DENR to bolster efforts vs illegal wildlife trade
AN intensified effort must be made to fight wildlife trafficking.
This was stressed by Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Antonio Loyzaga during the blessing and inauguration of the department’s new regional monitoring building in Iloilo City on Wednesday.
“I am concerned about wildlife trafficking. It is very real. And so, this is a very important spot that could be vital for the intensification of this particular mandate of the DENR,” Loyzaga explained.
Loyzaga also said that there is a need to look into manpower, human resources as well as technical and support services to humanely handle the wildlife.
She stressed that these are all important to effectively enforce Republic Act (RA) 9147 or the Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act of 2001.
Loyzaga, on the other hand, lauded the establishment of the monitoring building since this will be vital in strengthening the agency’s mandate to combat wildlife trafficking and illegal wildlife trade, especially in Western Visayas.
The building, located along Muelle Loney Street and overlooking the Iloilo River and Guimaras Strait, will house the Forest Products and Wildlife Traffic Monitoring Section of the Iloilo Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (PENRO) for the monitoring of charcoal and wildlife from Guimaras Island.
Guimaras Island is home to a variety of endangered wildlife, such as the Visayan Tarictic Hornbill (Penelopides panini), Visayan Warty Pig (Sus cebifrons), Visayan Spotted Deer (Rusa alfredi), and the Visayan Wild Cat (Prionailurus javanensis sumatranus), among others.
DENR Region VI Executive Director Livino B. Duran, meanwhile, said the building will also house the General Services Section, and Storage and Procurement Bay for the storage of acquired supplies and materials.
The second floor will have permanent records of the Planning and Management Division, the Finance Division, and the Administrative Division.
Also, during the occasion, Loyzaga instructed Duran to ensure the digitization of the physical records that will be stored in the building to improve the agency’s public service efficiency and provide effective and timely environmental interventions.
The DENR had allocated a total of P10 million for the construction of the monitoring building, which used to be an old, abandoned, and dilapidated structure left by the Iloilo Harbor Pilots Association.
