MANILA, (PIA) — Senator Loren Legarda has called on the private sector to play a pivotal role in environmental protection, emphasizing their significant impact on the ecosystem.
She reminded the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) partner-stakeholders of their crucial role in environmental protection during the 2024 Philippine Environmental Month Culminating Activity on June 29 at the National Museum of Natural History in Manila.
“We call on the sector here with the greatest potential for both harm and positive change — the private sector,” Legarda said in her message.
“You can be the guiding force in our economy, embracing natural capital accounting, and adopting business practices that enhance rather than exploit natural ecosystems,” she added.
“The academe will provide the strategic insights needed for success, while the role of the government remains crucial.”
Legarda, a four-term senator, has long pushed for environmental laws since first being elected into office in 1998.
She had led the passage into law of many landmark pieces of legislation such as the Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act, the Expanded NIPAS of 2018, and the Climate Change Act of 2009.
During the ongoing 19th Congress, the experienced solon principally authored and sponsored the Philippine Ecosystem and Natural Capital Accounting System (PENCAS) Act, which is crucial for the inclusion of the value of finite natural resources into the national accounting system, contributing to more informed environmental management decisions.
“Partnerships among all these sectors are flexible and focused, amplifying impact, and increasing knowledge sharing and testing,” Legarda said.
“When partnerships succeed, whether through the removal of species from the threatened species list, the rehabilitation of hectares of land, or schools adopting zero waste and edible schoolyards, we should celebrate these achievements,” she added. (PIA-NCR)
