DENR institutionalizes ‘TRANSFORM’ office

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has initiated a program that converges efforts of the government, academe, private sector, and civil society on resilience and environmental sustainability for cities and municipalities nationwide — Project TRANSFORM (Transdisciplinary Approach for Resilience and Sustainability through Multi-stakeholder Engagement).

DENR Secretary Antonia Loyzaga said that per DENR Administrative Order (DAO) No. 2024-01, Project TRANSFORM Management office (PTMO) will focus on overseeing collaborative projects for resilience and environmental sustainability across various cities and municipalities nationwide.

The PTMO, she said, was formed as the defined authority to strengthen the resiliency of communities, champion public-private partnerships, and alleviate poverty through job creation and strong collaboration with various stakeholders.

Housed under the Office of the Secretary’s Special Projects and Priority Programs, the PTMO covers specific priority public-private partnership projects carried out by national government agencies and local government units (LGUs) under various contractual arrangements or schemes.

A Director and Deputy Director will lead the PTMO, which will be composed of three project monitoring units from the Central Office (COPMU), Luzon and Visayas (LVPMU) and Mindanao (MPMU).

Among the functions of the LVPMU and MPMU will be to determine the issues and concerns in their areas of jurisdiction, recommend appropriate nature-based solutions, and monitor, maintain, and manage the performance of the TRANSFORM projects being implemented in their areas.

On the other hand, the COPMU will serve as the overall manager of TRANSFORM projects and exercise jurisdiction over the two program monitoring units.

Meanwhile, a focal person for each DENR bureau and regional office will be assigned to ensure the effective implementation of the program.

“These programs include, but not limited to the National Greening Program, Coastal Rehabilitation, Livelihood Projects, Greenhouse Gases Inventory and Capacity Building programs,” according to the DAO.