ISANG MAKAKALIKASANG UMAGA TO ALL OUR DENR COLLEAGUES WHO JOINED US HERE TODAY. MARAMI PONG SALAMAT SA PAGDALO PO NINYO, AND EVERYONE FOR THE WARM WELCOME.

ALLOW ME FIRST TO BEGIN PO BY REITERATING WHAT I SAID IN MY REMARKS A FEW DAYS AGO. THAT WHAT WE’D LIKE TO PROPOSE IN THE DEPARTMENT IS A STEWARDSHIP THAT IS ETHICAL, TO SERVE WITH EXCELLENCE AND VIRTUE, UPHOLD SHARED ENVIRONMENTAL VALUES, SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL EXCELLENCE. WE WANT A STEWARDSHIP THAT IS DEMOCRATIC, WHERE STAKEHOLDERS CAN PARTICIPATE, WHERE THERE IS TRANSPARENCY IN THE DEPARTMENT’S PLANS AND DECISIONS.

THE STEWARDSHIP ROLE IN TERMS OF ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES IS ONE THAT I WOULD LIKE TO ENJOIN EVERYONE TO BECOME A PART OF.

IT’S OUR COLLECTIVE CHALLENGE, SAMA-SAMA PO TAYONG LAHAT, THAT WE NEED TO MAKE DENR THRIVE, AND CONTINUE TO DELIVER ITS SERVICE OF PRESERVATION, CONSERVATION, RESTORATION, AND EVEN REGENERATION IN A VOLATILE, COMPLEX, AND UNCERTAIN WORLD. THERE ARE CHANGES IN OUR ECOSYSTEMS THAT MAY BE CLOSE TO OR ARE ALREADY IRREVERSIBLE. BUT ALSO, WE NEED TO KEEP IN MIND AS THE LATE
DR. GEMMA NARISMA, ONE OF OUR LEADING FILIPINO SCIENTIST IN THE INTERGOVERNMENTAL PANEL OF CLIMATE CHANGE SAID, AS OUR ENVIRONMENT IS CHANGING, OUR SOCIETY IS ALSO CHANGING. THAT IS OUR MAIN CHALLENGE THAT WE ALL HAVE TO FACE UP TO.

THE PRESIDENT SAID IN HIS SONA THAT THE PHILIPPINES HAS THE MOST UNFORTUNATE DISTINCTION OF BEING AMONG THE MOST VULNERABLE COUNTRIES TO THE EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE, AND FOR THE WELFARE OF OUR PEOPLE, IT IS INCUMBENT UPON THE DENR, TAYO PONG LAHAT, THAT WE’RE ABLE TO ALLEVIATE THE ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO THE VULNERABILITY OF OUR COUNTRY.

THE PRESIDENT ALSO SAID THAT THE PRESERVATION OF THE ENVIRONMENT IS THE PRESERVATION OF LIFE, AND THAT PERFECTLY SUMS UP OUR MISSION OF THE DENR.

WHEN I THINK ABOUT WHY WE ARE ALL HERE, IT IS ABOUT OUR COLLECTIVE IMPACT, SAMA-SAMA PO TAYO LAHAT IN TERMS OF THE MISSION-VISION OF THE DEPARTMENT. LET’S ALL HAVE A CLEAR AND COMMON UNDERSTANDING OF WHY WE DO WHAT WE DO, WHAT IMPACTS WE WANT TO ACHIEVE AS A DEPARTMENT BY PERFORMING OUR ROLES IN DELIVERING EVIDENCE-INFORMED SERVICE TO OUR ENVIRONMENT AND OUR COUNTRY. WHILE WE ARE DOING THIS, LET US NOT FORGET, ITONG BUWAN PONG ITO AY ASEAN MONTH THAT WE HAVE REGIONAL AND GLOBAL RESPONSIBILITIES AS WELL.

OUR PRIORITY IN THE NEXT FEW MONTHS IS TO BUILD A STRONG FOUNDATION AND DRAW UP THE DIRECTION FOR THE NEXT FEW YEARS WITH THE FOCUS ON ORGANIZATIONAL TRANSFORMATION, IMPROVING OUR PERFORMANCE, AND DRIVING EXCELLENCE.

WE WANT TO FOSTER A CULTURE OF SELFLESSNESS AND COLLABORATION. WE CAN NO LONGER AFFORD TO WORK IN SILOS. THERE ARE ALSO SOME CRITICAL CHALLENGES WE HAVE TO OVERCOME. I KNOW THERE IS NO QUICK FIX, WALA PONG MADALI SA TRABAHO NATIN, AND WE CANNOT DO IT ALONE BY OURSELVES. THIS IS A JOURNEY WE MUST ALL GO THROUGH TOGETHER.

FOR OUR STRATEGY TO CREATE THE GREATEST POSSIBLE VALUE, WE NEED TO BE COMMITTED TO ENHANCE THE SYSTEM THAT CAN BE COHERENT, THAT CAN BE SCALED, AND CAN BE AGILE IN ORDER TO DELIVER OUR CORE MISSION. WE WILL BE LAUNCHING AN EFFORT TO BEGIN, TO SIMPLIFY, MODERNIZE, PROFESSIONALIZE, AND STREAMLINE THE WAY WE WORK IN LINE WITH THE PRESIDENT’S DIRECTIVES. THIS WILL BE TRANSFORMATIONAL NOT JUST FOR THE ORGANIZATION, BUT FOR ALL OF US WHO ARE DEDICATED TO THIS MISSION, AND I ASSURE YOU WE WILL TRY TO MAKE THIS AS TANGIBLE AND STRATEGIC AND INCLUSIVE AS POSSIBLE.

IN THE FEW DAYS I’VE BEEN HERE AT THE DENR, NAGPAPASALAMAT PO AKO BECAUSE I HAVE MET AND INTERACTED WITH A NUMBER OF DIVISIONS, BUREAUS, AND ATTACHED AGENCIES. I FULLY APPRECIATE ALL THE HARD WORK AND DEDICATION, AND APPLAUD THE ABILITY TO STAY FOCUSED AND MOTIVATED EVEN IN THESE CHALLENGING TIMES.

EVEN SO, WE STILL HAVE A LOT TO ACCOMPLISH, AND ONLY THROUGH YOUR COOPERATION AND COLLABORATION CAN WE REACH OUR GOALS. WE HAVE A TREMENDOUS OPPORTUNITY NOW IN THE NEXT 6 YEARS AHEAD OF US AND I HOPE THAT WILL INSPIRE ALL OF US TO HARNESS OUR EXPERTISE, PERFORM OUR DUTIES WITH UTMOST EXCELLENCE, AND BE GENEROUS INTELLECTUALLY AND SPIRITUALLY WITH ONE ANOTHER.
I AM HONORED TO HAVE YOUR TRUST, AND I’M EXCITED ABOUT THE FUTURE OF THE DENR THAT WE CAN ACHIEVE TOGETHER.
MARAMING SALAMAT PO. ###