Environmental advocates were jubilant when President Duterte announced the appointment of Regina “Gina” Paz L. Lopez to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
For a change, they said an environmental advocate, more than a technocrat, will head the agency mandated to manage the country’s natural wealth.
The feisty Lopez was the head of ABS-CBN Foundation Inc., the corporate social responsibility arm of media network giant ABS-CBN owned by her family. She also headed ABS-CBN’s Bantay Kalikasan before being named to head the Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission.
Within 10 months as DENR secretary, Lopez has ordered the closure or suspension of 28 of the 41 operating large-scale mines and cancelled 75 mineral production sharing agreement.
She also stopped a housing project near La Mesa Dam to protect the integrity of the La Mesa Watershed, where water servicing 12 million people are stored and treated before distribution as tap water.
She subsequently ordered the ban of all destructive development projects within protected areas (PAs) to prevent biodiversity loss, and of functional watersheds to protect the country’s water source.
Lopez also ordered a moratorium on fish-cage operation within the Laguna de Bay, and ordered an audit of more than 800 environmental compliance certificates.
Days before the Commission on Appointments (CA) resumes hearing to decide on her fate, Lopez announced a policy banning prospective open-pit mines in the country.
‘Strike 3’
On Wednesday the CA panel, headed by Sen. Manny Pacquiao, voted to reject her appointment, which was adopted during plenary deliberation by the CA. Under the CA rules, a rejection disqualifies an appointee from being reappointed to the same position.
While enjoying the support of environmental groups, Lopez was facing the most number of complainants, mainly for her controversial policy pronouncements and orders, which she said, are anchored on the DENR’s adopted heart and soul—social justice—to protect the environment and prevent suffering of people in affected communities.
Expected
The Catholic Church said the rejection of Lopez’s appointment as environment chief showed that political interests won over public welfare. Caritas Philippines Executive Secretary Fr. Edwin Gariguez, however, said it was expected since some CA members have ties to mining firms.
“The decision is expected, given the powerful lobby of the Chamber of Mines [of the Philippines] and the vested interest of many politicians who wantonly opted to sacrifice the interest of the environment and the poor over their own agenda,” he said.
“We need to judge now the CA members and campaign not to reelect those who voted no to environmental reform agenda being pushed by Gina Lopez,” Gariguez said.
Saddened but respects process
Secretary Vernice Victorio, vice chairman of the Climate Change Commission, is saddened at the loss of a fellow environmental advocate in the Cabinet but respects the process undertaken and the decision made by the CA.
“Secretary Gina Lopez fiercely supported the climate-change advocacy and played a key role in getting the Paris Agreement ratified by the current administration. We applaud her achievements and recognize her admirable dedication for the environmental movement.
“We hope that she will remain a strong ally, and continue to passionately fight for shared causes concerning the future of a climate-smart and resilient Philippines. We are confident that her courage and commitment will manifest in future endeavors.”
A game changer
Environmental groups consider Lopez as a game changer in the DENR. The agency has been accused of being against, more than being pro-environment under the previous administrations.
Under Lopez, environmental protection got the upper hand against the exploitation of natural resources. “The rejection of Gina as DENR secretary is a dark day in our nation’s fights against the onslaught of destructive mining operations that have plundered our mountains and rivers and wrecked people’s lives. Today, the big corporate powers won over our suffering and struggling communities,” said Aileen Lucero, national coordinator of EcoWaste Coalition.
Alyansa Tigil Mina (ATM), a coalition of mining-affected communities, said Lopez’s rejection was a disaster—a tragedy for the environment as well as the rights and welfare of the people.
“Secretary Gina’s rejection is a betrayal of the people, and specifically of mining-affected communities that are protecting their lives and livelihoods by resisting destructive large-scale mining,” said Jaybee Garganera, national coordinator of ATM.
He added that it was pretty clear that the influential mining industry exerted efforts to block the confirmation of Lopez.
Garganera said the endorsement of Duterte and the public’s clamor as manifested in social media and in a recent survey for the confirmation of Lopez were “no match” against the lobby of the mining industry. The ATM head issued a challenge to members of the CA who has mining interests to inhibit from the deliberation of Lopez’s confirmation.
A rejection for change
Yeb Saño, executive director of Greenpeace Southeast Asia, said Lopez’s rejection was a rejection for change. He said it was “very disappointing and worrying, and showed how destructive industries continue to hold Philippine lawmakers by their necks”.
“We were made to believe, through her appointment last year, that reforms, environmental protection and social justice are still possible in this country. We thought this administration is serious in implementing change by appointing a true environmentalist in the DENR.”
The CA, dominated by politicians with questionable loyalty, some of whom are receiving campaign contributions from various mining interests, blocked what could have been the golden era of Philippine environmental rehabilitation and protection under Gina Lopez, Saño lamented.
“The rejection undermines the reforms the current administration is pushing and could be an indicator of factions between those who have benefited from old corrupt practices and those who are genuinely advancing for true, genuine and people-centered changes,” he said.
Saño said as a country with scarce forests left, and with dwindling natural resources, turning to extracting minerals as a solution to poverty is superfluous at the very least, and glaringly reveals the short-sighted mind-set, if not corrupt interests, of politicians.
“With mining having a serious impact on our water resources, the situation demands that we weigh which is more important: money or life. The next major battle will be fought over water, not gold. And Lopez has chosen right: she must stand proud over those who choose the foolish and obtuse option of trying to solve poverty by destroying the environment.
“The commission’s double standards show where the true loyalty of its members’ lie: nitpicking on legalities and standards when Gina chose to protect the environment, when those laws and standards were not applied when big industries were destroying the environment. Ms. Lopez but upheld and pushed for our right to breathe clean air, to drink clean water and to live in a clean and safe environment,” Saño said.
Poisonous politics
For its part, the Kalikasan People’s Network for the Environment (Kalikasan PNE) condemned the CA members who voted to reject Lopez’s appointment.
“The poisonous politics of mining plunderers succeeded in tilting the CA numbers game to their favor. The legislators who voted ‘No’ against Secretary Lopez should be fully disclosed and exposed as greedy trapo [traditional politicians] who continue to betray the interests of the Filipino public. Their interests in mining and other extractive industries, the only possible motive for rejecting an environmental crusader as DENR secretary, should be investigated,” said Clemente Bautista, national coordinator of Kalikasan-PNE.
Kaliksan-PNE urged Duterte to ensure that the continuity of the historic mining crackdown and other meaningful reforms pushed by Lopez would be still be guaranteed.
Meanwhile, ocean conservation advocacy group Oceana commends the trailblazing achievements of Lopez in bravely pushing for policies to sustainably protect the country’s environmentally critical areas, including protected seascapes and save them from destructive activities that threaten their ecological integrity.
“Secretary Lopez has set the highest standards for environmental stewardship and mainstreamed partnerships with civil-society organizations—a feat that merits replication by her successor,” the group said in a statement.
“Her commitment and sterling leadership in ensuring justice and equity, especially to affected communities most dependent on a vibrant web of life, is her most precious legacy for all of us. Oceana is most grateful.”
Changing the rules
The Chamber of Mines of the Philippines (COMP) questioned Lopez’s competency and abuse of power when she allegedly ignored “slap-in-wrist” penalties recommended by her own audit teams in issuing the mine closure orders.
Lopez, who vowed to rid the DENR of corrupt officials and employees, was herself put on the spotlight when DENR career employees staged a protest condemning her decision to put on floating status more than 50 DENR officials to give way to her own team.
She was also charged before the Ombudsman with four complaints for alleged graft and corruption—the latest of which was filed on the day she was rejected by the CA—for ordering several mining companies to cough out P2 million for every hectare of disturbed land for rehabilitation and another P1 million for every ton of ore to be shipped out by suspended mining companies.
While Lopez repeatedly said she is not antimining, but against irresponsible mining practices, COMP said she is unfit for position, for her tendency to disregard rules and regulation and the mining law.
A challenge to miners
Maintaining that its members uphold the highest standard of responsible mining practices, Ronald Recidoro, COMP vice president for legal and policy, said the rejection of Lopez’s appointment is not a victory for the mining industry, but a victory of the rule of law.
While thanking CA for its decision to reject Lopez, Recidoro said it was just the beginning of a new chapter for the mining industry.
He said the mining industry would have to work doubly hard to uplift the industry, and reiterated COMP’s commitment to work with the DENR and the next secretary to protect the environment and promote the responsible use of the country’s natural resources.
“The fight for responsible mining continues even if Secretary Lopez has been rejected. In fact, it is a challenge for the industry to work even harder so that there will be no repeat of what happened in the last 10 months,” Recidoro said.
Image credits: CBCP File
1 comment
DENR is accountable for 50% of the worrisome and sad state of the environment, the biodiversity of this beloved country, the massive destruction and degradation of rivers, streams and coastal areas and in short what the joint foreign business chambers rung the alarm bells for the country when they saw “dwindling forest cover and threatened watersheds.” Land grabbing is also rampant in areas where the helpless become victims of manipulations as shown in your article in an area in La Union. DENR even had the gall to bestow mining permits to its former secretary after the exit of GMA presidency! Look at Boracay where structures are built on rock formations that allow coral reefs to survive. When agriculture registers a dismal failure in its contributions to the GDP then the Dept. of Agriculture takes the blame same as DENR when up to now the problem of reforestation is evident ever since we came across what the NEDA Region 1 stated in its 1990 Land Use Programs that only “..30% of region one’s forest cover remains.” The other 50% guilty are those that have the imprimatur from DENR to ‘legitimately’ destroy our environment and valuable forests!