I WILL BE THE FIRST TO ADMIT THAT THERE HAS BEEN A STEEP LEARNING CURVE FOR ME COMING FROM MY EXPERIENCE IN THE SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH AND ADVOCACY AND PRIVATE SECTOR COMMUNITIES THAT IS 20 YEARS ON MOST OF EXPERIENCES LEADING WITH THESE DIFFERENT SECTORS. I WISH TO ASSURE THIS HONOURABLE BODY OF MY GOAL TO SERVE UNDER AN ETHICAL, SCIENCE-INFORMED, RISK-BASED STEWARDSHIP THAT WILL STRIVE TO BE INCLUSIVE, CONSULTATIVE AND TRANSPARENT.

WE WILL PURSUE THESE GOALS VERY CAREFULLY, BUT ALSO EXPEDITIOUSLY IN FOUR MAJOR WAYS IF I MAY SHARE. THE FIRST IS BY ESTABLISHING THE BASELINE EVIDENCE OF OUR COUNTRY’S NATIONAL PATRIMONY. THE NATIONAL PATRIMONY RESOURCES OF OUR COUNTRY BY ESTABLISHING A GEOSPATIAL DATABASE THAT WILL ALLOW US TO TAKE STOCK OF THE NATURAL CAPITAL IN THE FORM OF ASSETS AND ECOSYSTEM SERVICES AS A BASIS FOR A RESILIENT AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT. IN SHORT, WE NEED TO MEASURE WHAT WE TREASURE AS A COUNTRY.

CONDUCTING AN ORGANIZATIONAL ASSESSMENT OF POLICY, PROCESS, PEOPLE AND PRODUCT TO DETERMINE THE LEVELS OF SHARED VALUES, KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERTISE, STATE OF TECHNOLOGY IN ORDER TO ENSURE FUNCTIONAL COHERENCE IN THE DEPARTMENT SO THAT WE MAY, AS A WHOLE, BE FIT FOR PURPOSE IN THAT MANDATE THAT YOU MENTIONED EARLIER.

CONSTRUCTING A PLATFORM FOR STRATEGIC MULTI-STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT THAT WILL ALLOW US TO UNDERSTAND EVERYONE’S VALUES, INTERESTS, AND PRIORITIES ACROSS DIFFERENT SECTORS AND COMMUNITIES, AND FINALLY WE WILL BE ORGANIZING AN ADVISORY COUNCIL COMPOSED OF EXPERTS FROM THE DIFFERENT SECTORS, SCIENCE AND POLICY PRACTICE TO INCLUDE ACADEMIA IN THE INDUSTRY, CIVIL SOCIETY AND COMMUNITIES TO GUIDE THE DEPARTMENT IN THE WAY AHEAD.

IN HIS STATE OF THE NATION ADDRESS, THE PRESIDENT STATED THAT THE PRESERVATION OF THE ENVIRONMENT IS THE PRESERVATION OF LIFE. THE DENR’S MISSION IS TO PROVIDE LIFE SUPPORT TO THIS COUNTRY BY MAINTAINING AND STRENGTHENING LINKED ECOSYSTEMS, COMMUNITIES ACROSS LAND, AIR AND SEA. IN LIGHT OF THE SYSTEMIC RISK WE FACE TO CLIMATE CHANGE, NATURAL, BIOLOGICAL AND MANMADE HAZARDS, AND THE INTERSECTING EXPOSURE AND VULNERABILITIES OF OUR ECOSYSTEMS AND COMMUNITIES, IT’S WITH DEEP AND SINCERE GRATITUDE THAT I THANK BOTH HIS EXCELLENCY AND THE MEMBERS OF THIS BODY FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO POSSIBLY CONTRIBUTE TO THIS MISSION IN MY OWN SMALL WAY.

IF I MAY JUST END BY MENTIONING THAT I’VE JUST RETURNED MADAM AND MEMBERS OF THE COMMISSION FROM THE ASIA PACIFIC MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE ON DISASTER RISK REDUCTION WHERE THE PHILIPPINES WAS RECOGNIZED FOR ITS MULTI-STAKEHOLDER DELEGATION AND I WISH TO SAY THAT WE WERE HEAVILY GENDER IMBALANCED TOWARDS THE FEMALE GENDER WHICH HAS BEEN THE CASE IN OUR LONG YEARS OF SERVICE ON DISASTER RISK REDUCTION COMMUNITY.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH. ###