With Gina’s exit, some DENR undersecretaries on the way out, too

Envirinment Sec. Gina Lopez. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO/Grig C. Montegrande

The fate of other Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) officials, who were in the inner circle of Gina Lopez, is uncertain, as Malacañang has yet to name a new environment secretary.

The Commission on Appointments (CA) rejected Lopez’s nomination as environment secretary on Wednesday.

Among the eight undersecretaries, professor Marlo Mendoza and lawyer Maria Paz Luna were especially designated by Lopez to oversee her pet projects and advocacies.

Lopez had also wanted four others to be her undersecretaries. But one was not qualified under civil service rules, another was rejected by Malacañang and the other two did not get plantilla positions.

Mendoza, who is on secondment to the DENR from the University of the Philippines Los Baños, was put in charge of field operations while Luna, who holds the position of provincial environment and natural resources officer, was designated as undersecretary for legal affairs.

Rally of support

Lopez would have had nine undersecretaries, but Philip Camara resigned on April 10 after DENR employees rallied against his continued stay.

The employees held a rally in support of two human resources officials whom Lopez blamed after the Civil Service Commission rejected Camara’s appointment as undersecretary for not meeting civil service requirements.

Lopez also appointed as undersecretary Leo Jasareno, who was director of the Mines and Geosciences Bureau in the Aquino administration.

When Malacañang rejected Jasareno’s appointment, Lopez retained him as consultant.

Lopez also early on introduced as her undersecretaries Arturo Valdez and Nicanor Perlas, but they were not given  plantilla positions and instead retained as consultants.

Laguna fish pens

Despite being a consultant, Valdez was named head of the National Anti-Environmental Crime Task Force, which pursues major projects such as the dismantling of fish pens in Laguna Lake, illegal logging and air pollution measures.

Among the DENR’s 11 assistant secretaries—another record number—lawyer Marie Kristerie was designated by Lopez as assistant secretary for legal and legislative affairs.

In separate telephone interviews on Thursday, Valdez and Luna lamented the CA’s decision to reject Lopez, especially with major DENR programs, among them the Laguna de Bay rehabilitation, gaining momentum.

Valdez led the demolition of illegal fish pens, while Luna was part of the team that crafted the Laguna Lake multisectoral rapid rehabilitation plan.

Holdover

Luna said that under their contracts, the new environment secretary had an option to redesignate them. This means that they are on a “holdover” position until a new secretary comes in.

Valdez, however, is ready to leave his office with his planned “balangay” (precolonial boat) voyage to China taking off next week.

“I cannot leave in the middle of the (CA’s confirmation hearings). To me that’s not proper. [But] I told her (Lopez), after May 3, I will have to continue my voyage,” said Valdez, who also led the first Philippine Mt. Everest expedition in 2006.

He said he had no idea why the CA rejected Lopez’s nomination.

But considering Lopez’s controversial positions on issues related to the environment, Valdez said: “I think Gina has gotten a lot of groups opposing [her]. It goes practically among [different] fields, the bulk of it in the mining sector.”

Laguna Lake cleanup

Valdez said he trusted Laguna Lake Development Authority General Manager Jaime Medina to “execute and continue” the massive lake cleanup, despite strong lobbying by fish pen operators to lift the aquaculture ban.

He said Medina would need to sit down with Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno to discuss the DENR’s proposal to purchase mechanical equipment that would hasten the clearing of structures and water hyacinths.

Luna also expressed her confidence in Medina, describing him as “an upright and a good manager [capable of] making difficult decisions.”