I’D LIKE TO BEGIN MY MESSAGE TODAY BY PARAPHRASING THREE STATEMENTS FROM THE PRESIDENT IN HIS FIRST SONA:

“THERE IS NO QUESTION THAT THE PRESERVATION OF THE ENVIRONMENT IS THE PRESERVATION OF LIFE.

THOSE WHO EXTRACT OUR NATURAL RESOURCES MUST FOLLOW THE LAW; AND,

IF WE CANNOT MITIGATE CLIMATE CHANGE, ALL OUR PLANS FOR THE ECONOMY, ALL OUR PLANS FOR THE FUTURE WILL BE FOR NAUGHT.”

WHILE WE ARE AWARE THAT THE PHILIPPINES HAS MADE SOME SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS IN THE AREAS OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION, DISASTER RISK REDUCTION, AND CLIMATE ACTION, AS WELL AS WHOLE OF SOCIETY ENGAGEMENT, IT IS UNDENIABLE AS WELL THAT WE REMAIN AT THE TOP OF THE WORLD RISK INDEX AND AT THE TOP 10 OF MANY LISTINGS OF COUNTRIES MOST VULNERABLE TO MULTIPLE HAZARDS INCLUDING THOSE FROM THE IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE.

TO THESE ENDS, THIS ADMINISTRATION’S AGENDA, WHICH IS ARTICULATED IN THE PHILIPPINE DEVELOPMENT PLAN IS FOCUSED ON “PURSUING A GREEN AND BLUE ECONOMY AND ESTABLISHING LIVABLE AND SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES,”. OUR TASK THEN AT THE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES IS CLEAR:

1) FULFILL OUR MANDATE TO CONSERVE, PROTECT, MANAGE, RESTORE, AND REGENERATE OUR COUNTRY’S ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES; AND

2) MANAGE RISK AND BUILD RESILIENCE USING A RIDGE-TO-REEF APPROACH AND AN ECOSYSTEMS-BASED APPROACH.

THESE TWO TASKS NECESSITATE THE FOLLOWING: A COMPREHENSIVE DISASTER AND CLIMATE RISK MANAGEMENT APPROACH AND A STRATEGIC MULTISTAKEHOLDER PARTNERSHIP FOR EVIDENCE-INFORMED, INCLUSIVE, AND ADAPTIVE GOVERNANCE.

COMPREHENSIVE DISASTER AND CLIMATE RISK MANAGEMENT IS AN APPROACH DEFINED BY THE UN OFFICE FOR DRR THAT APPLIES A SYSTEMS LENS TO THE COMPLEXITY OF RISK AN “PURPOSIVELY” STRENGTHENS SYNERGIES BETWEEN DISASTER RISK REDUCTION AND CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION. THIS APPROACH RECOGNIZES A FULL RANGE OF HAZARDS- NATURAL, MAN-MADE, AND THOSE, IN FACT, THAT CAN BE PROJECTED FROM SHORT, MEDIUM AND LONG TERM CLIMATE SCENARIOS.

WHAT THIS MEANS THEREFORE IS THAT THE DEPARTMENT NEEDS TO KEEP OUR EYES ON AND ANTICIPATE NOT JUST THE POSSIBLE FUTURE, BUT THE PLAUSIBLE FUTURE. WE ARE EDGING CLOSER TO THE 1.5 DEGREE PARIS THRESHOLD TODAY. THERE MAY ALREADY BE ECOSYSTEMS THAT WILL NEVER RECOVER AND SPECIES THAT WILL BE COMPELLED TO CHANGE IN ORDER TO SURVIVE AND ADAPT, OR WE MAY LOSE THESE SPECIES ENTIRELY.

OUR NEW LENS ALLOWS FOR CALIBRATION OF PRESERVATION, REHABILITATION AND REGENERATION GIVEN THE DYNAMIC AND INTERDEPENDENT NATURE OF THE EXPOSURE OF OUR ECOSYSTEMS, COMMUNITIES AND SECTORS. IT ALSO RECOGNIZES VULNERABILITY THAT ARISES FROM THE INTERSECTION OF THE PHYSICAL, BIOLOGICAL AND SOCIAL GEOGRAPHIES THAT WE ARE LOCATED IN.

WE ARE STRIVING TO BUILD A SHARED UNDERSTANDING OF RISK THROUGH SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, CAPACITY BUILDING FOR INFORMED DECISION-MAKING AND TRANSDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH POLICIES, PROGRAMS AND ACTIONS, — AND THIS WILL ONLY WORK IF WE ENGAGE SUBSTANTIVELY WITH PARTNERS INSIDE AND OUTSIDE OF GOVERNMENT.

I BELIEVE THIS APPROACH WOULD BE KEY TO ACHIEVING THE RESULTS FROM OUR UNITY OF EFFORT AND OUR UNITY OF PURPOSE, WITH OUR GOALS SET TOWARDS ACHIEVING AN INCLUSIVE AND RESILIENT DEVELOPMENT.

WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY IS CELEBRATED TO REMIND ALL OF US THAT THE ECONOMY DOES NOT OWN THE ENVIRONMENT, IN FACT, THERE COULD NEVER BE A SUSTAINABLE ECONOMY WITHOUT THE ECOSYSTEM SERVICES WE DERIVE FROM NATURE- THESE INCLUDE THE AIR WE BREATHE, THE WATER WE DRINK, THE FOOD WE GROW ON OUR RICH SOILS, FISH FROM OUR SEAS, AND THE MINERALS WE USE TO CONSTRUCT OUR HOMES, MEET OUR TECHNOLOGY NEEDS AND PRODUCE ENERGY.

ON OUR PART, THE DENR’S JOB IS OF SUCH MAGNITUDE AND COMPLEXITY THAT WE CANNOT DO IT ALONE. WE ARE CONSTANTLY BALANCING WHAT OUR COUNTRY NEEDS TODAY AT THE LOCAL AND NATIONAL SCALES, THE GLOBAL DEMANDS FOR OUR RESOURCES, AND WHAT FUTURE GENERATIONS WILL NEED FOR TOMORROW. TO DO THIS WE MUST WORK WE WORK ACROSS GOVERNMENT AND MULTIPLE SECTORS—- WITH OTHER DEPARTMENTS, AND NON-TRADITIONAL PARTNERS LIKE CORPORATIONS, ADVOCATES AND COMMUNITIES AS WE STRIVE TO LISTEN TO VOICES IN THE SOLID WASTE, MINING, WATER, ENERGY, LAND, FOREST AND BIODIVERSITY COMMUNITIES.

IN THIS VOLATILE, COMPLEX, AND UNCERTAIN WORLD WE NEED TO BUILD A CONSTITUENCY FOR INCLUSIVE, RESILIENT AND NATURE-POSITIVE DEVELOPMENT THROUGH CONTINUOUS CONSULTATION AND INFORMED ACTION. WE BELIEVE THAT THESE PARTNERSHIPS ARE KEY TO DELIVERING OUR COMMITMENTS AND IN THE WORK THAT WE WANT TO DO AT THE DEPARTMENT.

TODAY WE ARE HERE TO CELEBRATE AND SHARE JUST SOME OF THESE STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS AS THEY COLLABORATE WITH US THROUGH INVESTING IN ECOSYSTEM INTEGRITY, BUILDING RESILIENT COMMUNITIES, AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AS A WHOLE. THESE PARTNERSHIPS FILL MAJOR GAPS IN OUR HUMAN, MATERIAL, FINANCIAL, SCIENTIFIC, AND TECHNOLOGICAL RESOURCES. MOST IMPORTANTLY, THEY CAN FACILITATE TIMELY ACCESS TO NEEDED INNOVATION.

AS SOME OF YOU KNOW, THE DENR CONDUCTED ITS FIRST ROUND OF MULTISTAKEHOLDER FORA IN LUZON, VISAYAS, AND MINDANAO SOME MONTHS AGO. WE PLAN TO HOLD, AND CONTINUE TO HOLD, SMALLER AND FOCUSED GROUP CONSULTATIONS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.

AS WE DO THIS, THE TRANSPARENCY AND DIALOGUE WE PROMOTE ALLOWS US TO MAKE THE IMPLEMENTATION OF OUR LAWS MORE RESPONSIVE TO CONDITIONS ON THE GROUND.

TO ENSURE THAT WE ARE ABLE TO ACCESS SECTORAL EXPERTISE, WE HAVE ALSO CREATED MULTI-SECTORAL ADVISORY COUNCILS COMPOSED OF EXPERTS FROM VARIOUS FIELDS. THE AMENDMENTS TO OUR LEGISLATION ARE THEN BEING CONTINUOUSLY STUDIED FOR UPDATING AND REVISION.

I TRUST THAT THESE COMBINED EFFORTS WILL LEAD TO THREE MAJOR DIFFERENCES IN DENR’S SERVICE: THE FIRST IS COHERENCE- BOTH VERTICAL, FROM NATIONAL TO LOCAL, AND HORIZONTAL ACROSS DIFFERENT SECTORS AND DEPARTMENTS; SECONDLY, CONVERGENCE-IN THE OPTIMIZATION OF HUMAN, FINANCIAL, TECHNICAL RESOURCES AND LASTLY; SYNERGIES ACROSS THE PUBLIC AND NON-GOVERNMENT SECTORS AND THAT THESE WILL ALL TRANSFORM OUR DEPARTMENT INTO ONE THAT IS FIT FOR OUR COMPLEX PURPOSE.

WHEN I FIRST BECAME SECRETARY, I ENJOINED EVERYONE AT THE DENR TO BECOME A PART OF A MISSION THAT REPRESENTS AN ETHICAL STEWARDSHIP THAT WORKS ACROSS SILOS TO UPHOLD SHARED ENVIRONMENTAL VALUES AND DELIVER PUBLIC SERVICE BASED ON SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL EXCELLENCE. ON THIS WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY, I WISH TO GIVE THIS PLATFORM AS WELL TO OUR PARTNERS WHO WILL EXPOUND ON THE WAYS THEY ARE WORKING WITH US AND WHAT THESE NEW WAYS OF WORK MEAN TO THEM.

WE WILL HEAR FROM EACH OF THEM ONE BY ONE AND I HOPE THAT YOU WILL FIND THAT THIS WILL BE A MEANINGFUL DISCOURSE AMONG GOVERNMENT AND OUR DIFFERENT PARTNERS ACROSS NON-TRADITIONAL SECTORS IN THE SOCIETY.
IT IS MY HOPE THAT IF WE WORK TOGETHER, WE CAN TRULY MOVE FORWARD, AND CHART A NEW, EVIDENCE-INFORMED, INCLUSIVE, RESILIENT AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT TRAJECTORY FOR OUR COUNTRY.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH. ###

List of partners (SENR did not enumerate during actual speech):
MR. SHIMODA SIGERU, PRESIDENT OF MARUBENI PHILIPPINES
MR. HOIRA ADRIAN, PRESIDENT AND CEO OF HOLCIM PHILIPPINES
MR. VINCE DIZON, CHIEF REGULATORY OFFICER OF PRIME INFRA
MR. BIEN MATEO, SVP SM SUPERMALLS
MR. JIMMY LU, PROJECT MANAGER SAN MIGUEL CORPORATION
MS. NANNETTE MEDVED-PO, FOUNDER AND CHAIR OF PLASTIC CREDIT EXCHANGE (PCX)
FROM MAKILALA MINING, ENGINEER PATRIQUE JANE DURAN AND JUDY ROLA , INFORMATION MANAGEMENT HEAD
AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST
MS. EMELITA AGUINALDO, SVP OF BEST, INC.