Rody needs another ‘talkative woman’ in Cabinet

MANILA, Philippines - He’s looking for another “talkative woman” to join his Cabinet.

President Duterte yesterday said he has not decided whether to give former Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) chief Gina Lopez another appointment.

“I’m looking at people who also bears Lopez’s talkative attitude to fill another post,” he said.

“Wala pa at this time. Naghahanap ako ng babae na madaldal. Tulungan mo ako maghanap ‘yung madaldal diyan sa inyo. The most talkative (No one yet, I’m looking for a woman who is talkative. Help me to look for one),” he said at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Pasay City yesterday before he left for Cambodia.

But now that former general Roy Cimatu is at the helm of the DENR, the President said he expects him to work on a balance between environment preservation and the implementation of the mining law.

The President said Cimatu should weigh the interests of the majority, abide by the laws of the land, especially on mining.

“There is a mining law. It has to be erased from the statute books. Otherwise, it has to be regulated and allowed. That’s the problem there,” said Duterte.  

Duterte said he reminded the military man that he wants stricter measures to regulate the mining industry.

During the swearing in rites at Malacañang, Duterte vested anew his trust and confidence on Cimatu, which started when he was assigned in Davao years ago.

“You know we have been friends. There will never be a time that I will call you for any favor for anybody. All that I ask of you is just to be true to yourself, to be true to your country and protect the environment. But remember there is a mining law and we cannot all together banish it,”?he said.

Miners’ protector

Meanwhile, party-list Anakbayan joined other militant groups in opposing Cimatu’s appointment as DENR chief, citing his history of protecting mining operations.

“The environment is doomed or fated to be ruined under his leadership,” the group said in a statement.

“Cimatu and the military have a symbiotic relationship with mining and logging operators, hence, it is all but natural for him to favor the interests of mining firms at the cost of environmental destruction and displacement of farmer communities,” Anakbayan Rep. Ariel Casilao said.

He cited the environmental group Kalikasan’s report that “Cimatu was involved with Task Force Lumad in 1994, led by his 603rd Brigade of the Philippine Army which acted as protectors of logging tenements and trainors of para-militaries.”

“This was the military response against the ‘pangayaw’ or armed resistance of Ata-Manobo lumad leaders against logging operations controlled by a rich family of Mindanao,” the Kalikasan report alleged.

“Mining and other environmentally-destructive projects are the ‘kumikitang kabuhayan’ of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the institution that molded Cimatu, thus his appointment is obviously to reverse the pro-people decisions of former secretary Gina Lopez,” Casilao said.

‘I’ll honor mining laws’

On the other hand, Cimatu said he would harness and honor the country’s mining laws, particularly the Mining Act, and balance these with the importance of the environment.

“I will try to do my best as the President’s point man in protecting the environment in all of its forms. I intend to listen to all the voices out there and make full use of our power and resources to ensure that all concerns will be properly addressed,” Cimatu said during his official turnover as head of the DENR.

Cimatu said he would visit mining companies, especially those in Mindanao, to check their compliance with the rules and regulations. – Christina Mendez, Ding Cervantes, Louise Maureen Simeon