Alvarez hearings won’t start from scratch

Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Heherson Alvarez will not start from square one when the Commission on Appointments (CA) considers his confirmation.

Senate Majority Leader Loren Legarda, a CA member, said yesterday most of the issues raised against Alvarez had been "substantially answered" and these would no longer be taken up during the second regular session.

"We will start from where we left off," she said

Legarda said she believes that the confirmation of Alvarez would no longer be as protracted as those in his previous confirmation hearings.

"Secretary Alvarez was nearly confirmed the last time," she said. "I hope he will be confirmed this time."

However, the employees’ union at the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) demanded yesterday that Alvarez step down.

During a rally, Julie Gorospe-Ibuan, president of the DENR Employees’ Union, said the string of controversies involving Alvarez has already affected his ability to effectively run the department.

"How can (Alvarez) implement the cleanup in the DENR when he himself is being alleged to be engaged in graft and corruption?" she said.

"How can he still enforce the environmental laws when he allegedly had ignored even the Constitution? How can he make his employees work efficiently when he has underestimated our capabilities?"

Quoting an unnamed DENR finance official, Ibuan said the hiring of more than 195 consultants had almost "emptied" the department’s budget.

Ibuan said the total monthly rate of consultants has reached P4.7 million, which may sum up to more than P56 million in a year.

The DENR has paid about P7.8 million to consultants between April and June, she added.

Earlier, Elvira Caparas, DENR chief accountant, called the attention of Alvarez over the "alarming" rate of consultants and contractuals in the department.

Recently, Alvarez was said to have asked for "something substantial" from the owners of PICOP Resources Inc. (PICOP) for the conversion of its timber license agreement (TLA) into an integrated forest management agreement (IFMA).

The 50-year-old TLA of PICOP –which has a 184,000-hectare logging concession in Surigao del Sur –expired last April.

In a statement, Surigao del Sur Rep. Prospero Pichay said he would continue pushing for the reopening of operations of the PICOP Resources Corp., the biggest employer and taxpayer in his province.