Monday, July 30, 2007 Environment group sneers at Atienza as DENR chief
* Chides President Arroyo for appointing DENR chiefs who are not fit for the job like former Defense Secretary Reyes and Arroyo ally Defensor
* Says Atienza's record regarding environment includes ordering the cutting of trees in Arroceros Park
THE environmental coalition Panaghoy sa Kinaiyahan-Coalition for Mother Earth or Panaghoy said Sunday the appointment of former Manila Mayor Lito Atienza as head of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) exposes the Arroyo government's disrespect to the importance of the environment.
Ajim Inni, of the Alternate Forum for Research in Mindanao (Afrim)--a member organization of Panaghoy, said the Arroyo administration is a government fast becoming notorious for being insensitive to the call of the times and propriety just to accommodate political allies at the expense of vital policies and agencies like the DENR.
"We see this is as a desperate act of political accommodation. What have become of this government that all appointed into office are those who do not have the appropriate credentials and background and nothing but unquestionable loyalty to the administration?" Inni said.
Inni cited how former defense secretary Angelo Reyes was also appointed as head of the DENR after his retirement from the military service.
Michael Defensor, whose only background on environment only came after his appointment as environment secretary, was also a staunch ally of the President.
"Can't this government for once select someone to head DENR whose background fits well with the position and who can perform well and deliver environmental protection in the face of various threats confronting the environment? Don't we have anybody else in whom we can put our full confidence and trust that she or he will be working on policies that are not against the environment?" Inni said.
Over the years, he said, the country's forests and other forms of natural resources have been subjected to aggressive developments brought by various orders like DENR Administrative Order 30-2003, a time-clock that gave companies the liberty to operate their projects despite possible hazards to critical areas if no decision is forthcoming from DENR after 180 days.
The order shortened the processes, set to supposedly ensure the protection of the environment, that any company has to undergo before a project is allowed.
The order also put out the consultative process where people are supposedly asked about any possible opposition to a certain development in their area.
It also did not require agricultural companies to secure environmental compliance certificate (ECC) in areas less than 100 hectares, even if the project has an apparent environmental impact.
"Orders like this are biased to companies which are known for being environmentally destructive. This is what we get with people at the DENR who, in essence, do not have the heart for environment and its protection. When Reyes also sat as the head of DENR, the unfair and destructive order of Defensor came in full-swing, inviting more and more foreign mining corporations and agricultural companies to invest in the country," Inni said.
With Atienza as the new head of DENR, Inni said, things could worsen, especially because the former Manila Mayor was known for environmental offenses in Manila, particularly when he ordered the cutting down of trees in the Arroceros Forest Park.
"The Filipino people deserve better and well-qualified people to lead them and we hope that the President will consider this as she will also realize that the condition of the environment is so alarming already that agencies like DENR must be composed of the correct people," he said.
