The overhaul of leadership under the Cabinet of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. can be interpreted in two ways: either it is a political maneuver to prepare for a contentious showdown in 2028 or it is a strategy to improve the provision of public services—or both.
Arguably the most notable change is the shift in leadership of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), from Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga to Raphael Lotilla. This was met with mixed reactions from different sectors for several reasons.
More Gains or More Losses?
The first three years of environmental governance under the current administration were not short on controversies. Most of them can be traced to the longstanding conflict between for-profit interests and pro-environment and pro-people groups—a reflection of the false belief that development cannot be achieved without sacrificing the environment.
The biggest indication of this is the push for the expansion of the mining sector, framed as a way to hasten renewable energy (RE) development in the country. This has come under backlash from advocacy groups and community leaders who have repeatedly seen forests taken down and rivers polluted by mining activities within their own areas or elsewhere in the country.
This has also extended into sites with importance to biodiversity, ecosystems, and natural heritage. Infrastructure projects situated in geological landmarks like the Chocolate Hills and Masungi, from the Sierra Madre mountains to the Verde Island Passage, have led to renewed calls to strengthen existing laws and policies for protecting the country’s remaining forests, flora, and fauna.
Other cases, such as the construction of the Bulacan Aerotropolis and the reclamation projects around Manila Bay amidst its rehabilitation, have also led to heightened risks to nearby communities such as flooding. Many have also questioned lapses in regulations that could have mitigated these risks or even prevented the projects from proceeding in the first place.
Lost underneath all these issues is the breadth of policies and frameworks being developed to set the foundation of environmental governance for the next decade. One of the most prominent themes is the focus on the “blue economy,” with the department supporting the enactment of an eponymous bill in Congress, while also in the process of creating a separate bureau for oceans.
The department also started formulating strategies in relatively new fields of Philippine environmental governance. These include a dedicated roadmap covering mangroves, tidal marshes, and seagrasses; the development of a national geospatial database; and strengthening the system for natural capital accounting. These decisions should aid in valuing nature in practice as much as in principle.
The DENR also boosted its current programs to address the climate crisis. As of today, the agency is the focal point in engagements with the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage, of which the Philippines is hosting its Board. It is also playing a leading role in developing ways to mobilize needed finance and support for biodiversity conservation and nature-based solutions, which have implications for enhancing resilience to typhoons, droughts, sea level rise, and other impacts.
Perception Is Key
Coherence between science and policy has been regarded by many as a missing piece of environmental decision-making. Bringing a science-based brand of leadership is perhaps Loyzaga’s legacy as DENR Secretary, which was evident from her appointment of notable scientists as Assistant Secretaries to the policy tracks focused on during her term.
While considered to have “underperformed,” as stated by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, she is also generally well-regarded within government ranks and among some in both the business and advocacy sectors. She is credited with being able to kickstart much-needed initiatives in the sector, even accounting for the bureaucratic pace of government processes.
However, aside from the President’s prerogative, it can be argued that public perception played a key role in this change of leadership. In the eyes of many, Loyzaga was perceived to be too business-friendly by many civil society groups, and too pro-environment by some in the private sector. The lack of quick and decisive responses to the aforementioned controversies also became too much to be ignored.
This is the challenge that Lotilla must face as the new lead on environmental governance in the Philippines. His time as DOE Secretary on two separate occasions is polarizing, being criticized for helping enable the expansion of the natural gas industry and the formulation of the EPIRA Law, which is attributed with many of the current problems in the country’s power sector—most notably high electricity rates.
His previous association with Aboitiz Power and Exenor has further solidified a pro-fossil fuel image to many advocacy groups. On the other hand, his second term in the DOE saw relatively rapid growth in renewable energy development in the country, and an improvement in implementing the Renewable Energy Act, which had been stagnant for a decade.
Lotilla takes over in the midst of all the ongoing environmental and climate policy initiatives in the DENR, where his background in leading the Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia and being Undersecretary of what is now known as the Department of Economy, Planning, and Development should ideally come into play.
Expect energy and mining to take an even bigger focus during the second half of the current administration—especially in the context of energy projects affecting biodiversity and ecosystems, and energy transition minerals being used to accelerate RE growth.
As impressive as his decades-long track record in public service may be, as strong as his reputation for transparency and approachability may be, Lotilla’s time as DENR Secretary will not be judged on these terms.
In the same way as Loyzaga and all his predecessors, Lotilla’s term in DENR will be assessed by the following: if he can put a decisive end to rampant environmental destruction; if protected areas are truly protected; if the people and the planet are prioritized over profit; and if the perception that the environment must be sacrificed for development has been changed.
John Leo Algo is the National Coordinator of Aksyon Klima Pilipinas and the Deputy Executive Director for Programs and Campaigns at Living Laudato Si’ Philippines. He has been representing Philippine civil society at UN climate and environmental conferences since 2016 and has worked as a climate and environment journalist since 2016.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial stance of LiCAS News.
