MANILA – Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Undersecretary Benny Antiporda has apologized to the University of the Philippines-Marine Science Institute (UP-MSI) over his remark where he branded them “bayaran (paid hack).”
“First of all, let me start this statement with an apology to UP as a whole. I’m emotionally carried away yesterday and I don’t think it’s fair for the UP people who are really working hard for our countrymen and marami pa rin naman nagtatrabaho jan na pro bono (there are still many people there who are working pro bono),” Antiporda said during an interview over CNN Philippines on Thursday.
Antiporda said he was just affected by the issue with UP-MSI.
He said the DENR and the UP-MSI have been partners for a long time and that the agency has been paying the institute for their services like consultation, research, and capacity building.
Laura David, director of UP-MSI, accepted the apology.
“There’s always been a good cooperative collaboration between the UP MSI and DENR. This was just a miscommunication and now that everything has been cleared there’s no problem to work with them again,” David said.
Antiporda said he feels that it would have been more appropriate if the UP-MSI called the DENR’s attention regarding their observations and suggestions on the Manila Bay rehabilitation project instead of going straight to the media.
David, meanwhile, said they did not go straight to the press.
She said they published their observations on their own website where the media picked it up.
Antiporda said UP-MSI did not publish anything on their website during the time that they entered into a contract with the DENR and agreed to receive some PHP210-million payment for their services.
He said a good partner should be open to one another and directly communicate with each other.
“This is to send them a message telling them na partners po tayo with MSI siguro naman nung kasalukuyang nagbabayad kami ng malaking halaga eh nagagawa nyo kaming tawagan at nagagawa nyong sulatan kami. Bakit ngayon eh diretso sa media (We are partners with MSI and during the time that we are paying them a huge amount of money, they were able to call us or write us a letter, but why is it that they go directly to the media now?),” said Antiporda.
With regards to the suggestion of the UP-MSI on planting mangroves around the Manila Bay area, David said they were not referring to the Manila Bay beach but rather in areas around it.
“Mangroves act as a filter. Meron sa kadulu-duluhan ng Pasig River there is a mangrove stand (there is a mangrove stand at the far end part of the Pasig River) but most mangroves are either in Cavite and Bulacan,” David said.
Antiporda said the UP-MSI seem to have a lot of catching up to do with the developments accomplished by the DENR.
He said the agency built a sewage treatment plant (STP) in the bay walk area and is poised to build other STPs to help improve the water quality in the bay.
As regards to the mangroves, he said DENR-NCR has already built a mangrove area in Baseco area in Manila.
Antiporda also assured the UP-MSI that the DENR is doing its job.