📷Bayan Muna executive vice president and former House Deputy Minority Leader Carlos Isagani Zarate
Bayan Muna Partylist today strongly urged the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to utilize its annual budget more effectively to safeguard environmentally critical areas across the Philippines, particularly in the provinces of Rizal, Laguna, and Quezon, as well as in many areas of the Visayas and Mindanao. The critical call is made as environmental destruction continues to threaten communities and natural ecosystems in the said provinces, as well as the closest cities.
“The quarrying and logging operations in Rizal, Laguna and Quezon, and in Mindanao, mining operations, have clearly caused irreparable harm not only to the natural habitat of many wildlife and plant species, but, more importantly to the people affected, particularly the marginalized and poor. In the meantime, the environmental degradation resulting from these activities has also worsened and multiplied the devastating impacts of floods during typhoon season, which in turn lead to destruction of millions of pesos worth of public and private property. The loss of life, displacement of communities, and damage to infrastructure are outcomes that could have been mitigated, if not stopped, with stricter enforcement of environmental laws,” said Bayan Muna executive vice president and former House Deputy Minority Leader Carlos Isagani Zarate.
The statement comes after the House budget deliberations revealed DENR’s low utilization rate and failure to commence reforestation efforts, particularly in the Upper Marikina River Basin Protected Landscape (UMRBPL). DENR is requesting for Php 27.5B budget for 2025, which, Zarate said, the DENR and its officials should be made accountable later “if it’s actions still fail to address the problems now faced by the affected communities.”
The Bayan Muna leader said that severe flooding events, particularly in Rizal province, can be attributed to the lax implementation of environmental standards and the continued exploitation of natural resources by private corporations operating in protected areas.
“It is critical that the DENR allocate its resources towards improving monitoring mechanisms, enforcing existing environmental policies, and holding accountable those responsible for violations. The agency should explain in its budget plans how it will improve its monitoring systems and ground-level enforcement in environmentally critical areas. It also needs stricter enforcement of guidelines for land use and prevent private entities from conducting operations in protected zones,” Zarate said.
He added that the DENR would do well to work more actively together not only with local government units but also with communities and environment NGOs to ensure sustainable development that protects both the environment and people in areas where government infrastructure and private projects are being built.
“We cannot afford to delay action. Every flood, every destroyed home, and every lost life is a reminder of the urgent need to prioritize environmental protection. By utilizing its budget effectively, the DENR can play a decisive role in preserving the natural beauty and ecological balance of our provinces while protecting the lives and property of Filipinos. We demand that the DENR implement stricter guidelines because we hold it accountable for many of the environmental problems we are now facing,” Zarate ended.#
