CALAMBA CITY, Laguna -- Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Roy A. Cimatu has tasked the provincial and community environment officers of both Laguna and Rizal provinces to clean Laguna Lake.
In a DENR regional report released on Monday, the environment secretary laid down the ultimate challenge of cleaning up and preserving the country’s biggest lake that borders Rizal and Laguna provinces.
"The success or failure of cleaning Laguna Lake and the rivers surrounding it relies on you," Cimatu challenged the local DENR officers in his second visit to the regional office here over the weekend.
DENR Calabarzon Regional Director Arsenio N. Tanchuling led his officers and staff in the region in the meeting with Cimatu.
Cimatu told the field officers from the region comprising Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, and Quezon (Calabarzon) that it is his goal to clean the lake, after President Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s first State of the Nation Address in July 2016, mentioned the lake’s dire condition, its urgent clean-up, and dismantling of illegal fishponds.
"I intend to clean Laguna Lake. That's my goal. I cannot clean it by myself. I have to rely on the Regional Director and the PENROs (Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Officers) and CENROs (Community Environment and Natural Resources Officers)," the Secretary said.
Also called the Laguna de Bay, Laguna Lake is one of the country’s major water bodies that the DENR chief wants to prioritize in the department's environmental rehabilitation efforts, including the river systems connecting the lake like the popular Pasig River that flows up to the Manila Bay.
Czarina Maria P. Gandeza, the DENR Calabarzon Communications Development Officer II, said one reason Cimatu had cited for Manila Bay's current filthy state is the negligence on the part of the DENR to ensure the cleanliness of Laguna Lake and the agency’s mandate pursuant to the Clean Water Act.
"Pinabayaan natin na madumi ang (We neglected) Laguna Lake," Cimatu remarked as he urged the agency’s field officers to also focus on Cavite as an area needing special attention pertaining to the rehabilitation of the Manila Bay.
The DENR chief stressed that the bulk of the solid wastes drained to the water body were from the informal settlers in Cavite province.
Melinda G. Gordo, in-charge of the DENR Calabarzon Regional Strategic Communication and Initiatives Section, said Cimatu's top priorities for the past months were to effectively implement the country's main environmental laws, such as the Clean Water Act and the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act.
Cimatu also enjoined the DENR field officers, particularly from Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal to assure their commitment.
"I will be relying on your leadership, your performance, initiative, and dedication at work," Cimatu stressed to the field officers, saying his team will be frequently going around the area to monitor and supervise their actions.
"Nothing is impossible, as the DENR plays the vital role to ensure environmental quality and human well-being,” he added, citing the DENR’s successful clean-up in Boracay by removing the solid wastes in the world-renowned resort island within two weeks. (PNA)
