Yulo-Loyzaga vows to combat climate change, protect indigenous species

(FILE)  Environment Secretary Toni Yulo-Loyzaga takes her oath before the office of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. (Photo from RTVM)

MANILA, Philippines — Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Toni Yulo-Loyzaga vowed to fight climate change and preserve the country’s indigenous species as she officially took office on Thursday.

In her first speech as the new Environment secretary during the turn-over ceremony, Yulo-Loyzaga listed several points she said she would like to be made part of the DENR’s primary missions.

One of the points she underscored was the importance of fighting climate change “through practical climate change adaptation measures, the use of science to approach national scale as well as local scale impacts of climate change.”

“We live in a multi-hazard environment not just from natural hazards but from industrial as well as natural, technological hazards as well,” said Yulo-Loyzaga.

“The compounding of these hazards has led to the development of systemic risk and threats to our entire economic and social systems,” she added.

Together with this, she said, is the mission to protect indigenous species as part of the country’s national heritage, which it could then “harness for the benefit of the country.”

Yulo-Loyzaga also emphasized “the DENR’s crucial role in accounting for our natural resources,” which she said needs to happen very soon, in time for the new administration’s agenda.

“This will, in fact involve the use of science and technology as well as the use of financial management and economics,” said the new Environment chief.

“And that means we will have to work across the different departments to achieve that foundation,” she added.

Yulo-Loyzaga also pushed for the DENR to support the country’s economy, as well as its “social and inclusive development as a nation.”

Yulo-Loyzaga, who previously served as chairperson of the International Advisory Board of the Manila Observatory, and as technical adviser of the Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation, was first nominated by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. as secretary of environment on July 12.

She then took her oath of office as the new secretary of the DENR on July 19.

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