The President's Men and Women: DENR chief seeks clearing of waterways

MANILA, Philippines - Environment Secretary Ramon Jesus Paje is a creature of habit. For 20 years, he showed up for work at the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in the morning and went home after work. 

Paje, 49, rose from the ranks, having served in various divisions first as undersecretary for environment and Forestry, then as undersecretary for Operations, undersecretary for Policy and Technical Services, undersecretary for Environment and Programs Development, assistant secretary for Management Services, assistant secretary for Environmental Affairs, and director for Human Resources Development.

Paje earned a degree in B.S. Forestry from the University of the Philippines in Los Baños in 1982 and later pursued a master’s degree in urban planning and, eventually, a doctorate in public administration.

Prior to his appointment as Environment secretary, Paje was undersecretary for Field Operations and acting executive director of the Minerals Development Council.

As the new head of the agency, Paje promised to consult with subordinates about his decisions.

“Before taking actions as department secretary, I deem it best to listen first to what the other DENR officials as well as employees would have to say. That is the common asset of all the secretaries who have served the department,” he said.

The first item on his priority list is the dredging of waterways in Metro Manila, which he considers a “seemingly impossible task.” 

Paje plans to require environmental violators caught on the closed circuit televisions (CCTV) of the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) to clean waterways as community service.

He also proposed a job generation approach in dealing with environmental violators wherein they may opt to hire workers to do the clean up for them.

He said local government executives and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) could draw up a list of indigents needing emergency employment. 

Paje’s solution to graft and corruption in the department is to prevent opportunities for committing corruption. He has ordered department heads to install CCTV cameras in their offices within 90 days.

“If we cannot catch you, we will deny you every opportunity to commit graft. We will remove the playground for graft,” he said. 

He also said confiscated logs will now be donated to the Department of Education (DepEd) to be made into school desks and chairs instead of being donated to the National Resource Development Corp. (NRDC).

He also wants to develop idle public lands through the Philippine Forest Corp., a corporate arm of the DENR. 

“Idle public lands can earn a whopping P3 trillion a year based on the least earning of a hectare of land at P1,000 a year,” he said.