Environment advocacy groups based in Davao City call on the public to support Department of Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Gina Lopez on her appointment confirmation. The groups hailed Lopez for her hard line stance against large-scale destruction mining operations. (Earl O. Condeza/davaotoday.com)
DAVAO CITY, Philippines – Amid the criticisms and attempts to bloc her appointment, various environmentalists expressed their support Wednesday to the confirmation of appointment of Gina Lopez, secretary of Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
Atty. Romeo Cabarde, Jr, director of Ateneo Public Interest on Legal Advocacy of Ateneo de Davao University, said Lopez should be confirmed because she is a leader for the environment.
“[She] is one leader who has concern on the environment, the people,” Cabarde said during Wednesday’s Habi at Kape news conference.
Cabarde said mining companies should stop “the lies to discredit” Lopez.
“It is not true that mining help the economy of the Philippines, it is not true that mining help the community that affected by their operations, it is not true that mining will generate a lot of employment to the people in the community,” Cabarde added.
DENR’s Lopez is slated to be confirmed on March 1. Recent reports indicated, however, that a score of mining companies vowed to bloc her appointment, a reason why environmentalists across the country are rallying on her back and called on Congress to be discerning and disregard the efforts to discredit her.
Alongside with Cabarde were environment advocates group Panalipdan, Gabriela Women’s Party, watershed advocates group Integrated Development Interventions, farmer-led Masipag, Inc., community development organizations GITIB, Inc., and Ananda Seva Mission.
For Dr. Jean Lindo, spokesperson of Panalipdan Mindanao said that Lopez deserves to be confirmed for she understands the mining issue in the country.
“She has a deep understanding on the mining issue, we support her,” Lindo said. “And we call on the public to support her.”
Lindo also put on the pressure to the Congress, Senate and people in power to support Lopez.
A representative of alliance of national minority group, Sandugo, also expressed support to Lopez as the environment secretary.
Bai Ali Indayla, convener of Sandugo said that they have been conducting Manilakbayan, a human rights caravan from Mindanao to National Capital Region, and talked with the said department.
Only in 2015, when Lopez was not yet the secretary, talked with the Lumad who marched their way to Manila for almost a month.
“Malaki ang aming paniniwala na ang paninindigan ni Lopez nagmula sa hinaing ng mamamayan (We believe that Lopez’s stance came from the cries of the people),” Indayla said.
Indayla said that Lopez should be confirmed as the secretary for the environment describing her as one who has “conscience” towards the people and the environment.
“Ngayon lang kami nakakita ng pagbabago ng ahensya (It is only now that we saw change in the DENR),” Indayla added.
Roldan Gonzales, country coordinator of Gitib in the Philippines, said that they have been working with Lopez for a long time and the have been with Lopez during the auditing of different mining firms in the country.
“For the past years, she’s in the forefront in the campaign against coal and large-scale mining,” Gonzales said. “Her stand is sincere to the interest of the poor and the people.”
“She even said, ‘I don’t want people suffering’. That message, that attitude, shows how appropriate that she will be there in the agency [DENR] that we have been expecting,” Gonzales added.
For Mark Peñalver, policy advocacy specialist of IDIS, an advocate group of watershed protection, said he believed that water is life.
“Without water everything cannot survive,” Peñalver said.
“We really feel kung unsa ang feeling ni Lopez karon kung why we need to close mining companies within watershed areas,” Peñalver added.
Peñalver said Lopez, for how many administrations, was someone in the DENR who “really, genuinely promote social justice and promote what is “intergenerational” responsibility.
He added that, Lopez promotes “intergenerational” justice, that would not only give justice to the present but also to the future generation.
“We want Lopez to stay as secretary of DENR,” Peñalver said. In a video posted on her facebook account, Lopez said that mining operations provide jobs for the community but not for all as there were farmers, fisher folks and their livelihood were affected with the destruction of mining.
“Aren’t their lives important too?” she asked.
For farmer development advocate, Leo XL Fuentes, Mindanao coordinator of Masipag, Lopez is “seldom” as secretary that would stand for the environment.
Fuentes hopes that Lopez would be confirmed as the secretary of DENR.
Meanwhile, Ellen Trazo of Ananda Seva Mission, who knew Lopez for a long time as both missionaries in Africa, said Lopez is the who can be the voice in environment protection.
“I think she’s the only one who can be our voice, to protect nature, protect life,” Trazo said.
“It is not only the fight of Lopez but all our fight for the future,” Trazo added.
The environment advocates told the media that they would be conducting mass mobilization, most probably on March 1, the day of confirmation of appointment of Lopez, to show support for her confirmation as the secretary of DENR. (davaotoday.com)
