A number of laws have been passed in the Philippines to protect the rich ecosystems in the country. However, these laws are oftentimes not enforced based on their spirit and letters—both for the benefit of the environment, as well as the protection of all other forms of life dependent on it.

The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) sees the push of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to better enforce environmental laws as a positive step to protect the human rights of all Filipinos.

To date, several House and Senate bills have been filed for the creation of the Environmental Protection and Enforcement Bureau (EPEB) in DENR, which seeks to consolidate DENR’s mandate to enforce environmental laws through a single office. While these bills are still being deliberated, a DENR administrative order has been inked to create an interim office, the Environmental Law Enforcement and Protection Service (ELEPS), to serve this purpose.

CHR emphasises that much is at stake if we will continue to disregard the environment and let violators, such as illegal loggers and wildlife poachers, scott-free. An adequate, healthy environment is a necessary condition to make all other human rights possible, including rights to life, food, health, and adequate standards of living.

The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, an international human rights covenant signed and ratified by the Philippines, equally stresses the obligation of the government to uphold everyone’s right to live in an environment conducive for their health and well-being, including the mandate to regulate companies and individuals whose actions have an impact on the environment. At the same time, we must also recognise the duty of individuals and corporations to also protect the environment for the generations to come.

With the creation of interim ELEPS in DENR, as well as the anticipation of a more permanent EPEB, CHR looks forward to DENR’s stronger commitment to protect human rights through better enforcement of environmental laws and better rationalisation of environmental programmes, especially as the country faces the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic.