The Quezon Protected Landscape (QPL) hosted the first Protected Area Superintendent (PASu) and Assistant PASu (APASu) Meeting for the year 2023, for all the protected areas under the Department of Environment and Natural Resource (DENR) CALABARZON Region, held at the Protected Area Management Office, Sitio Amao, Brgy. Silangang Malicboy, Pagbilao, Quezon on January 23-24, 2023.

The Conservation and Development Division of DENR CALABARZON organized this meeting with the aim of discussing the status of compliance of the protected areas in the region.

The presentation of the FY 2023 Major Targets and Budget per Protected Area, along with the membership and appointment requirements of the Protected Area Management Board (PAMB), monitoring of previously approved and issued resolutions and clearances, and the creation of PAMB resolutions for projects requiring PAMB clearances were the main topics of discussion during the meeting.

In his speech, Regional Executive Director Nilo B. Tamoria affirmed the importance of the PASu and APASu in the region’s protected areas. He also emphasized that the implementation of the set programs must always be in accordance with the NIPAS (National Integrated Protected Areas System) Act of 1992 and the Expanded NIPAS Act of 2018.

RED Tamoria said this assumes even greater significance given the location of the region, being in the corridor of the urban ecosystem. He said shifting the DENR's structure from sectoral to functional system is one of the best strategies to carry-out the holistic approach in managing protected areas.

The advancement on the conduct of the Communication, Education and Public Awareness (CEPA) relative to the approved communication plans per protected area, status of the community-based program, and scheduling of PAMB meetings were also discussed during this activity.