Eastern Visayas, other regions get new DENR officials

CEBU, Philippines — The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) leadership has implemented a revamp of its regional officials.

Environment Secretary Antonia “Toni” Yulo-Loyzaga announced the overhaul of DENR regional offices in the wake of complaints of inefficiency and complacency in their duties.

Yulo-Loyzaga, in Special Orders 2023-418 and 419, both dated July 06, 2023, announced the re-assignment of several Regional Executive Directors (REDs) and officials of two regional offices of the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB), respectively.

Given new assignments under SO 2023-418 were Lormelyn E. Claudio, who will now be the  Regional Executive Director of Eastern Visayas (Region 8),  Arturo E. Fadriquela as OIC RED of Zamboanga Peninsula (R-9), Felix S. Mirasol Jr. as OIC RED of Mimaropa (R-4B), Ronald D. Gadot as OIC Assistant Regional Director for  Technical Services of Northern Mindanao (R-10), Cesar P. Odi as OIC of the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (PENRO) of Romblon, and Arnold A. Blaza Jr. who was assigned to the Office of the Regional Executive Director in Mimaropa.

SO 2023-419, on the other hand, named Martin Jose V. Despi as regional director of the EMB in Central Luzon (R-3) and Wilson L. Trajeco as regional director of EMB’s Eastern Visayas office.

Leyte Rep. Richard I. Gomez (4th District) earlier appealed to Yulo-Loyzaga to “transfer all the heads of the different offices of the DENR Region 8 to other regions,” pointing out that over familiarity between the DENR employees and the local governments have resulted to the personnel’s complicity that caused damage to Leyte’s water, air and land resources.

Among the officials Gomez wanted reassigned were Fadriquela and Despi, who both appeared before the House Committee on Environment and Natural Resources during its inquiry into the alleged massive environmental damages caused by the DBSN Farms Agriventures Corporation to the Ormoc Bay.

Gomez has accused the DBSN, which is owned by Palompon Mayor Ramon Oñate and his wife Lourdes, of gross violation of the country’s land and environmental laws, particularly for polluting the waters of the Albuera-Tinag-an stream system with the solid waste discharge from its chicken farms.

He also alleged that corrupt DENR executives have played blind and deaf and have been complicit with the alleged illegal activities, including the unauthorized digging of compost pits in a watershed area in Barangay San Joaquin in Palompon, Leyte.

Oñate, in several media reports, had denied the allegations. He said his businesses have followed environmental laws.

Yulo-Loyzaga’s re-assignment orders took “effect immediately.” — (FREEMAN)