DENR regaining public trust, says Paje

Environment Secretary Ramon Paje

MANILA, Philippines—Environment Secretary Ramon Paje said the anti-corruption thrust of the government was restoring  public trust in the Department of Environment and Natural Resources  following years of ill repute due to graft and misconduct in the agency.

In a statement press issued Saturday, Paje said anti-corruption measures, from the installation of closed-circuit television cameras in offices to the publication of contracts and bidding results, were going a long way in regaining public confidence in his department.

Paje said the DENR was also in the process of cleansing its ranks by prosecuting and penalizing erring personnel.

To date, more than 60 DENR employees have been dismissed or suspended, while 34 have been charged with various offenses, and 176 placed under investigation, he said.

In June alone, 34 DENR officials were relieved for  failure to stop illegal logging in the Caraga region.

As a result of these efforts, the DENR posted improved ratings in a recent Social Weather Stations  survey measuring government agencies’ sincerity in fighting graft and corruption, from a “bad” rating of negative 34 in 2009 to positive 1 in 2012.

Paje said the DENR received a “double upgrade” in the 2012 SWS Survey of Enterprises on Corruption, which was based on interviews with 826 company executives representing large, medium and small enterprises all over the country.

It was the first time since 2005 that the DENR got a positive rating in the survey, he said.

Paje said the DENR’s improved anti-corruption rating could only mean that the department has been “regaining public confidence.”

“It is essential to preserve the gains achieved under the Aquino administration, particularly in its fight against graft and corruption,” Paje said.

In a message, Paje thanked the DENR staff for “standing their ground despite threats and hazards that come with their job to ensure the protection and sustainability of the environment.”

“Environmental management and protection is more than a job, it is a mission. We shall continue to move forward and level up some more to honor our mission and the trust that the public has given us,” Paje said.