Department of Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Maria Antonia "Toni" Yulo-Loyzaga (File photo)
MANILA – It’s been a year since Maria Antonia "Toni" Yulo-Loyzaga has moved out from the ivory tower, as it were, down to the frontlines -- to lead the fight to preserve and protect what remains of the country’s natural resources.
In keeping perhaps with her persona, she has quietly adopted innovative ways to enable the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) bureaucracy to work together in achieving goals she has set during her watch.
Navigating her way through what she has described as the department’s silos has been “very challenging,” she admits in a television interview on the day of the second State of the Nation Address by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on July 24.
“We’ve had to deal with a lot of legacy issues, as you know, and we’ve had to deal with some cultures and practices that are part of the history of this department,” said Yulo-Loyzaga without elaborating.
Innovations
Yulo-Loyzaga has laid down the infrastructure which will provide her department with the data she needs to make difficult and maybe even controversial but science-based decisions in the days ahead.
She has brought in two new undersecretaries -- one to oversee organizational transformation and the training of the “next generation leadership” of the department, and another known expert in the field of environmental science to manage a geo-spatial database that will map all of the country’s natural resources.
“These two achievements, along with the organization of the Water Resources Management Office, I hope will characterize our first year as the introduction of evidence-based decision making in this department,” Yulo-Loyzaga said.
In a recent Palace press briefing, she explained that the geo-spatial database aims to properly account for, value and manage the country’s natural resources, as well as a basis to identify priority areas for forestation, reforestation and afforestation.
Data gathered shows that out of the 15 million hectares of classified forestland, only 7 million hectares were actually forested, she said.
Led by Undersecretary for Integrated Environment Science Carlo Primo David, the GDO (Geospatial Database Office) will be able to detect encroachment on public coastal areas, illegal mining activities, and industries without necessary permits.
It can also be used to pinpoint water systems that can be developed for hydropower and water supply which will be useful to the newly-created Water Management Resource Office.
Mindoro oil spill
Even as she puts her department in order, Yulo-Loyzaga has had to go out to the field to deal with a different set of challenges.
In February this year, a fuel tanker sank off Naujan, Mindoro Oriental and spewed out about 800,000 liters of oil, affecting livelihood and tourism in the area, incurring damages amounting to over a billion pesos.
Not one to revel in the media spotlight, Yulo-Loyzaga was the first department secretary to check on the situation, meeting with the governor and the coast guard, and deploying a hydrographer ship to locate the sunken vessel.
“We needed to find out where the oil was heading. Unless we knew where it was, we could not anticipate the trajectory based on currents and winds. For that, we turned to the UP Marine Science Institute. We were able to anticipate the flow towards the shore,” she says.
Yulo-Loyzaga says water quality has since improved in most areas affected by the oil spill. She however takes pains to point out it is the local government that can best monitor and protect the environment.
“Let me just say that without local governance, the DENR will not be able to assure water quality. We are not there 24 hours, we are undermanned as a department. But the local gov’t is present and they do have environment officers. They can regulate the water quality and we will support them,” she says.
Reclamation at Manila Bay
Yulo-Loyzaga has also begun to look into nine multibillion peso (PHP330.6 billion) reclamation projects in Manila Bay which involve over 11,000 hectares.
“Reclamation, of course, is one way forward in terms of the economic development of the different areas. However, kailangan talagang masinsinan ang approach (we need a thorough approach that welcomes) different perspectives from all groups,” she told reporters during a forum.
The DENR is forming this month a task force composed of Filipino scientists and foreign experts which will begin an evaluation of the environmental impact of the ongoing reclamation activities in the Bay.
They will use the Manila Bay Sustainable Development Master Plan undertaken by NEDA with funding from the Dutch government as the baseline material, she says.
An initial assessment has already shown possible violations and the DENR is reviewing the ECC issued to the contractors to check for compliance.
El Niño and Water Security
Yulo-Loyzaga sees water security as a priority and immediate concern, especially with El Niño looming large on the horizon.
“Conservation is on top of our list. But we are also ramping up efforts at installing water collection facilities in areas projected to be hit hard by El Niño,” she says.
Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) has projected that most areas will experience below-normal rainfall conditions from November this year to January 2024. Dry conditions are expected in 40 provinces while dry spells in 26 provinces are seen by the end of December this year.
The creation of the Department’s Water Resources Management Office (WRMO) is expected to spur efforts at implementing “plans and programs of the government to provide universal access to safe, sufficient, affordable, and sustainable water supply, sanitation, and hygiene by 2030.”
A resilient future
Having been executive director of the Jesuit-run Manila Observatory from 2007-2016, Yulo-Loyzaga has long adopted a science-based approach to sustainable development and poverty reduction.
With five years to go, Yulo-Loyzaga appears to have wasted no time in doing what she thinks needs to be done to accomplish the goals she has set during her watch.
With a growing consensus among scientists that the world’s climate has gone beyond the tipping point, Yulo-Loyzaga has the credentials to help steer the country towards a resilient future. (PR)
