DAVAO CITY, Philippines—Days after the Commission on Appointments rejected Gina Lopez as the environment secretary, the hunt for the next Department of Environment and Natural Resources chief has started already and one of the persons being eyed is a law school dean of Rizal Memorial Colleges.
The name of lawyer Ramon Edison C. Batacan has surfaced lately as one of the potential candidates to head DENR, according to The Star.
Sought to comment, Batacan told DavaoToday that he was surprised to hear the news with him being considered as the next DENR chief.
“I don’t know to how to react. I am just surprised about the news,” he said. He, however, said that he would be happy serving President Rodrigo Duterte.
“The thought of being considered is already an honor,” said Batacan.”I want to make my share in helping the President in whatever capacity I can [d0 with or without the DENR portfolio]”
Apart from working as the dean of RMC’s college of law, Batacan is also the senior partner of the Batacan, Montejo and Vincencio Law Firm, whose law office is located at Abreeza Corporate Center.
One of the most respected legal luminaries in Davao, he was credited for drafting the Water Resource Protection and Management Code for Davao City which aims to protect and preserve the city’s water resources.
He also served as the Chief Corporate Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer of Phoenix Petroleum Philippines Inc. from Oct. 21, 2013 to Feb. 1, 2016.
Meanwhile, the President’s political party PDP-Laban has also endorsed lawyer Mark Kristopher Tolentino. A former local government official, Tolentino is a San Beda College graduate and now a private litigation lawyer. (davaotoday.com)
