challenges that the government has to face to help alleviate problems in this deadly pandemic,” he added.

    Created under Executive Order 24, Series of 2017, the Cabinet Cluster on CCAM-DRR is mandated to focus on the protection and conservation of the environment and natural resources, and serves as a venue for discussing inter-related concerns on climate change and disaster risk management.

    The cluster also takes the lead in the effective integration of policies and programs on climate risk management, disaster risk reduction and sustainable development. #