Umaasa si Environment Secretary Roy A. Cimatu na mabubuo sa lalong madaling panahon ang Environmental Protection and Enforcement Bureau (EPEB) matapos magsagawa ng joint meeting ang dalawang committee ng House of Representatives para sa iminumungkahing panukala upang mapalakas ang enforcement ng environmental laws ng bansa.
“What we are seeing is a sense of urgency and concerted effort at the House of Representatives and the Senate to reform the implementation of environmental laws of the land and establish a strong institution whose singular task is to be the government’s backbone in running after violators of our environmental laws like illegal loggers and wildlife poachers,” saad ni Cimatu.
Noong Marso 3 nang magkaroon ng joint hearing ang House Committee on Government Reorganization at Committee on Natural Resources para talakayin ang “six proposed measures” na magpapalakas sa environmental laws.
Apat sa anim na House Bills (HBs) ay nagtutulak na bumuo ng EPEB, isang permanenteng enforcement bureau sa ilalim ng Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
Ito ay ang HB 6973 na inihain ni Deputy Speaker at Antique Rep. Loren Legarda; HB 7873 ni Deputy Speaker at South Cotabato 2nd District Rep. Ferdinand Hernandez; HB 7670 ni Ilocos Norte 2nd District Rep. Angelo Marcos Barba; at HB 8028 ni Camarines Sur 2nd District Rep. Raymund “LRay” Villafuerte.
Dalawa namang counterpart bills para sa pagbuo ng EPEB ang inihain na sa senado. Ito ay ang Senate Bill (SB) 1878 na inisponsoran ni Senator Nancy Binay at SB 1579 na iniakda ni Senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla, Jr.
Nagkaroon na rin ng house deliberations tungkol sa HB 3794 ni Deputy Speaker at Cagayan de Oro 2nd District Rep. Rufus Rodriguez at HB 1648 ni Magdalo Partylist Rep. Manuel D.G. Cabochan III.
Ang dalawang panukalang batas ay ninanais na mailipat ang line bureaus ng DENR na Environmental Management Bureau at Biodiversity Management Bureau para mabuo ang National Environmental Protection Agency o NEPA.
Ang joint meeting na idinaos sa House of Representative ay dinaluhan ni Environmental Protection and Enforcement Task Force (EPETF) Executive Director Nilo Tamoria.
Ayon kay Tamoria, ang paglalagay ng regulatory at enforcement functions sa isang tanggapan ay napatunayang isang problema tulad ng kaso ng NEPA measures.
“However, the EPEB bills seeks to consolidate and strengthen DENR’s mandate to enforce environmental laws through a single office whose core function is exclusively enforcement,” paliwanag nito.
Binigay nitong halimbawa ang Mines and Geosciences Bureau kung bakit ang isang enforcement bureau sa loob ng DENR ay dapat mabuo.
“Yes, the MGB has enforcement powers but it has to be done in coordination with other law enforcement agencies as provided for under Republic Act (RA) 7942 or the Philippine Mining Act of 1995,” saad ni Tamoria.
Sa ginanap na pulong, nagpahayag ng pagsuporta ang Department of Justice (DOJ) at National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) sa pagbuo ng EPEB.
“The enforcement of natural resources and environmental laws, rules and regulations is within the powers and functions of the DENR pursuant to the Administrative Code,” sabi ni DOJ Director Jane Garcia-Doble.
“Based on our reading of Section 5 of HB 3794, we find that NEPA has no specific powers and function related to enforcement,” dagdag pa ni Doble.
Ipinaliwanag naman ni NBI Environmental Crime Division Officer Atty. Habeas Corpuz na tanging ang DENR ang may kapangyarihan na magsagawa ng pag-aresto batay na rin sa nakasaad sa Presidential Decree 705 na kilala rin sa Forestry Reform Code of the Philippines.
Binigyan diin ni Corpuz na ang batas na katulad ng RA 9003 o Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000 at RA 7942 ay tahimik kung sino sa EMB at MGB ang magsasagawa ng pag aresto o pagkumpiska sa mga equipment na ginamit sa illegal mining operations.
“There seems to be a lack of enforcement functions of the DENR, so on that aspect we fully support the creation of EPEB to further strengthen the enforcement of our environmental laws,” saad ni Corpuz.
Ang joint hearing ay pinamunuan nina Committee on Government Reorganization Chairman, Batangas 2nd District Rep. Mario Vittorio “Mayey” A. Mariño at Committee on Natural Resources Chairman, Cavite 4th District Rep. Elpidio F. Barzaga.Jr.
Nagkasundo din ang dalawang mambabatas na bumuo ng technical working group na magsasagawa ng pag-aaral at pagsasamahin ang apat na “measures” kabilang na kung aaprubahan ang HBs 3794 at 1648 sa committee level bago ito umakyat sa plenaryo para sa second reading.
