Ditch candidates destroying environment: DENR

MANILA – The new chief of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said voters should not elect officials who do not care about the environment.

DENR Officer-in-Charge, Undersecretary Jim Sampulna, cited candidates who nail campaign materials, like posters and tarpaulin, on trees.

“I wish upon all our Filipino brothers and sisters who are vying for elective positions for 2022 to avoid nailing your campaign materials in any living tree,” Sampulna said in a news release on Saturday.

“So, I am asking, especially our voters, do not vote for candidates who are destroying our environment,” he added.

Experts said nailing, screwing or stapling into trees damage the bark and puncture the insides, which may inhibit growth and increase vulnerability to disease.

Sampulna said the DENR is likewise against single-use plastics despite the absence of a law.

“We need some legislation for that (ban on single-use plastic). Although there is no legislation on that yet, we are already advocating for it,” he said. 

Sampulna replaced Roy Cimatu, who recently stepped down due to health reasons.

“The initiatives of Secretary Cimatu made huge impacts on the Filipino people and I intend to continue what he started,” Sampulna said. “What I can commit is our initiatives in the next four months, we will do these for the benefit of the Filipino people.”

Among Cimatu’s projects are the ongoing restoration of Manila Bay and the continued Boracay Island rehabilitation.

“We can now see the beauty of Manila Bay. Maybe only around 500 to 600 meters of the Manila Bay is yet to be laid down with dolomite sand. I intend to continue that project because that is our commitment to our dear President,” Sampulna said.

As for open-pit mining, he said there are policies and guidelines that must be followed.

“There are misnomers that if it is open-pit, then it is destructive. But even prior to the start of the project, there is already a plan for rehabilitation where the degree of damage to the environment has already been measured. It will be restored after their operations,” he added. (PR)