| Environmental governance and the DENR shuffle |
|
|
| Wednesday, 17 February 2010 | |||||
We are not privy to the reasons behind the spate of appointments to the position of Secretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). The situation however does raise questions on how the DENR is valued by this administration and whether there is recognition and appreciation of the mandate that DENR holds and must serve.
This is not to question the skills and qualifications of past and
present appointees, but the manner by which the process of appointment
is fractured and tainted by real and perceived political interests. In
any political appointment, there will always be those who will support
and oppose, and DENR's history of appointments and the arduous process
of confirmation and non-confirmation with the Commission of
Appointments, attest to this.
However, DENR leadership and management during these times is especially crucial as environmental concerns in relation to the impact of changing climate patterns are becoming more severe and more complex. The need for strong and consistent institutional leadership is much needed as the country defines its responses and the adaptations needed by its communities and local governments. DENR's work integration with the other departments and bureaucracies that have responsibility as well in responding to environmental concerns is critical. These cannot be meaningfully addressed if the DENR leadership post is not taken seriously and supported.
Institutional building and strengthening does include making the necessary changes and shifts, but when the institution is used for other purposes beyond its mandate, when an institution is used as a political platform from where to jump to other juicier posts, this invariably weakens the institution left behind. This has been the sorry state of DENR leadership in a number of appointments. The President is expected to make appointments of the team members that can best accompany the vision to be realized and the action to be implemented. The appointment is ideally undertaken with the measured consideration and assessment of the merits of the person and the fitness to the job at hand. But when an appointment is done to serve as a political reward or as political pay forward for future services, the appointment process becomes a great disservice, both to the institution and to the people the institution is mandated to serve. This political shuffling is not solely found in DENR; there are other Departments that go through this similarly. This is also not peculiar to the Arroyo administration, it's just that this administration has been in office since 2001 and had more time to do a bit more shuffling. The latest appointment to the post, Horacio Ramos, has already stated that his term will be temporary and that he will hold the position until around July 2010, when the new administration takes over after the 10 May elections. "Let me be clear that I will be manning the fort only as a transitional secretary and I see my task as ensuring a smooth turnover to the new secretary in the incoming administration in July," said Ramos.In the meantime, the country's environment and natural resources will not have the luxury to shuffle its position and cannot wait for the new DENR secretary to take over in July. We will have to survive while drought cuts and blisters the North, people and property are still caught in floods and landslides, and watersheds and ecosystems compromised and with limited management. The bright side to this is that environmental governance does not rely on the national government solely and that local initiatives are emerging in many areas in the country. As we wait for DENR and the national government to get its act together, communities in upland and coastal areas and local governments who appreciate the value of environmental governance are showing the way.
|
|||||
| Last Updated ( Wednesday, 10 March 2010 ) | |||||
