Why Jamby doesn't want DENR Secretary Lito Atienza confirmed

In the Manila Standard column “In the line of fire” by Fel Maragay published on July 7, the columnist asks why Senator Jamby Madrigal has not called for a confirmation hearing for Environment Secretary Lito Atienza.

“Despite the inroads made by the Environment Department in performing its mandate tasks under his stewardship, why is Atienza’s confirmation still hanging at the Commission on Appointments more than two years after he was appointed to his Cabinet post? Are there complaints and objections to his appointment? You will not believe this, but do you know that the CA’s committee on environment and natural resources, chaired by Senator Jamby Madrigal, has not yet called or held any confirmation hearing on the Atienza appointment up to this day. Many are wondering why, including Senate President and committee chairman Juan Ponce Enrile. In view of this, it is wrong to say that Atienza has been repeatedly bypassed by the bicameral Commission. It is only when the concerned committee fails to endorse a Cabinet appointment after a hearing or series of hearings that the same can be considered bypassed upon the adjournment of Congress.”

I suppose that this is just as well as the country’s environmental conditions are definitely worsening.

Just today, the DENR is meeting with officials of Marinduque in a bid to re-open the Marcopper mines. The sweetener in the deal is that the DENR will not be averse to the clean-up of the 26-kilometer Boac River, which sustained the worst damage when the Tapian mine tailings pit collapsed on March 24, 1996 and discharged millions of liters of contaminated waste into the river system and then on to the Philippine Sea.

The destruction of the main river in Marinduque and six sub-river systems has been particularly deleterious to the livelihood of fishermen and farmers, many of whom have pending damage suits against Marcopper.

Two years ago, protesting farmers and fishermen supported by environmental groups demanded payment for the destruction caused by the 1996 calamity and reiterated they would oppose any move to reopen the mine, which operated for about 60 years and discharged more than 200 million tons of waste into the bay.

All riverine life in Marinduque has been slaughtered by the waste dumped by Marcopper and the levels of arsenic, cadmium, and copper are high, with agricultural land and sources of drinking water contaminated.

This, of course, is not to mention the state of the Pasig River in Metro Manila which reeks of the DENR’s incapability under Atienza’s leadership to clean up the environment.