[Kasalikasan] Another leadership change

It seems like only yesterday when I wrote about Raphael Lotilla taking the helm of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in this newsletter, but here I am writing about another leadership change in a department that demands stability in these urgent times.

Lotilla, just eight months into his new role in the Marcos Cabinet, is now headed to the Vatican as the President’s ambassador, reportedly preferring a “lighter assignment” over the workload at the DENR.

“Under his stewardship, the DENR continued to pursue its mandate of safeguarding the country’s environment and natural resources in alignment with national development priorities,” the department said about the outgoing secretary, who was thrice bypassed by the powerful Commission on Appointments.

Replacing Lotilla as acting secretary is Juan Miguel Cuna, a career official who’s been with the DENR for 18 years. He’s worked with the department’s Mines and Geosciences Bureau and Environmental Management Bureau, and served as undersecretary for over eight years before his latest appointment.

Having a new leader who rose through the ranks definitely has its advantages. Still, I can’t help but echo the concerns of groups such as the Center for Energy, Ecology, and Development, who fear a “status quo” under Cuna’s leadership.

If the biggest issues from the past months are any indication — from the flood control scandal that magnifies the utter degradation of our ecosystems, to the landfill incidents that expose the country’s flawed implementation of waste management laws — a “continuation” of the work won’t be enough; we need a leader who will take stock of the actions (or inactions) that got us here in the first place and pursue environmental protection that truly puts the environment first, vested interests be damned.

Let’s hope Cuna is not just up to the challenge but also the right person for the job.

Speaking of flood control and waste management, here are some related stories you might be interested in from the last month:

• Rappler senior investigative reporter Lian Buan reports about Claveria, Cagayan Mayor Lucille Angelus Guillen — daughter of National Irrigation Administrator Eddie Guillen — transferring ownership of her $1.2-million Las Vegas home a month after the flood control scandal broke in 2025.
• Last February, some lawmakers surfaced alleged text messages implicating President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in flood control kickbacks. Rappler Congress reporter Dwight de Leon has this report.
• “Recent landfill incidents in Cebu and Rizal reinforce the view that waste-to-energy is a practical solution to the mounting solid waste problem,” writes Rappler environment and climate reporter Iya Gozum, who dissects Metro Manila’s landfill problems in view of the WTE debate.
• GAIA Asia Pacific’s Froilan Grate also writes this wake-up call for those pushing for repealing the country’s incineration ban: “Incineration may make waste disappear — but it does not make the problem go away.”

Till the Tuesday after next!

Here are other stories from our cluster that you shouldn’t miss:

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Why are Masungi caretakers opposing a wind energy project?

Philippine authorities alerted of alleged illegal US e-waste shipments

Worsening floods? Stop Manila Bay reclamations, say groups

Rappler Talk: What the world can learn from Philippine seas

In Bonn, the birds were coming back

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– Rappler.com

Kasalikasan is a bimonthly newsletter featuring environmental and science issues, delivered straight to your inbox every other Tuesday. Visit rappler.com/newsletters to subscribe.