Press Releases

DENR, partners hold massive coastal cleanup drive

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) here, along with partner agencies and volunteers, recently embarked on a massive cleanup drive and collected over 1,860 sacks of wastes in an effort to avert trash from potentially polluting the region’s waterways and coastlines.

DENR Regional Executive Director Paquito Moreno, Jr. reported that during the International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) Day on September 17, about 2,880 personnel of local government units, academe and private organizations joined the DENR in cleaning the coastlines of Barangay Pag-asa in Bagac, Mt. View in Mariveles, Kabalutan in Orani, and Orion, Bataan; Barangay Santa Monica, Sta. Lucia, San Pedro, and San Antonio in Sasmuan, Pampanga; and Barangay Bolitoc in Sta. Cruz and Baloganon in Masinloc, Zambales.

Participants also cleaned Bangkal creek along Barangay San Nicolas and San Roque in Bamban, Tarlac.

“Small actions, when collectively done, create a significant impact. As we are all stakeholders in keeping our environment healthy and trash-free, we continuously encourage communities to practice proper waste segregation and participate in our efforts to conserve the habitat of our marine biodiversity,” Moreno urged.

The DENR continues to conduct cleanup activities in support of the National Cleanup Month this September.

This year’s observance of the ICC Day bears the theme “Fighting for Trash-Free Sea: Pilipinas Ending the Flow of Trash at the Source,” which advocates for proper waste management at home.

Proclamation No. 470 in 2003 declares the third Saturday of September each year as the ICC Day, which is simultaneously done by other nations worldwide. (-30-)

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DENR, UNDP convene to strengthen benefit-sharing, conservation of genetic resources

 
 
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) here, along with experts from the Biodiversity Management Bureau (BMB) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), convened in an inception workshop aimed at strengthening benefit-sharing and conservation of the country’s genetic resources, particularly its endemic flora.
 
Natividad Bernardino, deputy director of BMB and chair of the Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) National Project, notes that this multi-sectoral initiative funded by the Global Environment Facility is an opportunity to advance the inclusion of endemic and abundant genetic resources in the value chain, consequently increasing their market value.
 
“The ABS Project is a step forward to developing at least two bio-products from local genetic resources of Banaba in Region 3 (Lagerstroemia speciosa) and Pili tree (Canarium ovatum and Canarium luzonicum) in Region 5,” Bernardino explained.
 
The workshop held in Lubao, Pampanga served as an avenue to establish strategic collaboration and partnerships among local government units, Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, Department of Science and Technology, National Economic and Development Authority, Department of Health, Pharmalytics Corporation, Herbanext Laboratories Inc., indigenous peoples, and other key stakeholders who are both beneficiaries and advocates of the project’s full implementation in Region 3 for the next six years.
 
For his part, DENR Regional Executive Director Paquito Moreno, Jr. welcomed this initiative as an opportunity to boost conservation efforts of indigenous trees in Central Luzon, which would likewise be supplemental to the government’s existing reforestation program, as well as in the efforts to sustain the population of native trees that prevent them from potential extinction.
 
“This will improve the value chain of Banaba and soon, all species, ensuring that we are ever more conscious of our dependence on nature for our survival through the challenges of climate change and economic stress,” Moreno said.
 
He added that this project resonates fully with the guidance of Environment Secretary Ma. Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga to protect indigenous species as part of natural heritage and harness these resources for the benefit of the country.
 
Moreno notes that with the medicinal properties of Banaba—an indigenous tree species to the Philippines and Southeast Asia—its market potential offers high profitability and accessibility as the tree is found all over Central Luzon where it is typically planted along roadsides.
 
Research shows that a tea made from boiling the leaves of Banaba is used to maintain kidney health and lower blood sugar. Its bark is said to be good for diarrhea, while its root extracts act as a pain reliever. (-30-)
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DENR plants bamboos in Bamban River to boost reforestation, Manila Bay rehab efforts

 
 
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) here planted over 230 bamboo seedlings along Bamban River in an effort to boost reforestation and Manila Bay rehabilitation efforts in Tarlac.
 
Celia Esteban, provincial chief of the DENR office in Tarlac, reported that the 3,600-square meter portion of the Bamban River located in Barangay Lourdes of the said town were planted with bamboo.
 
Esteban added that the DENR office in Tarlac has regularly conducted cleanup activities, in collaboration with partner agencies and the 40 estero rangers deployed in the area who collected an average of about 14,500 kilos of waste daily.
 
Meanwhile, Paquito Moreno, Jr., executive director of the DENR in Central Luzon, notes that planting bamboos is a crucial component of rehabilitating denuded forest areas, facilitating rapid recovery of river easements and stabilizing river banks, particularly in Manila Bay areas in Bataan, Bulacan, Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, and Tarlac.
 
Since the Manila Bay cleanup and rehabilitation program started in 2019, the DENR here has planted more than 141,000 kilometer-stretch of river systems with 38,390 bamboos.
 
This year alone, over 140,000 tons of wastes have been collected from 15,000 cleanup activities conducted in Manila Bay areas in Region 3. (-30-)
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DENR, partners score 13,000 board feet of illegal logs in Nueva Ecija

 
 
The intensified crackdown on illegal forest activities of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) here and partner law enforcement agencies resulted in the apprehension of over 13,000 board feet of illegal logs in General Tinio, Nueva Ecija.
 
This came after a composite team from the DENR, Nueva Ecija Police Provincial Office (NEPPO), local police station of General Tinio, and 84th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army held an operation in Barangay Pias and Rio Chico of the said municipality.
 
Gerundio Fernandez, provincial chief of the DENR office in Nueva Ecija, reported that upon seeing operatives coming over near the area, illegal loggers immediately escaped and abandoned cut logs of Tanguile and Mayapis along the Sumacbao riverbank.
 
“Illegal loggers took advantage of the high level of water in Sumacbao River brought by heavy rainfalls. Confiscated logs were kept afloat and transported to the downstream of the river using balsa,” Fernandez explained.
 
Apprehended products with a corresponding value of over P800,000 were brought to the municipal compound of General Tinio and NEPPO for temporary custody and safekeeping.
 
The DENR, in collaboration with the NEPPO, is in the process of filing criminal case against the identified culprits for violation of Presidential Decree 705, otherwise known as the Revised Forestry Code of the Philippines.
 
The DENR, on the other hand, is initiating administrative adjudication of the case.
 
Forest rangers and protection officers of the DENR are deployed in the area to strictly monitor potential movement of contrabands, following reports that illegal loggers may operate again to transport remaining logs through the Sumacbao River.
 
For his part, DENR Regional Executive Paquito Moreno, Jr. has expressed his gratitude to the NEPPO and the Army for their significant support to the efforts of the DENR to curb illegal forest activities in Nueva Ecija, noting that it is through their collective force and strong alliance that operations against environmental crimes have become deterrent and preventative.
 
This year, the DENR, along with said law enforcement partners, has conducted 85 operations leading to the apprehension of over P3.5-million worth of suspected illegal forest products.
 
Aside from strengthening the Regional Anti-Illegal Logging Task Force, the DENR has worked closely and sustained active partnerships with 7th Infantry Division, 703rd Infantry Brigade, First Scout Ranger Regiment, and 3rd Regional Community Defense Group of the Army, Philippine National Police, LGUs and indigenous groups to boost the government’s forest and wildlife protection programs, particularly in saving the remaining forests of Central Luzon.
 
Moreno reiterated the DENR’s call for heightened public vigilance against environmental crimes and urged local residents to immediately call authorities when they spot any incident of suspected illegal forest activities.
The executive director appealed to the public to report these concerns to the nearest DENR office in their area or contact DENR hotline at (0945) 368 5303. (-30-)
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Youth leaders, IPs convene towards climate action

 
 
Youth leaders of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and National Youth Commission (NYC), along with 20 indigenous youth from Porac town, recently convened in a three-day immersion and ecotour activity advocating for environmental stewardship and climate action.
 
The event coined as “TImE-X: Training, Immersion, Ecotour for the Youth—the Stakeholders with the X Factor” aimed to empower the youth and help them understand the complexities of leadership, responsibility, integrity and transparency for environmental protection, natural resources conservation and climate change mitigation.
 
DENR Regional Executive Director Paquito Moreno, Jr. noted that the activity allowed participating youth leaders and IP communities to share their perspectives and best practices on climate change mitigation and adaptation.
 
“Our youth is vital in spreading the message of environmentalism to their communities,” Moreno said.
 
During the event, participants planted bamboo propagules along the slopes of Mount Arayat and did soil potting for use in the DENR’s pilot bamboo production nursery.
 
They also visited the Lubao Bamboo Hub and Eco-Park to learn more about the potential of bamboo for ecotourism and carbon capture.
 
Indigenous youth took part in a multi-sectoral exchange with the IP and barangay leaders, the NYC, the DENR Youth Desk, and the Climate Change Service.
 
The event marked the opening of a photo exhibit on the so-called “blue lagoon” or “kelwad” as it is locally known—a potential ecotourism site in Porac town. (-30-)
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