THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

TO OUR MAP PRESIDENT RENE ALMENDRAS; DR. REGIE CASAS; AND OTHER BOARD MEMBERS AS WELL AS MEMBERS OF THE ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE; OUR FRIENDS IN MAP; COLLEAGUES IN DENR, USEC JONAS, USEC MALU; AND OUR GUESTS, (CERTIFIED) GATE CRASHER FROM OUR PREVIOUS ENGAGEMENT MS DAPHNE OSENA FROM THE PRESIDENTIAL COMMUNICATION OFFICE AND COMM. RACHELLE FROM THE CLIMATE CHANGE COMMISSION. I THINK THEY ARE ALSO VERY KEY IN TERMS OF DELIVERING THE MESSAGE OF THIS MARRIAGE TODAY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR PRESENCE THIS AFTERNOON.

IT IS WITH DEEP GRATITUDE THAT THE DENR IS ABLE TO FORMALIZE THE PARTNERSHIP WITH THE MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION OF THE PHILIPPINES.

THIS MOU IS A CRITICAL STEP IN OUR SHARED GOAL TOWARDS ADDRESSING CLIMATE AND DISASTER RESILIENCE, ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION, AND INCLUSIVE DEVELOPMENT FOR THE COUNTRY.

IT HAS BEEN SAID THAT THE PRIVATE SECTOR AND GOVERNMENT ARE UNLIKELY PARTNERS IN THE FACE OF THE VOLATILE, UNCERTAIN, COMPLEX, AND AMBIGUOUS WORLD THAT WE NOW FACE. HOWEVER, WE HAVE SEEN HOW IT IS DEFINITELY POSSIBLE FOR MULTIPLE STAKEHOLDERS INSIDE AND OUTSIDE OF GOVERNMENT TO WORK TOGETHER FOR GOOD.

AMONG THESE CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES ARE THE ATTAINMENT OF COURSE OF THE PRESIDENT’S EIGHT POINT AGENDA AND THE PHILIPPINE DEVELOPMENT GOALS, AS WELL AS OUR COUNTRY’S INTERNATIONAL COMMITMENTS AMONG THEM THE PARIS AGREEMENT, THE SDG, THE GLOBAL BIODIVERSITY FRAMEWORK, AND THE SENDAI FRAMEWORK FOR DISASTER RISK REDUCTION, WHICH IS ALL ABOUT WHAT APMCDRR IS GOING TO FOCUS ON IN OCTOBER.

THESE COMMITMENTS CONVERGE IN THE DENR’S MANDATE TO PROTECT THE ENVIRONMENT, REDUCE DISASTER RISK, PREVENT OR MINIMIZE THE HARMFUL IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE, REDUCE WASTES AND POLLUTION, ADVANCE INCLUSIVE DEVELOPMENT, CONSERVE OUR BIODIVERSITY, RESTORE AND REGENERATE OUR ECOSYSTEMS IN SUPPORT OF OUR COMMUNITIES AND VARIOUS SECTORS.

IT HAS BEEN SAID THAT THE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES IS THE DEPARTMENT OF EVERYTHING, EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE AND FOR THIS WE NEED THE MAP’S INVALUABLE HELP.

I’M VERY HOPEFUL THAT THE PARTNERSHIP WILL EMPOWER THE MAP OFFICIALS AND ITS MEMBERS TO ALSO HELP US DELIVER ON OUR MISSION TO PROTECT THE ENVIRONMENT FOR OUR COUNTRY.

I’M JUST GOING TO GO OVER A FEW SLIDES PERHAPS AND WITH THE INDULGENCE OF RENE WHO HAS SEEN THIS AND OF COURSE WITH DAPHNE, AS WELL. THESE ARE THE SLIDES WE SHARED VERY RECENTLY IN THE PARTNERS NIGHT OF THE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES. BUT WE’VE COME TO EMBRACE THE THOUGHTS THAT ARE HERE IN ORDER FOR US TO CONVEY HOW MUCH WE APPRECIATE YOUR HELP AND HOW MUCH WE NEED TO CONTINUE TO PLEA FOR TOUR HELP IN DELIVERING ON THE GOALS OF THE DEPARTMENT.

YEARS AGO, I ENCOUNTERED WHAT YOU SEE THERE, WHAT FIRST SEEMED TO BE A MOVING PVC PIPE, WHICH TURNED OUT TO BE A HERMIT CRAB THAT HAD FOUND A NEW HOME IN THE INDESTRUCTIBLE PVC PIPE THAT YOU SEE THERE.

IMMEDIATELY THE THOUGHT CAME TO OUR MINDS AS WE SAW IT MOVING ALONG THAT LIFE INDEED FINDS A WAY WHERE YOU HAVE AN ORGANISM, BASICALLY, THAT HAS SURVIVED MILLIONS OF YEARS ACTUALLY FINDING A HOME THAT WILL PROBABLY SURVIVE MILLIONS OF YEARS AS WELL.

WHAT WE HAVE TO DO IS TO COME TO REALIZATION AND COME TO THE TABLE TO UNDERSTAND WHAT RISKS WE FACE AS A COMMUNITY, AS A COUNTRY AND TO BEGIN TO KNOW AND CARE HOW IN FACT THESE NATURAL CONNECTIONS CAN EITHER BE SUPPORTED FOR GOOD OR FOR NOT SO GOOD AND THAT WE CAN ACTUALLY MAKE TRULY IMPACTFUL CHANGE POSSIBLE.

WE ALL KNOW THAT THE PHILIPPINES IS RICH IN NATURAL RESOURCES. AND THE DEPARTMENT IS SOMETIMES GIVEN WHAT WE CALL A CONFLICTING MANDATE IN THE PERCEPTION OF OTHERS. WE ARE ON ONE HAND TASKED TO PROTECT, PRESERVE, RESTORE, AND REGENERATE. BUT ON THE OTHER, WE ARE ALSO TASKED TO REGULATE EXTRACTION AND UTILIZATION. AND SOMETIMES THIS CAN BE OVERSIMPLIFIED INTERPRETATION OF WHAT OUR MANDATE TRULY IS, WHICH IS TO FIND A BALANCE BETWEEN HOW WE ARE USING OUR NATURAL SYSTEMS AND HOW WE CAN PRESERVE, OF COURSE, OUR HUMAN SYSTEMS.

THIS COMPLEX AND INTERCONNECTED WEB IS ACTUALLY WHAT WE MUST BEGIN TO ALL UNDERSTAND BETTER AND MASTER IN ORDER FOR US TO DETERMINE THE SURVIVAL NOT JUST OF THE ECOSYSTEMS THAT SURROUND US BUT THE SURVIVAL OF OURSELVES AS WELL.

WE’VE DONE AT THE DENR, WE’VE ESTABLISHED ACTUALLY A GEOSPATIAL DATABASE OFFICE, WHICH NOW ALLOWS US TO MAP ALL THE NATURAL RESOURCES THAT ARE VISIBLE FROM SATELLITE IMAGERY IN OUR COUNTRY. WHAT YOU’RE SEEING THERE IS A MAPPING SYSTEM THAT ALLOWS US FOR EXAMPLE TO LOOK AT UNUSED FISHERIES AND FISHPONDS AND IDENTIFY THEM FOR CONVERSION BACK INTO MANGROVE AREAS.

WE ARE ABLE TO ALSO VISUALIZE THE COMPLEX AND INTERCONNECTED NATURAL AND HUMAN SYSTEMS SO THAT WE NOW ARE ABLE TO SEE HOW GOVERNANCE IS EFFECTIVE OR NOT AS EFFECTIVE AS WE WOULD IKE THEM TO BE.

THE GDO CATALOGS ALL OF THESE NATURAL RESOURCES TO HELP US ESTABLISH BASELINES THAT WILL HELP US MEASURE WHETHER OR NOT WE HAVE SUCCEEDED IN IMPLEMENTING OUR GOALS AS A DEPARTMENT AND OUR GOALS IN LINE WITH OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH THE DIFFERENT STAKEHOLDERS IN THE COMMUNITY.

WE’RE ALSO ABLE TO NOW PARTICIPATE FULLY AND SUBSTANTIALLY IN THE PHILIPPINE ECOSYSTEM AND NATURAL CAPITAL ACCOUNTING SYSTEM OR THE PENCAS, WHICH IS A LAW THAT HAS JUST BEEN PASSED.

WE ALL KNOW THAT THE PHILIPPINES IS ONE OF THE 18 MEGADIVERSE COUNTRIES IN THE WORLD. WE HAVE MORE THAN 52,000 SPECIES HERE, HALF OF WHICH ARE ENDEMIC OR FOUND NOWHERE ELSE IN THE WORLD. ABOUT 2,000 OF THESE SPECIES ARE RANGING FROM CRITICALLY ENDANGERED TO VULNERABLE.

WHAT YOU’RE SEEING HERE IS A RELEASE OF A TRANSLOCATION OF SPECIES THAT WE ARE NOW UNDERTAKING TOGETHER WITH PARTNERS SUCH AS THE PHILIPPINE EAGLE FOUNDATION. TRANSLOCATION IS POSSIBLE BECAUSE WE HAVE DISCOVERED WITH STUDIES FROM THE UP BIOLOGY DEPARTMENT THAT OUR PHILIPPINE EAGLE SPECIES ARE HOMOGENOUS GENETICALLY AND THEREFORE CAN BE TRANSLOCATED. THE PHILIPPINE EAGLE CORRIDOR RUNS FROM NORTH TO SOUTH AND IS NOT JUST IN MINDANAO. SO WE ARE REALLY HARD AT WORK WITH OTHER PARTNERS IN AUSTRALIA AND IN JAPAN, AS WELL AS LOCAL PARTNERS TO ACTUALLY TRANSLOCATE AS MUCH AS WE CAN IN ORDER TO REESTABLISH THE EAGLE CORRIDOR.

WE ARE ALSO, FOR THE FIRST TIME, ABLE TO ESTABLISH WHAT WE ARE NOW GOING TO BE PUTTING UP AS THE SIX NEW MARINE SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH STATIONS IN THE COUNTRY. AND THAT CAPABILITY HAS NOT EXISTED IN THE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES. AND WE ARE FOCUSING AS WELL ON BUILDING PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS HERE. THIS IS A SHOT TAKEN BY A FRIEND OF OURS IN EL NIDO, PALAWAN, AND IT WAS ACTUALLY WITH THE 10 KNOTS GROUP, THEY WENT DIVING THERE.

AND WHAT WE HAVE ALSO BEGUN TO ESTABLISH TOGETHER WITH THIS GROUP WHO TOOK THE PICTURE IS A PPP FOR THE PROTECTION OF THE VIP OR THE VERDE ISLAND PASSAGE. AND THAT PPP INCLUDES THE METRO PACIFIC GROUP, SAN MIGUEL, THE ABOITIS GROUP, FIRST GEN, ABS-CBN FOUNDATION, AND OTHERS, IN ORDER FOR US TO HAVE FULL ADVANTAGE IN TERMS OF THE KNOWLEDGE THAT RESIDES IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR AND EXPERTISE AS WELL, BUT ALSO COMBINES THE MANDATE FOR THE ENVIRONMENT OF PROTECTION AND BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION THAT IS DENR’S.

WE ARE ALSO, AS YOU KNOW, A VERY HIGHLY MINERALIZED COUNTRY, AND WHAT WE ARE TRYING TO DO IS INSTILL IN OUR MINING INDUSTRY A NEW RESPONSIBILITY FOR FOREST PROTECTION, REHABILITATION, AND REGENERATION, INCLUDING THE ISSUE OF FLOOD CONTROL AND MANAGEMENT AND DISASTER RISK PREVENTION. I’VE BEEN WORKING ON ONE PARTICULAR MINING COMPANY, FOR EXAMPLE, THAT HAS ESTABLISHED ITS OWN NETWORK OF AUTOMATED WEATHER STATIONS AND IT’S ALL OBSERVATION OF GROUND DEFORMATION TO HELP WITH THE PREDICTION OF POSSIBLE LANDSLIDES IN THE HOST COMMUNITIES OR THE COMMUNITIES THAT SURROUND THE MINING AREAS. AND SO THERE IS A NEW LOOK AT THE MINING SECTOR AS BEING ESSENTIAL TO BOTH THE PRODUCTION OF TRANSITION CRITICAL MINERALS BUT ALSO TO BIODIVERSITY PROTECTION AND REFORESTATION IN OUR COUNTRY.

WE ALSO ARE INVOLVED NOW IN WATER. AS YOU KNOW, THE PRESIDENT HAS DECLARED THE CREATION OF THE WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT OFFICE THAT IS NOW BEING HOSTED AT THE DENR. THE WRMO HERE, I THINK, AND THIS IS ONE OPPORTUNITY PERHAPS WHICH I MAY RAISE FOR THE COMMITTEE’S CONSIDERATION IN THE FUTURE, IS ALSO ENGAGED IN THE PROVISION OF POSSIBLE DESALINATION, SMALL-SCALE DESALINATION INSTRUMENTS AND MACHINES FOR OUR ISOLATED BARANGAYS, ESPECIALLY IN THE ISLANDS. AND THIS IS AN AREA WHERE WE HOPE THE PRIVATE SECTOR WILL ALSO TAKE AN ACTIVE LOOK.

SINCE WE KNOW THAT THE GOVERNMENT IS WELL INVESTED IN THE LARGE INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS THAT WILL, OF COURSE, ALSO INVOLVE SOME OF THE PRIVATE SECTOR INVESTORS, SMALL ISLAND BARANGAYS AND GEOGRAPHICALLY ISOLATED UPLAND BARANGAYS ARE AMONG THE MOST UNSERVED OR UNDERSERVED. AND HERE, PERHAPS, THIS CAN FIND A CONSTITUENCY IN OUR ORGANIZATIONS SUCH AS MAP TO WORK WITH US AT THE DENR IN TERMS OF BRINGING WATER TO COMMUNITIES.

SO HERE AGAIN, IN TERMS OF FORESTATION AND REFORESTATION, THERE ARE OPPORTUNITIES IN THE FACT THAT WE HAVE BEGUN TO ACTUALLY MAP ALL THE FOREST LANDS IN THE COUNTRY. OF THE 15 MILLION CLASSIFIED FOREST LANDS IN THE COUNTRY, ONLY 7 MILLION ARE IN FACT COVERED WITH FORESTS. WE ARE OPENING THIS YEAR 1.2 MILLION HECTARES FOR POSSIBLE INVESTMENT IN REFORESTATION AND AGROFORESTRY AS WELL AS TIMBER PRODUCTION. THAT WILL BE ANNOUNCED LATER ON IN THIS YEAR IN ORDER FOR THE PRIVATE SECTOR AND OUR DEVELOPMENT PARTNERS JOIN HANDS WITH THE DENR IN, OF COURSE, BEGINNING TO REFOREST OUR COUNTRY AND TO LEAD THE WAY TOWARDS THE ESTABLISHING OF OUR PARTICIPATION IN THE GLOBAL CARBON MARKET AT THE SAME TIME.

WE ALL KNOW THAT THE JOURNEY TOWARDS A LOW-CARBON FUTURE INVOLVES THE TRANSITION FROM FOSSIL ENERGY. AND WE ARE IN FACT INVOLVED IN THIS PROCESS AS WELL WITH THE DOE, BUT WORKING CLOSELY WITH OTHER DEPARTMENTS, ESPECIALLY IN THE AREA OF JUST TRANSITION. AND THE JUST TRANSITION IN TERMS OF LABOR IS ONE OF THE IMPORTANT ASPECTS OF OUR CLIMATE WORK, AND WE CONTINUE TO WORK WITH THE DOE, THE DA, THE DEDA, AS WELL AS DSWD, AND OTHER DEVELOPMENT PARTNERS TO DO THIS.

ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT, I THINK, LAST FEW POINTS THAT I WANTED TO SHARE WITH YOU ARE TWO AREAS OF WORK WHICH WE FEEL, IN FACT, MAP WOULD BE CRITICAL IN TERMS OF WORKING WITH US AS A PARTNER IN DELIVERING THESE GOALS.

WE ALL KNOW THAT THE RACE TO RESILIENCE IS ONE AT THE FRONT LINES. AND THE DEPARTMENT HAS A PROJECT CALLED PROJECT TRANSFORM, AND TRANSFORM MEANS TRANSDISCIPLINARY APPROACHES FOR RESILIENT AND SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES. WE ARE VERY LUCKY TO HAVE PRESIDENT RENE THERE WITH US IN ONE OF THE LARGE GATHERINGS INVOLVING LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS AND SEEING HOW WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO INCREASE THE CAPACITY FOR NATURAL RESOURCE GOVERNANCE IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS BECAUSE EACH OF THESE LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS IS A VERY UNIQUE ENVIRONMENTAL, SOCIOECONOMIC PROFILE AND HAVE VERY DIFFERENT APPROACHES TO DEVELOPMENT AS WELL AS HAVING DIFFERENT LEVELS OF COMMITMENT AND COMPETENCIES IN RELATION TO THE ACHIEVEMENT OF DEVELOPMENT GOALS.

MAP CAN SURELY BE A CRITICAL PARTNER IN THE ACHIEVEMENT OF TRANSFORMATION IN THE RACE TOWARDS RESILIENCE OF OUR LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMUNITIES. WE WELCOME YOUR PARTICIPATION ALONG WITH OUR OTHER PARTNERS ALREADY INVOLVED IN PROJECT TRANSFORM SUCH AS PBSP, THE PEACE AND EQUITY FOUNDATION, FIRST PHILIPPINE HOLDINGS, THE ZWILLING FAMILY FOUNDATION AND THE NATIONAL RESILIENCE COUNCIL, HERE REPRESENTED BY OUR GOOD FRIEND, FORMER ADMIRAL ALEX PAMA.

SO WORKING WITH LOCAL GOVERNMENTS IS REALLY AT THE CORE OF OUR ABILITY TO ACHIEVE RESILIENCE FOR THE COUNTRY, AND WE HOPE THAT THIS WILL BE ONE OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF OUR COUNTRY. PERHAPS LASTLY, JUST TO UNDERSCORE THE MENTION OF THE ASIA-PACIFIC MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE ON DISASTER RISK REDUCTION, THE ASIA-PACIFIC IS THE MOST DISASTER-PRONE REGION IN THE WORLD AND HAS BEEN FOR MANY YEARS NOW.

AND IT IS REALLY UNDER THE ADMINISTRATION OF THIS PRESIDENT THAT WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO RAISE THE CRITICAL IMPORTANCE OF LEARNING AND COLLABORATION IN THE FACE OF HAZARDS, BOTH OLD AND NEW, AND THE CONTINUING CRISIS OF CLIMATE CHANGE THAT IS AFFECTING THE ASIA PACIFIC REGION AND THE PHILIPPINES AS WELL.

I HAVE TO SAY THAT THE INVITATION FOR THE PHILIPPINES TO ACTUALLY HOST THE ASIA PACIFIC MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE ON DISASTER RISK REDUCTION CAME VERY EARLY IN THE ADMINISTRATION. IT WAS EXTENDED IN SEPTEMBER 2022 TO INVITE THE PHILIPPINES TO ACTUALLY HOST THIS IMPORTANT CONFERENCE. BY JANUARY 2023, THE PRESIDENT HAD ALREADY GIVEN THE OFFICIAL ACCEPTANCE OF THAT INVITATION.

AND SO WE HOPE TO HAVE A VERY LIVELY AND ACTIVE PARTICIPATION FROM MAP MEMBERS AND YOUR SUPPORT AND ATTENDANCE WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED. THE REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN. I HAVE TO SAY THAT FOR USEC MALU BECAUSE SHE’S ON TOP OF ALL OF THESE PREPARATIONS FOR THE DENR. AND I HAVE TO SAY THAT IT HAS BEEN ALL HANDS ON DECK. WE HAVE ALL DEPARTMENTS ACTUALLY POOLING THEIR RESOURCES FOR THIS.

WE WORK PRINCIPALLY, OF COURSE, WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF NATIONAL DEFENSE BECAUSE THEY HOST THE NDRMC AND THE OFFICE OF CIVIL DEFENSE UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF SECRETARY GILBERT TEODORO. AND SO HOPEFULLY WE WILL SEE ALL OF YOU THERE.

I WOULD BE REMISS IF I WERE NOT TO MENTION THOSE COMPANIES AND CORPORATIONS, INDIVIDUALS WHO ALREADY BEGAN TO WORK WITH US. AND HERE I’D LIKE TO ACKNOWLEDGE AYALA CORPORATION, CERTAINLY THE SM GROUP, SAN MIGUEL, DMCI, AND HOPEFULLY THE PHILIPPINE COFFEE BOARD AS WELL UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF MS. JUAN. I UNDERSTAND THAT YOU WILL BE HELPING US AS WELL ON PROVIDING THE ESSENTIAL CAFFEINE FEED FOR ALL OUR DELEGATES. AND SO WE ARE VERY GRATEFUL FOR THAT.

AND SO LASTLY AS WE LOOK TO NEW DIRECTIONS FOR THE DENR, MAY WE HAVE THE NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE? I WISH TO SHARE THIS SLIDE. I THINK THAT THIS BASICALLY ENCAPSULATES ALL OF OUR MISSIONS HERE TODAY. WE ARE TOGETHER TODAY, HERE FOR TOMORROW, AND AT THIS POINT, IT’S ALL ABOUT THE FUTURE FOR THE YOUTH OF THIS COUNTRY. AND I THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR BEING ON THIS JOURNEY WITH US.