AFTER “much introspection,” ABS-CBN Foundation Chairman Gina Lopez accepted the position of secretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) offered to her by President- elect Rodrigo R. Duterte.
“Nagulat nga ako eh, because I’m not the usual choice. My stand on the environment is very clear but this is what I really believe in, na kung alagaan ang kalikasan at kung gawin sa paraan na may pakinabang ang komunidad na doon nakatira, I am very, very sure we can eradicate poverty,” Lopez said in an ambush interview with the media on Tuesday evening, after the Excellence in Educational Transformation Awards held in Dolphy Theatre, ABS-CBN Compound in Quezon City.
She said she already informed Duterte about her decision. She revealed she was not expecting the appointment for she just had a meeting with Duterte to discuss about the environment.
“He then offered the position to me. I just said I am seriously considering it,” she said.
“I just talked to him few minutes ago,” she said, adding she is also ready to face critics and talk to promining groups. Lopez is the daughter of the late ABS-CBN Chairman Emeritus Eugenio Lopez Jr.
Earlier, Duterte promised the Left he would choose his environment secretary from their list of nominees.
Meanwhile, 39 natural caves across the country have been placed under the protection and management of the government, the DENR said.
The agency recently classified an additional 39 caves, bringing to 454 the total number of caverns that are now part of the country’s natural wealth and, therefore, require sustainable management and protection.
Environment Secretary Ramon J.P. Paje said the classification, as embodied in Memorandum Circular 2016-05 that he signed, was necessary to ensure that the caves would be “preserved and properly enjoyed by the public.”
“The directive will help enhance public awareness and appreciation that caves are part of our natural resources because of their significance as ecosystems, which host various forms of wildlife,” Paje said.
“It also helps protect the geological, archaeological, historical and cultural values these caves carry, and helps sustain them for the enjoyment of future generations,” he added. The 39 caves are distributed as follows: six in the Cordillera Administrative Region; seven in Ilocos region; two in Cagayan region; 15 in Bicol; three in Davao del Norte province; and six in Region 12.
(With PNA)