The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has partnered with Isla Lipana & Co./PwC Philippines to review the systems and processes in the two line bureaus of the DENR: the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) and the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB).

The partnership was formalized through the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the DENR, represented by Secretary Antonia Loyzaga, and Alex Cabrera, chairman emeritus of Isla Lipana & Co., at the DENR Central Office in Quezon City.

PwC Philippines is a professional services firm engaged in delivering audit and assurance, and tax and advisory services within and outside the Philippines.

Loyzaga said the recent DENR Field Operations Management Conference has shown areas in the agency where there are gaps in their processes and have the potential for synergy.

“This will be an opportunity to actually address those gaps and to build value on the efforts done by everyone in the department,” Loyzaga said.

Under the leadership of Loyzaga, the DENR recognizes the need for organizational transformation through governance and risk-management as it evolves and adapts to the changing environment and social landscape. This involves critically evaluating the DENR’s existing processes, compliance, and identifying opportunities for improvement.

In support of the DENR’s transformation initiatives, the project with PwC aims to review the existing policies of the MGB and EMB to identify the major gaps on their processes and functions.

MGB is mandated to formulate and implement policies and programs pertaining to geology and the exploration, development, conservation, and utilization of mineral resources; while EMB is the primary line bureau responsible for the formulation, supervision, and implementation of policies and programs in relation to the prevention and control of pollution, as well as waste management, and environmental impact assessments.

The project shall conduct comprehensive assessment using appropriate governance, risk management, and compliance tools to review and assess risks in the existing systems and processes of MGB and EMB.

It shall also develop a five-year transformation roadmap with corresponding action plans and recommendations for improvement to strengthen the DENR towards a better organizational performance.

Through the MoU, PwC shall provide technical partnership and assistance to deliver the DENR’s desired outcomes of strengthening the agency and its bureaus, particularly the existing systems and processes in the MGB and EMB.

At the end of the project, PwC shall submit a Completion Report with the results of organizational/process diagnosis and assessment; observations and areas for improvement, and indicative five-year transformation roadmap.

Cabrera said that PwC Philippines, as a company that believes in integrity and sustainability, is impressed with the DENR’s plan, which focuses not only on top-level strategic initiatives but also includes sampling a few critical departments referred to as “the center of gravity.”

“If we are able to solve these important issues at the most difficult spots of the agency, then it will be no problem solving the rest of the issues,” Cabrera said.

Also present during the MoU signing were DENR Undersecretary for Organizational Transformation and Human Resources Augusto dela Peña, Chief of Staff and Supervising Undersecretary for Strategic Communications Marilou Erni, and DENR Legal Affairs Services Director Norlito Eneran; and PwC representatives Geraldine Apostol, Alvin Dave Pusing and Aaron Manalete.

Loyzaga had previously said that under her leadership, there will be a comprehensive review of the DENR’s people, processes, products, and services to ensure that the agency will “respond to all stakeholder needs in relation to the directives of the President” and the preservation of the environment and the country’s natural resources. #

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Published: 09 June 2023

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) conducted simultaneous coastal cleanup activities nationwide on June 8 to mark World Oceans Day 2023 with the theme “Planet Ocean: Tides are Changing.”

DENR Secretary Antonia Loyzaga joined hundreds of volunteers in a mass cleanup drive along Manila Bay fronting the SM by the Bay in Pasay City to highlight the need for concerted effort to protect the oceans and marine life from threats, particularly plastic pollution.

At the same time, over 1,000 DENR employees from the central office, regional and field offices, bureaus, and partner organizations joined the cleanup in other areas of Manila Bay, including the Dolomite Beach, Mandamus Beach and Baseco area in Manila; Las Piñas-Parañaque Critical Habitat and Ecotourism; and Tanza Marine Tree Park in Navotas City.

DENR regional offices also conducted cleanup drives on the same day in various coastal areas, including those in the cities of Batangas, Legazpi and Zamboanga.

The hours-long activity yielded 1,252 sacks of trash, consisting mostly of single-use plastic bags, styrofoam, and food packaging wastes such as plastic wrappers, straws, utensils, cans and sachets.

“We hope that activities such as this will help us in managing the quality of our oceans,” Loyzaga said.

Loyzaga added that the DENR considers plastic pollution and marine litter as critical issues.

“Our solid waste has reached our oceans. We need to combine this (coastal cleanup) with waste management on land so we can secure our oceans and our future here on land as well,” the DENR chief stated.

World Oceans Day is an annual event to celebrate the value of oceans, which cover over 70 percent of the planet but have been in dire need of help in the past few decades and are likely to deteriorate much further in coming years without decisive intervention.

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, at least 14 million tons of plastic enter the ocean annually. It noted that 80 percent of all marine debris discovered in sediments from deep sea waters to surface waters is made up of plastic, making it the most prevalent sort of trash in the ocean.

To combat plastic pollution in the country, the DENR, under the leadership of Secretary Loyzaga, advocates for a circular economy where all plastic applications are reused, recycled, and responsibly managed during and after use while enabling a lower greenhouse gas emissions plastic economy.

World Oceans Day is celebrated annually on June 8 to raise awareness about the importance of the world's oceans and efforts to improve them since 1992, following the United Nations Conference on the Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

In 2008, the U.N. General Assembly decided that June 8 would be designated as "World Oceans Day" as of 2009. #

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Published: 08 June 2023

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Published: 08 June 2023

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has partnered with the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), Land Registration Authority (LRA), and the provincial government of Bataan to develop a geodatabase for land use management in the Central Luzon province.

The partnership was formalized with the signing of a memorandum of agreement (MOA) between DENR Secretary Antonia Loyzaga, LRA Administrator Gerardo Sirios, DAR Regional Director James Ponce, and Bataan Governor Jose Enrique Garcia III.

The MOA signing on the establishment of 1Bataan Base Map or 1BBM was one of the highlights of the launching of Project TRANSFORM—the DENR’s newest integrated resilience and sustainability program—at the Bataan People’s Center in Balanga City last May 9.

1BBM is a land inventory project that aims to create a geodatabase showing land use, classification and allocation in Bataan.

The project seeks to simplify knowledge and data-sharing for policy development and decision-making on the frameworks of the local development investment program.

It also aims to uphold good governance through transparency and facilitation of database sharing by sustaining the integrity and sustainability of the land registration system.

“The inventory of public lands is groundbreaking and will serve as a model of other provinces in terms of natural capital asset accounting system,” Loyzaga said.

“We do hope to work together with the LRA and DAR and our other partners in order to come to an account of what is available by way to manage our resources for the country and the province,” she added.

Under the MOA, the DENR will lead and supervise the implementation of the project, closely coordinating with its National Mapping and Resource Information Authority (NAMRIA) and Land Management Bureau (LMB) to consolidate all necessary and relevant data and information needed.

The DENR will also be responsible for conducting ground validation on a regular basis, as well as consistent review and evaluation to assure the validity and reliability of the data and information at hand.

For its part, DAR shall prepare and share data, plans, maps and other available information, particularly as regards to lands covered by the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program, which are necessary in the inventory, mapping, plotting and ground validation in Bataan.

LRA will provide necessary technical and administrative support, while the provincial government of Bataan will provide logistical support and assistance in the conduct of ground validation and survey, among others.

Under Loyzaga’s leadership, the DENR has been undertaking several projects utilizing available tools, technologies, science and data, and is closely coordinating with other government agencies and stakeholders.

The DENR is working with the National Economic and Development Authority and the Philippine Statistics Authority in the establishment of natural capital accounting system, and most recently, with the Philippine Space Agency for a geospatial database under the DENR’s Office for Integrated Environmental Science.

These projects, Loyzaga said, will significantly support the development of the DENR’s strategies for a science-based, risk-informed, ethical and equitable stewardship of the environment. #

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Published: 07 June 2023

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) have reaffirmed continued partnership to strengthen forestland management in the Philippines for improved livelihoods and economic development.

This comes as Environment Secretary Antonia Loyzaga received a courtesy visit from JICA Chief Representative to the Philippines Sakamoto Takema at the DENR Central Office in Quezon City on May 29.

Loyzaga and Takema discussed the Forestland Management Project (FMP), a joint DENR-JICA undertaking that aimed to strengthen forestland management in three critical river basins in the country—Upper Magat and Cagayan, Pampanga, and Jalaur on Panay Island.

A 10-year project that started in 2012, the FMP focused on rehabilitating degraded forestlands and improving the socioeconomic conditions of affected communities surrounding the three river basins.

FMP employed collaborative and comprehensive community-based management strategies, such as empowering people’s organizations; securing land tenure rights; enterprise development for food security and income; and development, conservation, protection and sustainable use of forestland resources.

Loyzaga and Takema also talked about other possible areas of cooperation for environmental protection, biodiversity conservation, climate change mitigation, and disaster risk reduction.

At the same time, Takema introduced JICA’s other environment-related projects and activities, such as the Pasig-Marikina River Channel Improvement Project, Flood Risk Management Project in various cities, and Disaster Risk Reduction and Management-Capacity Enhancement Project, among others.

DENR and JICA have been working closely for the protection and conservation of the environment and natural resources for six decades.

Most recently, JICA sponsored DENR’s training program on Sustainable Forestry Management with Community Participation in 2019. It also provided technical assistance in establishing ecological solid waste management programs in the cities of Calbayog, Sagay and Davao in 2022.

JICA is the sole Japanese government agency that implements Official Development Assistance, providing technical cooperation, loans, and grants, to overcome challenges common in developing nations. It operates in more than 150 countries and regions worldwide.#

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Published: 06 June 2023