MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Transportation (DOTr) and Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) on Wednesday sealed a partnership to advance aviation and maritime infrastructure development while promoting environmental protection.
DOTr Secretary Giovanni Lopez said the agreement with DENR’s Ecosystems Research and Development Bureau (ERDB) was in connection with the implementation and monitoring of the project 'Development of Science-based Procedure for Earth-balling of Mangroves" in Leyte.
“Primarily, this includes the relocation of mangroves that would be affected by the construction of the shore protection and perimeter road in the vicinity of Daniel Z. Romualdez Airport,” Lopez said.
DOTr Undersecretary for Aviation and Airports Jim Sydiongco reiterated the need to relocate the mangroves within the vicinity of the Tacloban airport in order to prevent bird strikes.
“Balancing airport capacity with environmental sustainability requires inter-agency cooperation, which is why we coordinated with the DENR on how we can proceed with the expansion without sacrificing the environment,” Sydiongco said.
“With careful planning and investment, we can complement airport development with environmental sustainability,” he added.
In a related development, the two agencies have also agreed to jointly develop further studies related to both conservation of mangroves and enhancement of operational capacity of the New Cebu International Container Port (NCICP).
According to Transportation Assistant Secretary for Maritime Villamor Plan, the DOTr’s collaboration with DENR-ERDB was to ensure that the mangroves affected by the construction of NCICP would be relocated to coastal areas where they can thrive.
“This is a significant step to balance infrastructure development with environmental protection. The mangrove earth balling activity for NCICP demonstrates our shared responsibility to protect our coastal and marine ecosystems while pursuing the development of vital infrastructure for our country,” Plan said.
The infrastructure development and protection of the environment require a whole-of-nation approach by balancing the pressing need for capacity expansion with the equally important goal of environmental sustainability, DENR-ERDB Director Lormelyn Claudio said.
“The best thing that we should do is earth balling, which is the right procedure and is allowed by law. But there has to be a right way to do it for both the economy and environment,” Claudio said.
Lopez noted that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has a standing directive for the DOTr to partner with concerned agencies to balance transport infrastructure expansion with environmental sustainability.
