The Philippine Online Chronicles

A prominent environmental law expert is calling for the abolition of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) on the charge of “institutional schizophrenia.”

Antonio Oposa, Jr., pioneer of environmental law studies in the country and one of Asia’s leading expert in the said field, claims that the DENR should be scrapped because of its conflicting roles as regulator of conservation and at the same time mineral exploitation.

Oposa, a 2009 Ramon Magsaysay Awardee, was quoted saying, “Conservation has no money. Mining has money. So, in a debate, guess who wins?”

Oposa further pointed out that mining companies are powerful and wealthy entities thus making it really difficult to close down violators.

“You have, in the department, people who are thrifty for conservation, yet you have the thrust of the same department where people who are gambling irreparably and irreversibly on the natural wealth of the country. You will have Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,” he said.

Manila Standard Today columnist Peter Wallace earlier pointed out that “you can’t have promotion and regulation of an activity under one entity.” He said the DENR should be split up into a Department of Environment and a Department of Natural Resources. “But we need someone to file a bill,” he said.

Oposa said he had been talking to senators about his proposal. Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri had in fact filed a bill to abolish the DENR and create the said separate agencies. So far, no similar bill has been filed in the House of Representatives.

Oposa is proposing a National Environmental Protection Agency and a separate Department of Natural Resources. He emphasized the urgency of his call citing the fact that the Philippines is one of the richest ecosystems in the world.

“Pound for pound, hectare for hectare, the Philippines is the richest land on Earth, but the budget for protected areas is only P70 million — only 70 percent of one percent of the national budget,” he added.