Ecological society welcomes appointment of Defensor

The Ecological Society of the Philippines (ESP) welcomes the appointment of Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Michael T. Defensor to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). ESP president Antonio Claparols said they promise to support and cooperate in the initiatives of the department in the preservation of the country’s natural wealth.

Claparols said they also have some requests like increasing fines against violators of environmental laws, from the existing P50,000 to a percentage of the gross sales without prejudice to further fines/penalties for actual damage caused to the environment. This would also help in the government’s efforts in reducing the fiscal deficit he added.

Claparols, who is also a regional councilor of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), pointed out that the cause of flooding in central Luzon is rampant logging. He stressed that the dwindling forests need protection. Rivers, lakes and marine environments need protection from pollutants, and toxic wastes. Those who caused them must clean them up, he said. The air can be cleaner if done effectively at the source during the night, he added.

According to Claparols, Defensor is in a viable position of preventing an ecological disaster. He said illegal loggers, smoke belchers and firms that spread toxic pollutants who destroy the country’s rich heritage should be stopped in their tracks. The Philippines does not have the luxury of time as the ecological bomb is ticking faster by now, he added.

The people need water, food, air and employment, the ESP official said. The planet is not what it used to be; it is dying as people continue to exploit it, he added. We need to eradicate poverty and we can have food security through distribution systems and environmental security.

"We need to get back DAO 17; the DA will make the living ocean into a farm. We need to repeal the Mining Act of 1995. We need to ratify the Cartagena Biosafety Protocol. We need to create jobs that enhance the environment. We are with Secretary Defensor in doing all these as we protect, conserve and practice sustainable extraction of our natural wealth. God gives us a clean environment that we must guard for us and the next generations to come," Claparols said.