DENR reiterates order on intensified forest protection efforts

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) on Friday reiterates its order for intensified forest protection efforts amidst a series of reported forest fires around the country.

DENR Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga cited the Memorandum earlier issued by DENR Undersecretary Atty. Juan Miguel Cuna to all regional executive directors instructing them "to intensify your conduct of forest protection efforts to prevent forest fires".

The Memorandum which was also issued to the Undersecretary for the Mines and Geoscience Bureau (MGB) and the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) also noted the intensified efforts should also "minimize the occurrences and damages" caused by forest fires.

This was after another forest fire engulfed a mountainous area in Barangay Kaganhao, Sta. Cruz in Marinduque early evening Thursday that was only put out Friday morning.

Meanwhile, the Philippine Movement for Climate Justice (PMCJ) has urged the Marcos Administration to declare a national climate emergency in response to the worsening impacts of El Niño and climate change in the country.

Erwin Puhawan, Luzon Coordinator of PMCJ, called out the national government for its inaction despite losses reported across the country.

"Nearly 100 municipalities have declared a state of calamity because of the El Niño, but the Marcos administration has not yet acknowledged this emergency on a national level. We need that declaration to be the basis of our disaster response."

"We don't need to wait to lose more crops and for more people to starve before we act," he added.

Puhawan said allied organizations like the Zambales Lingap sa Kalikasan (ZALIKA) led a fluvial action in Zambales, where water quality and crop yields are greatly compromised by mining, on top of extreme weather events.

They claimed that losses have affected the farmers and fisherfolks in the area, as it has in other parts of the country.

Puhawan added that in Atimonan, Quezon, youth from the Kabataan para sa Kalikasan ng Atimonan (KAPAKANAN) distributed pamphlets and organized a rally raising awareness on climate change and the threat of fossil fuels.

"The youth have taken it upon themselves to protest the construction of a liquefied natural gas power plant in their municipality, as it will adversely affect the health of the community around the power plant while exacerbating climate change," Puhawan explained.

In the Bicol region, the provincial government units of Albay and Camarines Norte are also mobilizing towards 100 percent renewable energy.

These efforts began as Albay declared a climate emergency on the provincial level, while Camarines Norte declared it on the municipal (Labo) and barangay level (Cabusay).

"We are already in a climate emergency. This declaration is overdue even before we were struck by this El Niño," Ian Rivera, national coordinator of PMCJ said.

"Our national government needs to devise a comprehensive national disaster response, alongside a transition plan to 100 percent renewable energy. As a country vulnerable to climate change, we cannot afford to make it worse," he added.

The groups expect an official declaration from the Marcos administration as El Niño and its impacts continue to intensify this month.