36TH DENR ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION
29 June 2023 | DENR Multipurpose Hall

Good morning.

Thank you very much and a very warm welcome to our colleagues from all over the country who have joined us here today so that we can celebrate the 36th Anniversary of the DENR together as one family.

On Monday, we had the honor of hosting President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos, Jr. here at the Central Office in celebration of the 160th Anniversary of the Philippine Forestry Service and Philippine Environment Month. In his remarks, the President stated that “taking care of the environment redounds to the benefit of the present and more importantly future generations and that our role as custodian of mother Earth holds much value, especially when united in terms of purpose and of direction.”

This echoes our determination when we first started this journey together almost a year ago wherein we enjoined everyone to be part of a mission that represents ethical stewardship, serve with excellence and virtue, and uphold shared environmental values. We made a commitment then that our stewardship will be inclusive, where our stakeholders can participate, and where there is transparency in the Department’s plans and decisions. We said that we wanted to foster a culture of excellence and collaboration so that we can achieve the best possible impact for the communities we serve.

On the occasion of the DENR’s anniversary – I want to keep my message short by simply saying thank you. Thank you to every single person who goes to work every day to an office, a station, or anything that bears the DENR logo – whether you be on the administrative side, technical side, security, our esteros rangers, forest patrollers, housekeeping, or anyone who ensures that our offices and our operations run smoothly every day. I am grateful to every single one of you for your hard work and dedication towards the achievement of our Department’s mission.

I also sincerely appreciate the warm welcome I have received from the regions and sites we have had the opportunity to visit – most recently in Surigao del Norte just last week. I look forward to visiting every region in the country in the next few months and aim to do so periodically for the next five years. On behalf of our Undersecretaries, thank you to all of you for setting an extraordinary example of professionalism and commitment. You are our frontliners and our changemakers and we cannot do this work without your full support.

We have made significant progress this past year and everyone, including the global community, is starting to take notice. The initial pledges and commitments we received from our local and international development partners have materialized and these have opened up so many opportunities ahead of us. We often talk about the critical nature of external partnerships but the partnerships we cultivate within our Department are equally as important. While we continue to expand our partnerships with our external stakeholders, your Undersecretaries and I never lose sight of the fact that all of you are the most important stakeholders of our Department. The synergies we build here, amongst ourselves, will be a critical factor in the successful transformation of the DENR. We can build on this momentum by working together more closely and continuing to stay loyal to our country.

Let us always keep in our minds and in our hearts that we do all of these because we believe in our message that the environment is for life and that it is for everyone.

Thank you very much for your service and mabuhay po tayong lahat.

Happy 36th DENR anniversary once again.

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