THE Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has been criticized for its plan to implement a P1.8 billion computerization project in the next three years amid a stringent budget.

Calling the project ambitious, budget advocates chided Environment Secretary Lito Atienza's plan, saying while enhancing management information systems is indeed a must in the age of information technology, the "timing of implementing the project is utterly bad and unjustifiable."

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In a statement, Jonathan Ronquillo, environment campaigner of non-government organization La Liga Policy Institute (LLPI), said considering the urgent need to focus its limited resources on implementing climate change mitigation and adaptation measures, the DENR should consider setting aside the project and focus instead on how to protect the environment from further degradation.

La Liga is a group organized in 2000 geared into developing an integrated approach toward poverty eradication.

Ronquillo added that Atienza, who is expected to run for mayor of Manila in the May 2010 elections, should leave it to his successor to evaluate and implement if such program is indeed necessary be prioritized.

LLPI, which acts as the secretariat of the Environment Cluster of the Alternative Budget Alternative (ABI), is calling for increased allocation for the DENR, and is proposing an additional P11.4 billion so that it can implement specific climate change mitigation and adaptation measures to better prepare the country from the impacts of extreme weather events, such as super typhoons, floods and even agricultural drought.

In the proposed 2010 national budget, the DENR, the agency mandated to protect and promote the environment, was allotted P9.58-billion, which is 17.6 percent or P2 billion lower compared to the current year’s budget of P11.63 billion.

"There are more important things to do than spend money to create another government portal to allow easy access to information," Ronquillo said.

The DENR project is aimed at stepping up the computerization of the entire DENR to make information accessible to both its external and internal clientele.

Ronquillo said the DENR should, however, allocate fund to rehabilitate and develop the country's protected areas and national parks that are threatened by destructive activities, such as illegal fishing, logging and wildlife trade that cause the extinction of already endangered animal, bird and fish that are endemic to the Philippines, instead of spending P1.8 billion to create a DENR portal.

"The world-famous Tubbataha Reef, Apo Reef, the mystical Mt. Banahaw and San Cristobal, Mt. Kitanglad, Northern Negros National Park, and Central Cebu National Park, will receive no allocation in the proposed 2010 budget submitted by Malacañang. Once approved, this represents a reversal of last year's budget gains," he said.

In the 2009 budget, the rehabilitation and development of Tubbataha and Apo reefs were each allocated P20 million, Mt. Banahaw, San Cristobal and Northern Negros National Parks received P15 million, while Mt. Kitanglad was allocated P10 million.

None of these funds, however, have been released by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).

"No less than Secretary Atienza stressed that enforcement of environmental laws is key to our country's survival. So why is he pushing for this ambitious project?" he asked. (BOT)