President Rodrigo Duterte swears in Roy Cimatu as the new environment secretary in Malaca帽ang. (Photo from MALACA脩ANG)
Rejected Environment Secretary Gina Lopez has asked supporters who have been calling for her reinstatement to give her replacement, retired Armed Forces chief Roy Cimatu, a chance, and learn to 鈥渨ork together鈥� with him.
鈥淚 welcome the appointment and look forward to working together with him in the sphere of development,鈥� Lopez said on Monday evening during a vigil held by environmental groups outside the office of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in Quezon City. 鈥淗e brings certain abilities to the DENR, and we can all work together.鈥�
鈥淣o one carries all the qualifications,鈥� Lopez said. 鈥淚 have heard he is a good man, and we will give him a chance. After all, he was the one appointed by the President. We should give him a chance.鈥�
Among those who were at the vigil were Greenpeace members, who had chained themselves to the DENR gates, and members of left-oriented groups, such as Sanlakas, who were chanting: 鈥淎yaw namin kay Cimatu! (We don鈥檛 want Cimatu!).鈥�
Left-leaning green groups, such as the Kalikasan Philippine Network for the Environment, have denounced Cimatu鈥檚 appointment, stating: 鈥淎 military man in the DENR鈥檚 helm would betray the people鈥檚 longstanding clamour for social justice and environmental protection.鈥�
鈥淲e urge Duterte to reconsider this decision, as Cimatu has virtually no track record on addressing environmental issues and instead has a record of defending environmental plunderers and engaging in corruption,鈥� Kalikasan had said, in a statement on Tuesday.
But Lopez, after hearing the chants against Cimatu, said: 鈥淭he President has appointed him. We鈥檒l give it a go. Love also means giving others a chance as long as they don鈥檛 break the basic rules of integrity. It鈥檚 not good to judge people [and put them] in a box.鈥�
Lopez expressed hope that, even if Cimatu was from the military, 鈥淗e will be open enough to work with the [New People鈥檚 Army], and will have the heart enough to work with indigenous people鈥e have a non-negotiable commitment鈥or common good.鈥�
Lopez courted controversy, but also support from leftists, by saying she would be willing to work with the the New People鈥檚 Army in rehabilitating mines.
The chants turned instead to 鈥淏antayan ang DENR! (Guard the DENR!),鈥� in reference to calls by groups such as Greenpeace to protect the agency from being taken over by business interests.
Lopez had earlier suggested that President Rodrigo Duterte himself take the helm of the DENR because it needed someone 鈥渕atapang鈥� (courageous).
鈥淭hen he appointed a four-star general that used to head the AFP,鈥� Lopez observed.
鈥淚 like the President. I feel he鈥檚 a really good man,鈥� she added. 鈥淪o we give [Cimatu] a chance without sacrificing our values, principles because the President has appointed him and if we fight with him the country cannot come up.鈥�
Green groups have blasted the President for not sticking by Lopez.
鈥淚f Duterte is true to his promise that 鈥榗hange is coming,鈥� he could have defied mining oligarchs by still reappointing Gina Lopez as environment secretary,鈥� Kalikasan said. 鈥淒uterte could have appointed other deserving pro-people, pro-environment figures who will surely go above and beyond the standards of environmental leadership that Lopez demonstrated.鈥�
Lopez admitted that, like the green groups, she was 鈥渁lso not happy鈥� with her rejection by the Commission on Appointments.
鈥淭he reason for my rejection was鈥here was over-concern for due process, a lack of concern for the poor,鈥� Lopez said in an interview with the media.
Though she has yet to meet with Duterte after her rejection, Lopez said she still believed in the President:
鈥淚 think if I were bypassed, the President would have reappointed me,鈥� Lopez said. 鈥淏ut Congress and Senate rejected me. So it doesn鈥檛 leave the President any choice. This is not his decision.鈥�
Saying she wouldn鈥檛 鈥渘eed a position to help,鈥� Lopez reiterated: 鈥淲e can work together with General Cimatu.鈥�
鈥淚 hope we can keep the development bias,鈥� she added. 鈥淚 hope [they keep] the policies we made 鈥� like the ban on open pit mining and no mining in watersheds, stopping the mining in areas鈥� I hope they give a green economy a chance.鈥�
A welcome ceremony for Cimatu was scheduled on Wednesday) at the DENR. /atm