The power of lobby money

We watched on TV last week the turn over ceremonies at the Department of Environ­ment and Natural Resources (DENR) and couldn’t help but feel a twinge of regret at the loss of this fine woman for the country and for our environment.

But even until the end, former DENR Secretary Gina Lopez displayed spunk, cour­age and energy as she led the DENR employees in a cheer to welcome her replacement for­mer soldier and diplomat Roy Cimatu.

The former environment chief made her presence in the DENR and the mining indus­try from day one. She ordered an audit of all mining sites and firms and took away the envi­ronmental certificates from the majority of the mining indus­try for substantial violations against the environment and the law.

Despite the strong lobby of mining groups, Lopez ordered the closure of 23, suspension of five mining firms and the cancellation of 75 mining con­tracts operating in watershed areas. She also demanded that mining companies pay P2 mil­lion for every hectare of farm­land affected by their activities before they can remove their stockpiles.

In her 10 months of tenure at the helm of the much-cov­eted cabinet post, she was fearless. The lady has “balls.” Massive outpouring of support came from the public for the political will and courage that she has shown.

Lopez refused to be swal­lowed by politics, by big busi­ness, by the bureaucracy. And she paid the price. Her con­firmation was rejected by the powerful Commission on Ap­pointments (CA).

Even now, there are loud whispers that the lobby mon­ey allegedly used to oust Lopez has worked. No less than Pres­ident Duterte attributed the CA’s rejection of Lopez as en­vironment chief to the persua­sive power of “lobby money.”

In the face of millions, maybe even billions, love of country goes kaput. Politics and big money are indeed bed­fellows like no other.

According to people close to Lopez, her passion and courage was evident even at a young age. Lopez left her elite life in Manila and became a yoga missionary for 20 years in Portugal, India, and Africa.

She became an Ananda Marga yoga missionary who taught yoga, ran pre-primary schools and children’s homes for the underprivileged. She even lived among the people of slum areas in Africa guided by the slogan ‘Service to humani­ty is service to God’.

A woman of passion and courage, Gina Lopez was, to phrase it like Yoda.

She did not lose those qualities even after her return to the embrace of her old life in the Philippines. Lopez developed corporate social responsibility programs for the environment and Filipi­no communities and became the Managing Director of the ABS-CBN Foundation, becoming her family’s spirit and soul by giving back to the people.

The programs she initiat­ed have become brand names and prime examples of corpo­rate social responsibility and service: Bantay Bata 163, Ban­tay Kalikasan and Sineskuwela to name some.

It was no surprise that she received awards for these la­bors of passion.

But her greatest passion was for the environment.

She pushed for the re­habilitation of the Pasig Riv­er and nearby urban streams through the Kapit Bisig para sa Ilog Pasig project. Her ef­forts in rehabilitating the toxic river system led to her appointment by former Pres­ident Noynoy Aquino as Chairperson of the Pasig Riv­er Rehabilitation Commis­sion.

Lopez also pushed for the reforestation of the La Mesa Watershed Reservation.

A staunch anti-mining advocate, her passion for the environment made her the perfect candidate as an Envi­ronment Secretary. And Presi­dent Duterte saw that passion as well when he chose her.

Then again, Roy Cimatu, the successor of Lopez is no slouch either. He is a tough soldier and former Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff.

Shortly after his retire­ment, former President Gloria Arroyo appointed him as spe­cial envoy of the Middle East Preparedness Team, which was tasked to look after the safety and welfare of Filipinos in the Middle East.

Secretary Cimatu has big shoes to fill. However, we be­lieve that his steady and sober outlook can help him face the gargantuan challenge of bal­ancing the business of respon­sible mining and the crucial task of protecting the environ­ment. He deserves our sup­port.

In the meantime, fear not Secretary Lopez, the future is still ahead for you.

In your short stint with the government, you rattled the mining industry and the environment department like no one has ever done before. Perhaps, that is what you were supposed to do. Maybe that is a good start, for now.