A member of the 12-man House contingent to the Commission on Appointments defended yesterday her vote against the ad interim appointment of Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Gina Lopez.
A-Teacher partylist Rep. Julieta Cortuna said the head of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources should have technical knowledge of the job and should respect the country’s existing laws.
“My vote was based on assertion and most importantly has to consider the traits of a leader. Passion is just a fraction and mining is only one of the basic services of the DENR. How about illegal logging? Illegal titling that affects the lives of minority,” Cortuna said.
“Leadership for me is a comprehensive job both technical expertise and above all there is an existing laws that no one should be above it. It cannot just be anyone’s prerogative to set aside money based on what you believed. It cannot be arbitrary,” Cortuna said, referring to Lopez’s controversial closure or suspension of mining operations in the country last February and her directive for suspended mining firms to put up a P2-million trust fund for every
hectare of exploited land before they would be allowed to remove stockpiles from mining areas and before they are given export permits.
Cortuna branded as “totally unfair” the accusations of Lopez that big business interests were behind her rejected nomination.
“It’s not the business interest that she’s claiming that our decision are based. That’s totally unfair. I am one of those who support her passion but personally that was not enough,” she said.
She said Lopez failed to present concrete programs that would protect and conserve the country’s natural resources – mountains, forests, and sea.
“It is just the negative impact of mining, how about the positive side if there are responsible company. Hindi pwedeng panay media mileage lang,” Cortuba said. (Charissa M. Luci)