DENR Trades Legal Advice for Garbage Collected in Navotas Clean Up
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) provided free legal assistance to residents of Navotas City in exchange for collected garbage in a recent clean up activity.
In a scene which saw lawyers going green, DENR’s Legal Affairs Service (LAS) gave residents of Barangay Sipac Almacen in Navotas free legal counseling in exchange for their participation in the clean up of the esteros in their area.
Sipac Almacen, the seat of power of the City Government of Navotas, is bounded in the east by the highly-polluted Malabon-Navotas River, and in the west by Manila Bay.
The rehabilitation of this particular river system is assigned to the cluster headed by DENR Undersecretaries Ernesto Adobo Jr. and Benny Antiporda, including Assistant Secretary Jesus Moises Enrico Salazar.
Trading sacks of garbage collected for legal advice
LAS Director Norlito Eneran said they established a legal clinic where participating residents could avail of free legal advice. This move was meant to encourage them to volunteer for the cleanup.
“Participants were given a coupon for every sack of garbage collected, which entitled them to free legal counseling,” said Eneran.
In addition to the LAS Staff Members, lawyers from the DENR Lawyers Guild Inc., the Malabon-Navotas Chapter of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, and the Public Attorneys Office in Quezon City provided free legal counsel to the participants.
The Battle for Manila Bay
This cleanup drive is part of the overall effort called the “Battle for Manila Bay.” This is supervised by the inter-agency task force led by DENR Secretary Roy Cimatu.
DENR Undersecretary Adobo said that in order to bring Manila Bay back to its former glory, the active participation of all sectors, not just the government, is needed.
“Our agency will take the lead role in the Battle for Manila Bay which, Secretary Cimatu assessed, has to begin with the Battle for the Rivers and Esteros that drain into Manila Bay,” explained Adobo.
For his part, DENR Assistant Secretary Salazar called on the residents near the Malabon-Navotas river system to take part in the cleanup activity. He adds that it would benefit not just these residents but all other Manila Bay stakeholders as well.
“We need to be responsible for our environment for the enjoyment of present and future generations,” said Salazar.
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