(Eagle News) — The Commission on Appointments on Wednesday confirmed the appointment of Roy Cimatu as environment secretary.
“Mr. President, it is my great pleasure and honor to report to the Commission, to the President, to the men and women of the (Department of Environment and Natural Resources), and to the whole nation, of the overwhelming ‘yes’ votes of the members of this Commission, confirming and affirming (the ad interim appointment of Cimatu)..,” Manny Pacquiao, chair of the CA committee on environment and natural resources, announced.
In a statement, Cimatu, a former Armed Forces of the Philippines chief, said he was “humbled” and “pleased.”
He said he would push for a “people-centered agenda in pursuit of environmental protection and sustainable development.”
He also noted that the challenge for him now was to “prove that President Rodrigo Duterte and the honorable members of the CA have made the right decision in placing their trust and confidence in my abilities to lead the DENR towards fulfilling the broad mandate entrusted to it.”
Cimatu’s confirmation comes months after he was named a replacement by President Rodrigo Duterte to Gina Lopez, whose nomination as environment secretary was rejected by the CA.
Since Cimatu, who was also the Philippines’ special envoy to the Middle East during the administration of then-President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, took over the DENR, he has proposed to lift Lopez’s policy on the ban on open-pit mining, and has sought to review her other policies.
Cimatu has also vowed to hold an inquiry into the controversial proposal for the construction of an underwater resort park in Coron, Palawan.
