The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) will be more aggressive in enforcing environmental laws and regulations in 2019 in order to sustain the momentum created by the much lauded rehabilitation of Boracay Island and other accomplishments of the agency last year.

“This year, I hope to send a strong message to environmental offenders and to the public of our seriousness in implementing and enforcing environmental laws, rules and regulations,” Secretary Roy A. Cimatu said during the traditional DENR New Year’s Call held at the DENR central office in Quezon City.

The New Year’s Call is where the Secretary meets with all DENR officials and employees to announce the policy direction for the agency and set the priority programs and projects to be implemented for the rest of the year. The annual gathering also gives the DENR chief the chance to present the agency’s accomplishments in the previous year.

Cimatu described the Boracay rehabilitation, which was carried out by the DENR and other members of the Boracay Inter-Agency Task Force as the “centerpiece of our 2018 accomplishments.”

“With the eyes of the world upon us, we set forth to do what cynics thought was impossible: to transform a cesspool back to being one of the world’s best beaches and swimming destinations, within a period of only 6 months,” Cimatu said.

He added: “In Boracay, our mettle was put to test. We not only passed that test, but also carried over the momentum to other prime ecotourism destinations like El Nido and Coron in Palawan, Panglao Island in Bohol, and Puerto Galera in Oriental Mindoro.”

Cimatu said the Boracay’s success had spawned demands for replication so the DENR decided to have the rehabilitation of Manila Bay as its “next big target.”

The Manila Bay rehabilitation, he said, calls for a change in approach considering that its water quality has not improved despite a Supreme Court mandamus for its cleanup issued a decade ago.

“We are putting up a Manila Bay command center, we will get the local government units more involved, and we will be more aggressive in enforcing environmental laws, particularly against the dischaege of untreated wastewater into the bay,” Cimatu disclosed.

Apart from the Boracay rehabilitation, Cimatu said the DENR, through the National Water Resources Board (NWRB), was also successful in enforcing the Clean Water Act in other parts of the country in 2018.

The NWRB caused the closure of 486 commercial establishments illegally operating deep wells. It also slapped Pepsi Cola Products Inc. with a hefty fine of P11.8 million for operating 6 deep wells in Muntinlupa City without the necessary permits.

Cimatu also commended the combined forces of the DENR, the National Bureau of Investigation, and the Cebu City government in apprehending those responsible in the butcher and sale of more than 100 kilograms of raw meat of endangered green sea turtles.

In closing, Cimatu rallied DENR officials and employees to let the success in Boracay “fuel our spirits in facing the challenges before us in 2019” and keep in mind that their mandate in the agency “transcends our personal needs, wants and interest.”

“In our hands and on our shoulders, lie the future of our nation. In the crucial 11th hour facing climate change and all its chilling effects, we are at a very critical time to make dramatic changes,” Cimatu stressed. #

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Published: 05 January 2019

Kamakailan ay nagbalak magpabagsak ang Okada Manila ng 130,000 lobo sa kanilang lugar upang markahan ang pagpapalit ng taon. Kabi-kabilang reklamo ang isinulat ng netizens ilang araw bago ang okasyon. Dahil dito, kinansela ng Okada ang pagpapabagsak ng lobo dahil na rin sa payo ng DENR (Nasa link na ito ang Opisyal na Pahayag ng Biodiversity Management Bureau).  Samantala, tila nakasanayan na ng mga punerarya na ipamaalam ang mga pamilya sa kanilang namayapang kamag-anak sa pamamagitan ng mga lobong pinakakawalan sa himpapawid.  Winawari yatang ang lobo ay aabot sa langit na sana’y siyang kinahinatnan ng mahal sa buhay. Ang katunayan po ay nalagpak din naman sa lupa at nagiging dagdag kalat lamang.  Hindi kaya't ang ibig sabihin noon ay sa purgatoryo ninyo ipinadala ang mensahe? Siguraduhin pong aabot ang mensahe sa mahal sa buhay at hindi sa purgatoryo.  At tandaan ang awitin, paumanhin sa nagsulat, Sa libing ng lolo, nagpalipad ng lobo, pinalipad sa langit, di ko na nakita, BASURA na pala, Sayang ang pera kong ibinili ng lobo, Sa bulong na lang sana, umabot pa ng langit. Sa rehiyon ng CALABARZON, nais naming hikayatin ang mga Pamahalaang Lokal na ituring na littering ang pagpapakawala ng lobo dahil doon na rin naman ito patutungo. Kaya't nagbibigay na kami ng babala sa mga punerarya at ibang party o event organizers, na magpapakawala ng lobo, pag may nagpadala sa amin ng reklamo ukol sa inyo, gaya ng pagbaha ng reklamo sa Cove Manila Balloon Drop sa Okada Manila, maari po kaming mag-file ng kaso ng paglabag sa RA 9003 (kopya ng RA 9003). Para sa inyong mga reklamo, maaari ninyo kaming i-text sa +639456215007/ +639083340224, i-email sa This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. o padalhan ng litrato/mensahe sa https://www.facebook.com/DENR4AOfficial/ #ZeroWaste #DENRCalabarzon #TayoAngKalikasan

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Published: 04 January 2019

Environment Secretary Roy A. Cimatu today lauded the decision of various establishments in the country, including Okada Manila, for dropping their “balloon drop or release” activities to highlight their New Year’s eve celebrations.

“It is, indeed, laudable on the part of the various establishments to voluntarily cancel their “balloon drop or release” activities in the name of environmental protection,” Cimatu said upon learning that Okada Manila has cancelled its world record attempt for the largest number of balloons dropped which was originally scheduled for New Year's eve.

At the same time, the DENR chief called on the public to refrain from lighting firecrackers and pyrotechnics in their houses, and instead enjoy the fireworks display in their respective communities, to reduce air pollution generated by these activities.

Air pollution impacts not only on the environment, but also on the health of the people, particularly on our children and our senior citizens, Cimatu said.

Cimatu said Okada’s decision to finally cancel its attempt at a world-record sets a precedent that is worth emulating not only by other establishments in this country, but also in other parts of the world.

Aside from Okada, other establishments reported to have cancelled their “balloon drop/release” events include The Peninsula Manila; Crimson Hotel Filinvest City, Manila; Venue 88 in General Santos City; and Davao Bamboo Sanctuary and Ecological Park.

In their respective websites/FBs, said establishments announced the cancellation of their balloon drop/release in support of DENR’s environmental protection programs.

“It is with much gratitude that they listened not only to our request, but also to the call of our people, to be mindful of the impact of their activities on the environment,” Cimatu said. “Now, more than ever, I am convinced that this nation has become truly conscious and protective of our environment.”

In his new year’s message, Cimatu greeted every Filipino with a “Happy Environmental New Year,” as he thanked every one for their support for a better, environment-friendly Philippines. ###

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Published: 31 December 2018

More than 125,000 hectares of open and denuded forest lands were rehabilitated, as of November 2018, under the government’s Expanded National Greening Program (E-NGP).

This represents 92 percent accomplishment in the annual E-NGP target of 135,859 hectares, according to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

As of November, the DENR reported that 116.5 million tree seedlings have been planted on 125,214 hectares of open and denuded forests covered by the E-NGP.

This latest achievement brings to 1,989,931 hectares the total areas placed under the E-NGP that were planted with a total of 1.7 billion seedlings since 2011.

Moreover, the DENR had already raised some 144.8 million native and fast-growing tree species as planting materials, from January to November 2018.

Around 3.3 million bamboo culms or cuttings and 1.72 million mangrove propagules and beach forest tree seedlings have been produced, exceeding the 2018 targets of 3.1 million and 1.6 million, respectively.

For 2018, the E-NGP generated a total of 334,317 jobs which resulted in the hiring of 52,872 people in plantation site development, plantation maintenance and protection, and establishment and operation of seedling nurseries.

E-NGP is the government’s flagship reforestation initiative that doubles as a poverty reduction measure due to its cash-for-work component.

It started as a six-year massive forest rehabilitation program that aimed to cover 1.5 million hectares of denuded forest lands with trees by the end of 2016. But it was extended until 2028 through an executive order issued in November 2015 in a bid to rehabilitate 7.1 million hectares more.

The reforestation program also serves a national strategy to ensure food security, poverty reduction, environmental stability and biodiversity conservation. It is also a mechanism for climate change mitigation for it enhances the country's forest stock to absorb carbon dioxide.

Meanwhile, the DENR also made progress in its forest protection and anti-illegal logging efforts.

The agency reported that some 108,000 kilometers of forest line have been patrolled by 1,175 forest protection officers who were hired and trained under the Lawin Forest and Biodiversity Protection System developed by the DENR and the United States Agency for International Development or USAID.

As of November 2018, a total of 3.1 million board feet of undocumented timber products were seized, 332 cases were filed and 25 individuals were convicted for violation of Presidential Decree No. 705 or the Revised Philippine Forestry Code. ###

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Published: 30 December 2018

Secretary Roy A. Cimatu considers the successful rehabilitation of Boracay Island as the “single biggest accomplishment” of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in 2018.

The DENR, along with several other government agencies, devoted much of its time, effort and resources this year to carry out President Rodrigo Duterte’s directive to clean up the world-famous island he once called a “cesspool.”

“What we have done in Boracay could well serve as one of the DENR’s best legacies. May nagawa tayo pero hindi tayo hihinto,” Cimatu told DENR employees during their recent annual gathering.

After seeing the results, Cimatu said that all the efforts poured into by the DENR and other government agencies during the six-month rehabilitation period were worth it.

Cimatu said he hopes to replicate the success of the Boracay rehabilitation in the heavily polluted Manila Bay.

“I am an optimist through and through, I am sure that Manila Bay will be better off in December next year,” Cimatu said.

Earlier, Cimatu said he was keen to have Manila Bay rehabilitated, restored and maintained to a level fit for swimming, skin diving and other contact forms of recreation.

He promised to employ the same strategy used in Boracay to rid Manila Bay of wastes and pollutants.

During the first phase of Boracay rehabilitation, hotels and resorts caught directly pumping out their sewage into the sea were fined and required to put their own sewage treatment facilities.

The Boracay wetlands, which play an important role in absorbing excess rainfall to prevent flooding and are home to native and migratory wildlife, were cleaned and recovered from illegal settlements and structures.

The inter-agency task force, which Cimatu chairs, will continue to rehabilitate Boracay’s ecosystems, which include a variety of native flora and fauna like the critically endangered golden crowned flying fox, molave, bankal, marine turtles, puka shells, mangroves and different species of birds.

The DENR hopes to maintain the sustainable tourism management approach in Boracay, which could serve as a model for other coastal areas in the country and the region. ###

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Published: 27 December 2018