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Lotilla vows to sustain Loyzaga's science-based reforms at DENR
Philippines
National
Lotilla vows to sustain Loyzaga's science-based reforms at DENR
Lotilla vows to sustain Loyzaga's science-based reforms at DENR
By Jel Santos
Published Jun 16, 2025 03:45 pm
(PHOTO: DENR FACEBOOK LIVE)
Newly appointed Environment Secretary Raphael Lotilla has vowed to build on the foundation laid by outgoing Secretary Maria Antonia “Toni” Yulo-Loyzaga and continue steering the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) toward science-based, sustainable development.
“The President’s instructions have been clear and that is we build on the strength that the Department of Environment and Natural Resources has accumulated over these three years and in the past,” he said during the turnover ceremony at the DENR Central Office in Quezon City on Monday, June 16.
Lotilla expressed gratitude to Loyzaga and top DENR officials for their presence and support.
“I take on this responsibility of working with you in the task that lies ahead of us for the country and our people,” he said.
Lotilla, a lawyer and veteran public servant, acknowledged the enormity of his new role at the environment department.
“I don’t think it would be humanly possible for me to read this before I properly take my oath of office,” he said, referring to the “voluminous materials” he received during the transition.
“But I want to assure you that I would be open and I will work hard with you in order to achieve the goals of this Department and of the goals that are clearly enunciated in our Constitution and in the laws that we have governing the environment and natural resources.”
He recalled his experience drafting the 1987 Administrative Code, which remains the institutional backbone of the DENR.
“Many years ago when the 1987 Administrative Code was being drafted, I had the task of leading the team in the UP Law Center to put this together and we have to, of course, struggle with the Executive Orders that the office of President Cory Aquino came up with and remains the basic structure for the DENR.”
Acknowledging the scientific direction established under Loyzaga’s leadership, Lotilla said he intends to maintain and advance the evidence-based policies that align with both presidential guidance and institutional priorities.
He underscored the importance of putting environmental and natural resource protection at the heart of national development strategy.
“This is what we will be pursuing with you as a basic principle — sustainable development — and making sure that the economic sustainability, environmental sustainability, and the social sustainability of our people and country are going to be pursued,” he stated.
Lotilla noted the difficulty of balancing these pillars.
“At times, one takes precedence over the other, and this is where government decision-making has to come in,” he said.
“It is our elected officials who will have to make the painful, sometimes painful decisions, of balancing these principles,” he added.
He also addressed the need to reduce poverty while protecting future generations’ access to natural resources.
“Our main sustainable development goal, if that is not clear to some of the public, is still the elimination or at least the reduction of poverty,” said Lotilla.
“Less than 20%, 15% of our people are still below the poverty line… and therefore, the challenge for us that remains is to lift these people out of poverty.”
Lotilla urged DENR personnel to work together in showing both the nation and the world that the Philippines can lead by example in the sustainable development of the country’s environment and natural resources.