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  • 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.

     

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  • 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. #

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    Last November 16, 2019, the DENR Climate Change Service kicked off the week-long celebration of the National Climate Change Consciousness Week with the Sama-sama sa K5: Kilos sa Klima at Kalamidad tungo sa Kaligtasan at Kaunlaran in five barangays of Caloocan City (Barangay 160, 161, 162, 163, and 164) which the Tullahan River traverses. Simultaneous estero/creek clean up started at about 7:00 A.M.

    This was followed by the Art Challenge Contest by participating public school students with the theme, “Save Tullahan River from Plastic Wastes.” This was handled by the Rethink Plastic, Inc., UP Eco-Tour, in cooperation with the DENR.

    Rethink Plastic, Inc., GCash , and Green Antz, in cooperation with the DENR Climate Change Service also started the “May Pay sa Sachet” program with the aforecited five barangays of Caloocan City. Deemed as a temporary solution to the plastic waste problem, “May Pay sa Sachet” Program is also an eco-friendly livelihood program for the barangays. For every kilo of clean plastic wastes, cut into smaller portions and put on empty used plastic bottles, every kilo of the ecobrick from plastic bottles is paid Php 7.00 to the resident. The ecobrick is surrendered to the barangay. Ecobricks may be made into   chairs, fences, washing areas, and similar structures.

    Talipapa High School, which won the aforecited Art Challenge Contest, will be given a washing area as donation to the school after two months, and after processed by Green Antz in their plant in Bulacan.

    Likewise included in the Sama-sama sa K5 activities were discussions on Climate Change, Environmental Management, “Bagyo” and “Lindol” with the Barangay Kagawads, health workers, street sweepers, residents, and children.

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    Atty. Analiza Rebuelta-Teh, DENR Undersecretary for Climate Change, and DENR Climate Change Service Director Elenida Basug led the DENR’s support activities to the 2019 National Climate Change Consciousness Week during the DENR Flag Raising Ceremony last November 18, 2019.

        The celebration started with the handover of the Storybook "Ang Paglalakbay nina Niño at Niña" to Chair and CEO of National Youth Commission (NYC), Mr. Ryan Enriquez, Director Margarita Ballesteros of Department of Education (DepEd), and Ms. Sharmaine Lizada, director-general of Greenducation Philippines. The story book on climate change, meant for children 7 to 10 years old, is a joint project of the DENR’s Climate Change Service and the Environmental Management Bureau.

          Meanwhile, the winners of the Climate Change Needs Behavior Change Comic Strip-Making Contest were also awarded in the ceremony. This was followed by the ribbon-cutting of the exhibit of the winning and selected entries to the same contest led by the DENR Undersecretary Analiza Rebuelta-Teh, with other officials of the DENR namely: Undersecretary Jonas Leones, Undersecretary Juan Miguel Cuna, Assistant Secretary Corazon Davis, Assistant Secretary Nonita Caguioa, Head Executive Assistant Gavin Edjawan, Director Nilo Tamoria, and DepEd Director Margarita Ballesteros. This contest focused on the so-called 30 behavioral solutions to climate change, which a global civil society organization, Rare, reported may be able to mitigate 19.9 to 36.8 percent of global emissions from 2020-2050. This analysis is built in Drawdown’s work in the evaluation of the role of individual behavior and its potential to reduce emissions.

         The contest was open to college students of Metro Manila, Southern Tagalog, and Central Luzon. Winners in this contest were the following: Zyrus Manuel (UP Diliman), first prize; Bryan Sison (Integrated Innovation and Hospitality Colleges, Inc), second prize; Chantal Manalili (University of Assumption), third prize, and consolation prize holders as follows: Cherobelle Manipis (DLSU - Dasmarinas); Keen Brucal (DLSU - Dasmarinas); Kenneth Febrero (UP Los Baños); Angeli Marcon (UP Los Baños); Aildjan Collado (DLSU Dasmariñas); Fatima Ferrer (DLSU - Dasmariñas); and, Alizza Anatan (UP Diliman).

           Prizes were at Php 10,000, Php 7,000, Php 5,000 for first to third placers, respectively, and Php 3,000 for the consolation prizes.

    The National Climate Change Consciousness Week is observed from November 19 to 25 by virtue of Proclamation No. 1667 signed on November 18, 2008. DENR-organized activities to the week-long celebration can be accessed here.

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    DENR Climate Change Service Director Elenida Basug (center) together with the speakers from Oscar M. Lopez Center for Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Management Foundation, Inc., UPLB, United Nations Development Programme and representatives from the different bureaus, offices and attached agencies of the  DENR actively participated in the 2nd workshop for the Study on the Implications of IPCC’s Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5 C incorporating climate resiliency to the Priority Programs of the Department held on 04 September 2019, 9 AM- 4:30 PM, FMB Conference Room, DENR Main Building, Visayas Ave., Diliman, Quezon City.

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    DENR Climate Change Service Director Elenida Basug (center) delivers her opening statement emphasizing the significance of integrating climate  resiliency to all priority programs of the DENR, in response to the IPCC’s Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5 C.

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    Dr. RodelLasco, Executive Director of Oscar M. Lopez Center discusses the overall strategies and explains the implication of global warming to existing projects looking into the global scale for DENR’s programs to be climate resilient through responsive indicators per area of concern.

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    The Department of Environment and Natural Resources Climate Change Service (DENR-CCS),  in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), through the Oscar M. Lopez Center for Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Management Foundation Inc. (OML Center), conducted a workshop on the “Study on the Implications of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC’s) Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C to the DENR’s Plans and Programs” last July 30, 2019.

    Director Elenida Basug of the DENR Climate Change Service, in her welcome address said, “For us in government, a key intervention to respond to the IPCC Special Report may be to examine our units of work measurement for our key programs at the central, regional and provincial levels to see concrete ways we can make them climate-responsive. In doing so, implementation of our policies, programs and projects may be able to cope up with the increasing challenge and imperatives of the IPCC Special Report”.

    The workshop, which was held at the Forest Management Bureau-DENR Conference Room, brought together the Planning Officers and Climate Change focal persons of the different bureaus and offices of the DENR. Representatives from Department of Agriculture and PAGASA-Department of Science and Technology also attended the workshop.

    Led by Dr. Rodel Lasco, executive director of the OML Center, as the project leader, the project aims to develop short- and long-term recommendations for DENR’s policy and program agenda, particularly in the context of the findings of the aforecited IPCC Special Report and other relevant studies. 

    The workshop was a whole-day event covering presentations on Latest Climate Projections given by Rosalina de Guzman of PAGASA, Climate and Ecosystems in the Philippines by Dr. Rex Cruz, and Philippine Agriculture Under a Warmer Climate: Challenges by Dr. Victoria Espaldon, both from UP Los Baños. This was followed by sharing of key programs and policies of the Department of Agriculture and the DENR.

    The Philippines is one of the most vulnerable countries to climate hazards. Climate change is expected to further exacerbate the situation as temperature rises and rainfall pattern shifts. The IPCC Special Report on 1.5°C warns that without aggressive mitigation action, more severe impacts are expected.

    Other participants included delegates from DENR’s Environmental Management Bureau,  Mines and Geosciences Bureau,  Forest Management Bureau,  Biodiversity Management Bureau,  Land Management Bureau,  Ecosystems Research and Development Bureau,  National Mapping and Resource Information Authority,  Laguna Lake Development Authority,  National Water Resources Board,  River Basin Control Office,  Manila Bay Coordinating Office,  Policy and Planning Service  Foreign-Assisted and Special Projects Service. Participants from the following also attended: Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Soils and Water Management, Systems-Wide Climate Change Office, Planning and Monitoring Service, United Nations Development Programme, and the Oscar M. Lopez Center.

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  • Environment Secretary Roy A. Cimatu has assured that there will be no letup in the fight against climate change and disaster risks as building resilient communities remains a top priority for the government.

    “Sa mga darating na araw at buwan, patuloy nating palalakasin ang ating mga programa at polisiya. Patuloy nating titiyakin ang katatagan ng kinabukasan ng ating bansa,” Cimatu said during the pre-State of the Nation Address (SONA) Forum held in Davao City on July 17.

    The forum came five days before President Rodrigo Roa Duterte delivers his fourth SONA on July 22.

    As a way forward, Cimatu said the Duterte administration will continue to pursue policy reforms that integrate climate and disaster risk considerations into development policies, strategies, plans and programs.

    Cimatu said the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) will continue to coordinate closely with other line agencies under the Cabinet Cluster on  Climate Change Adaptation, Mitigation and Disaster Risk Reduction (CCAM-DRR) to ensure that they work together toward the goal of establishing adaptive and resilient communities.

    The DENR chief co-chairs the cluster with Defense Secretary DelfinLorenzana, while the Climate Change Commission acts as the cluster secretariat. The members include the Executive Secretary, the Cabinet Secretary, and the heads of the Presidential Management Staff, the Department of Budget and Management, the National Economic and Development Authority, the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), the Department of Finance, and the Department of Science and Technology (DOST).

    Other members are the secretaries of the Department of the Interior and Local Government, the Department of Public Works and Highways, the Department of Social Welfare and Development, the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Agrarian Reform and the Department of Energy (DOE), the chairpersons of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority and the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council, and the heads of the Presidential Legislative Liaison Office, Presidential Communications Operations Office, National Security Council, and the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.

    Cimatu said the Cabinet cluster supports the creation of the Department of Disaster Resilience and other legislative proposals that promote disaster and climate resilience, such as the proposed National Land Use Act, Land Administration Reform Act, Integrated Coastal Management Act, and National Building Code of the Philippines.

    “With the help of Congress, we intend to adopt a national land use policy that will optimize balanced development,” Cimatu said. “We hope to achieve this through rational and just allocation, utilization, management and development of our country’s land resources under the proposed National Land Use Act.”

    This policy, he said, will be complemented by the planned delineation of forest limits, which would enable the DENR to sustainably manage, conserve and protect the country’s remaining forests from further depletion.

    Meanwhile, Cimatu said the proposed Land Administration Act seeks to improve the land sector as a driver to sustainable development, economic growth and poverty alleviation.

    “Hindi lamang pangangalaga sa kalikasan ang pakay natin,” Cimatu explained. “Misyon din natin na mapakinabangan ng mamamayan ang likas na yaman sa mas mahabang panahon para lalo pang mapabuti ang kalagayan nila sa buhay.”

    Cimatu said the cluster will work for the swift enactment of the Integrated Coastal Management Act, which would ensure optimum and sustainable resource utilization of coastal and marine environment.

    He said the establishment of a department devoted to disaster resilience is necessary to help the government manage broader climate-disaster governance arrangements, and oversee the implementation of disaster risk and vulnerability reduction and management.

    The cluster, according to Cimatu, also supports proposal to prohibit the conversion of irrigated lands as it would address the threats to the country’s food security.

    He said that crucial to the government’s strategy was the proposed National Building Code of the Philippines, which aims to provide a framework for minimum standards and requirements for all buildings and structures so that government can regulate and control their location, site, construction, use, occupancy and maintenance.

    At the same time, Cimatu said the government will provide the ability to generate, synthesize and disseminate knowledge, methodologies and decision-making tools to ensure climate resilience.

    To cite an example, Cimatu said the DOST commits the installation of more than a dozen doppler weather radars and high frequency doppler radar networks in various parts of the country.

    The DOST, he added, is also set to install several flood forecasting and warning systems in major river basins, a borehole seismic station in Kanlaon Volcano in Negros Island, and a probabilistic seismic hazard analysis in Metro Davao.

    On the other hand, the DICT will implement programs on communications technology to prepare the communities and local government units in case of disasters.

    “Lahat po ito ay gagawin natin para mabigyan ng panahon ang ating mga kababayan na lumikas bago pa man dumatingangbagyo,” Cimatu said.

    “Sisiguruhinnatinnawalangpamilyang Pilipino angnasapeligrosapanahon ng kalamidad,” he added.

    Cimatu also revealed that the DOE will intensify development of renewable energy in off-grid areas for wider access of populace.

    The government will continue to mainstream the use of alternative fuels and energy technology in the transport sector, as well as monitor the implementation of the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Act, Cimatu said.

    To ensure quick restoration of energy services during and after calamities, Cimatu said the government will strengthen energy systems and facilities through the energy resiliency program.

    He also said that the government will provide financial assistance for disaster mitigation, preparedness and rehabilitation of damaged electric cooperatives. #