Department of Environment & Natural Resources
For full details see the department’s own website:
THE Philippines Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) was formed on June 10, 1987 under executive Order 192.
The main features of EO 192 were the transfer of the energy matters to the office of the President and the decentralization of the bureaucracy by transforming the former line bureaus to staff bureaus and transforming most of the line functions to the regional and field offices.
These features are in fact dramatic changes for they radically altered the concept of the bureaucracy and for the first time moved to institutionalize the decentralization of functions and authority within the Department.
In 1993, Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA) was attached to the DENR by virtue of Executive Order No. 149, thereby adding to the mandate of the Department its complete supervision.
MANDATE
The Department is mandated to be the primary agency responsible for the conservation, management, development, and proper use of the country’s environment and natural resources.
To accomplish this mandate, the Department shall be guided by the following objectives:
1.) Assure the availability and sustainability of the country’s natural resources through judicious use and systematic restoration or replacement, whenever possible;
2.) Increase the productivity of natural resources in order to meet the demands for forest, mineral, and land resources of a growing population;
3.) Enhance the contribution of natural resources for achieving national economic and social development;
4.) Promote equitable access to natural resources by the different sectors of the population;
5.) Conserve specific terrestrial and marine areas representative of the Philippine natural and cultural heritage for present and future generations.
MISSION
The DENR shall be the driving force in the pursuit of sustainable development, enabling stakeholders’ participation in the protection, conservation, and management of the environment and natural resources for the present and future generations.
VISION
The DENR’s vision: “A nation enjoying and sustaining its natural resources and a clean and healthy environment”
POWERS AND FUNCTIONS
1.) Advise the President on the enactment of laws relative to the development, use, regulation, and conservation of the country’s natural resources and the control of pollution;
2.) Formulate, implement, and supervise the government’s policies, plans and programs pertaining to the management, conservation, development, use and replenishment of the country’s natural resources;
3.) Promulgate rules and regulations in accordance with law governing the exploration, development, conservation, extraction, disposition, use and such other commercial activities tending to cause the depletion and degradation of our natural resources;
4.) Exercise supervision and control over forest lands, alienable and disposable lands, and mineral resources and in the process of exercising such control the Department shall impose appropriate payments, fees, charges, rentals and any such form of levy and collect such revenues for the exploration, development, utilization or gathering of such resources;
5.) Undertake exploration, assessment, classification and inventory of the country’s natural resources using ground surveys, remote sensing and complementary technologies;
6.) Promote proper and mutual consultation with the private sector involving natural resources development, use, and conservation;
7.) Undertake geological surveys of the whole country including its territorial waters;
8.) Establish policies and implement programs for the:
a.) Accelerated inventory, survey and classification of lands, forest and mineral resources using appropriate technology, to be able to come up with a more accurate assessment of resource quality and quantity;
b.) Equitable distribution of natural resources through the judicious administration, regulation, utilization, development, and conservation of public lands, forest, and mineral resources (including mineral reservation areas), that would benefit a greater number of Filipinos;
c.) Promotion, development, and expansion of natural resource-based industries;
d.) Preservation of cultural and natural heritage through wildlife conservation and segregation of national parks and other protected areas;
e.) Maintenance of a wholesome natural environment by enforcing environmental protection laws; and
f.) Encouragement of greater people participation and private initiative in natural resource management.
9.) Promulgate rules and regulations necessary to:
a.) Accelerate cadastral and emancipation patent surveys, land use planning, and public land titling;
b.) Harness forest resources in a sustainable manner, to assist rural development, support forest‑based industries, and provide raw materials to meet increasing demands, and at the same time keeping adequate reserves for environmental stability; and
c.) Expedite mineral resources surveys, promote the production of metallic and non‑metallic minerals and encourage mineral marketing.
10.) Regulate the development, disposition, extraction, exploration, and use of the country’s forest, land and mineral resources;
11.) Assume responsibility for the assessment, development, protection, conservation, licensing and regulation as provided for by law, where applicable, of all natural resources; the regulation and monitoring of service contractors, licensees, lessees, and permittees for the extraction, exploration, development, and utilization of natural resource products; the implementation of programs and measures with the end in view of promoting close collaboration between the government and the private sector; the effective and efficient classification and sub‑classification of lands of the public domain; and the enforcement of natural resources laws, rules and regulations;
12.) Promulgate rules, regulations and guidelines on the issuance of co-production, joint venture or production sharing agreements, licenses, permits, concessions, leases and such other privileges and arrangements concerning the development, exploration, and utilization of the country’s natural resources and shall continue to oversee, supervise and police our natural resources; to cancel or cause to cancel such privileges and arrangements upon failure, non-compliance or violations of any regulations, orders, and for all other causes which are in furtherance of the conservation of natural resources, and supportive of the national interest;
13.) Exercise exclusive jurisdiction on the management and disposition of all lands of the public domain and shall continue to be the sole agency responsible for classification, sub-classification, surveying and titling of lands in consultation with appropriate agencies;
14.) Implement measures for the regulation and supervision of the processing of forest products, grading and inspection of lumber and other forest products and monitoring of the movement of timber and other forest products;
15.) Promulgate rules and regulations for the control of water, air and land pollution;
16.) Promulgate ambient and effluent standards for water and air quality including the allowable levels of other pollutants and radiations;
17.) Promulgate policies, rules and regulations for the conservation of the country’s genetic resources and biological diversity, and endangered habitats;
18.) Formulate an integrated, multi-sectoral, and multi-disciplinary National Conservation Strategy, which will be presented to the Cabinet for the President’s approval;
19.) Exercise other powers and functions and perform such other acts as may be necessary, proper or incidental to the attainment of its mandates and objectives.
DENR CORE FUNCTIONS
1.) Formulate and implement policies, guidelines, rules and regulations relating to environmental management, pollution prevention and control;
2.) Formulate, implement and supervise the government’s policies, plans and programs pertaining to the management, conservation, development, use and replenishment of the country’s natural resources and ecological diversity; and
3.) Promulgate and implement rules and regulations governing the exploration, development, extraction, disposition, and use of the forests, lands, minerals, wildlife and other natural resources.