Hailing from the province of Pangasinan, Jose Elmer Collado Bascos devoted more than 36 years of his life serving the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. His unparalleled passion to provide exemplary service for the people and the environment served as his driving force to continue his journey in DENR.

Bascos started as a casual forester in 1982, became a full-fledged CENR Officer in 2006 in DENR Region VII and has been the PENR Officer of Batangas since 2010. Rising from the ranks, Bascos maintained a low-profile working closely with communities, Local Government Units, and various institutions. This helped in promoting a sense of belongingness and responsibility for the environment.

Apart from this, his leadership skills influenced his employees and partners in the efficient and effective delivery of the agency’s mandates. Anchoring his management style in accountability, transparency, and participatory governance, Bascos achieved numerous recognitions for his work.

Among his remarkable contributions in the field include the successful implementation of the National Greening Program in Batangas with 3.6M seedlings planted from CY 2011-2015 covering 5,351 hectares of parks, mangrove, and forestland; implementation of ScuBasurero, also known as the beach and underwater clean-up, under the Sustainable Coral Reef Ecosystem Program (SCREMP); strengthened enforcement of Ecological Solid Waste Management Act through a series of conferences and fora with LGUs and livestock owners in the province; and the conservation and management of Taal Volcano Protected Landscape (TVPL) recognized in 2013 for its exemplary enforcement of laws to achieve the objectives of PA management and as a finalist to the Institutional Organization/Functional PAMB Category.

Despite challenges with the recent issue on the IUCN listing of Tawilis as an endangered species, and fish kill incidences in TVPL, Bascos was able to enforce strategies to cope with the problems through transparency and accountability.

He made all these possible by mobilizing various sectors through partnerships and providing recognition and due credit for groups, organizations, and other institutions’ efforts to ensure a habitable environment in the years to come.

PENRO Bascos acknowledges the support of the two CENROs under PENRO Batangas who both contributed to the success of his programs and projects, CENRO Calaca Januel Peras and CENRO Lipa Noel Recillo. He is also grateful to his hardworking colleagues and staff in the PENRO Office.

The EAGLE award is DENR’s highest and most prestigious Environmental Award for Governance and Leadership Excellence.

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