Group pushes creation of envi enforcement agency

The third edition of Environmental Law Talks in Southeast Asia came up with two major calls – for local government units to take the frontline in environment protection and the creation of an integrated environmental law enforcement agency.

Environmentalists, law enforcers and lawyers are calling on local government units to be at the frontline of environmental protection since they are better acquainted with local realities than the national government.

The group is also calling on the Philippine government to remove the power of environmental protection from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and create an independent government agency whose primary function is to enforce environmental laws, with quasi-judicial powers and to centralize in it all powers of environmental protection currently lodged in various government bureaus and offices.

“Realizing that one challenge to the enforcement of environmental laws in the Philippines is the fusion of the diametrically conflicting powers of resource utilization and environmental protection in only one office – the DENR, and the attachment to other government agencies or bureaus tasked to enforce other environmental protection laws,” read the action plan.

The Environment Talks Southeast Asia which focused on “Mainstreaming environment justice through science-based, participatory governance and effective law enforcement and adjudication. It was organized by the University of Cebu College of Law with support from the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung.