NGO slams Cimatu for lame stance on environment protection

Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu INQUIRER FILE PHOTO/LYN RILLON

The Philippine Movement for Climate Justice (PMCJ) expressed their dismay on the response of Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu regarding the case filed against the Environment department before the Supreme Court.

The PMCJ was reacting to reports where Cimatu promised stricter implementation of rules and regulations to fulfill DENR’s mandate and to enforce provisions that would help the Clean Air Act.

“Cimatu’s reply is a usual standard run-of-the-mill answer for a glaring negligence of a government agency entrusted to regulate and prevent the impacts on health and environment,” PMCJ’s national coordinator Ian Rivera said in a statement on Thursday.

In the same statement, PMCJ Energy Program officer Glenn Ymata also commented how the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) secretary’s statement is “a reflection of his low prioritization on the subject matter.”

“Fulfilling DENR’s mandate does not only entail stricter implementation. As secretary, he should spearhead the revisions of the Clean Air Act; its relevance, applicability and scientific accuracy in the present time,” Ymata added.

Environmental groups and civilians led by the PMCJ recently sought the help of the SC to stop new coal-fired power plants, penalize plants violating the law, and accused the DENR of being unable to fulfill their duty to promote renewable energy.
READ: SC help sought vs coal plants

PMCJ also challenged DENR to show all records of gas emissions of coal plants that have been operating since the approval of the Clean Air Act and emphasized on the dangers of sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and carbon monoxide (CO2).

“It is clear that DENR must be alarmed by the possible harm and impacts of its own inaction to the people. There has to be an overhaul to this regulation,” Rivera said. Airei Kim Guanga, INQUIRER.net trainee / JPV