MANILA, July 2 – Career service shines even more for the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) with President Benigno C. Aquino III’s appointment of a forester who took over Friday the agency’s top post from a mining engineer.
Newly-appointed Secretary Ramon J. P. Paje, a top-rank Career Executive Service Officer, replaced Horacio Ramos, a fellow career officer, in a simple turnover ceremony held on Friday at the DENR Social Hall in Quezon City.
It was witnessed by a huge crowd of DENR officials and employees, including former officials of the Department and industry organizations.
In his speech that needed no cue cards, Paje shared the President’s “marching orders” in implementing six of the DENR’s major programs: Clean air and water especially in Metro Manila and in other urban centers; <br>Land productivity; <br>Enhancement of forest and marine resources with the completion of the delineation of forestline boundaries; <br>An honest-to-goodness climate change mitigation, adaptation and anticipation program; and <br>Well-defined and effective anti-corruption measures.
“President Aquino won through a people’s campaign, and we will have to implement our programs through people’s participation,” Paje said, adding that as much as 40 percent of the environmental problems would be solved by enlisting the cooperation of the people.
Outgoing Secretary Ramos congratulated Paje on his appointment, saying that he “expects the same level of dedication from Paje in the pursuit of the President’s agenda of change.”
“Paje’s appointment comes with a very big challenge of people’s expectations for reforms,” Ramos said. “This could usher in a new wave of environmental vigilance and activism.”
DENR Employees Union President Atty. Camilo Garcia likewise hailed Pres. Aquino’s move to appoint a secretary from the ranks as it “gives hope to ordinary employees and serves as an inspiration that we, too, can someday head the agency.”
“Under Paje’s leadership, we will stand to Pres. Aquino’s challenge for public officers to show their worth,” Garcia said.
“Our employees have always risked life and limb being at the forefront of fighting violators of environmental laws, and we will continue doing so just to help deliver the goods for the DENR.”
Guests and well-wishers included former environment secretaries Victor Ramos, Heherson Alvarez and Ricardo Umali; environmental lawyer and Ramon Magsaysay awardee Antonio Oposa Jr., and other former DENR officials.
Giving a peak into his management style, Paje said he will carry a leadership ethics marked with consultation, as shown by Ramos and his other predecessors whom he had the privilege of serving.
“I will be a listening secretary. I will afford everyone dissent,” he said, adding that Ramos’ ability to be a good and firm listener was a quality of a good leader.
Before his appointment as the DENR’s 19th secretary, Paje was the agency’s Undersecretary for Field Operations and the concurrent Executive Director of the Minerals Development Council under the Office of the President.
Paje’s ascension to the post marks only the second time in the DENR’s 23-year history to have the proverbial “bottom-to-top” success by a rank-and-file employee.
His 28-year career span started in 1982 as a junior forester conducting field inspection of reforestation projects of then Bureau of Forest Development (now Forest Management Bureau).
He has then occupied various positions such as senior forester, service director, and assistant secretary prior to his appointment as undersecretary in 1998.
A recipient of a government scholarship, Paje graduated with a degree in BS Forestry in 1982 at the UP Los Baños. He then earned his masters in Urban and Regional Planning from UP-Diliman, and his doctorate in Public Administration in the same school.
He has likewise taken short courses in Harvard University in Massachussets, USA and the Australian National University in Canberra.
Paje has also received various awards, including a Dr. Jose Rizal Huwarang Pilipino Award for Public Service in 1999, and being cited by the Philippine Jaycees as one of the Ten Outstanding Young Men in 1996. (PNA Features) <br>vcs/JCA
Mr Secretary,
I would just like to inform you that the 2 guys you sent to Dipolog City as a result of a report that I sent you was just a waste of time and your resources. I even suspect that they made that trip as an r&r to visit old friends and to be dined by the same people whom I reported in my letter in Dapitan. I have the impression that they even turned the tables and made derogatory remarks on my person in order to make my report about them as untrue. As a department head, I know that you have little control if people who are in cahoots and have deeply ingrained themselves in their positions or offices and operating them as if they were their iwn fiefdom. I don’t have any reason to make up stories considering that these people havbe families to feed, but if they can control what you want to find out, when will the shenanigans of these bunch of crooks stop? You cannot just take their word on their findings. I know that those 2 guys are friends with most of the people in CENRO and PENRO. I know that you are familiar with the area here in zambo norte and if you did not sense anything during your visits to the cenro and penro office’s then let me open your eyes to a very corrupt system that is practiced headed by the heads of penro and cenro. Don’t let them get away with murder, Mr. secretary. I don’t know how you are to go about in destroying their cover-up. but please dont take the report of those 2 guys you sent over hook line and sinker. I guess you know that heads of departments can be manipulated by their minions since they have entrenched themselves in their positions/offices, while heads of departments come and go. They can manipulate what they would feed you and this is the sad part. I have no motive in letting you know of the wrongdoing the people in penro and cenro have been commiting and my report is based on a firsthand experience and observation. It is really all up to you sir. Good day.
Please verify the report of the 2 guys you sent to Dipolog City as a result of my report. I don’t think they gave you the right picture. The guys you sent are friends with the cenro and penro here. I must tell you there is a coverup. Nag r&r lang yong 2 taong pinadala nyo. My report is factual and if they had resorted to even make derogatory remarks about me just to disprove the veracity of my report, then thats how well entrenched these crtooks are that they can even corrup the people you send to investigate