23 May 2025, Quezon City — Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin today announced that former Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Raphael Lotilla will replace Ma. Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga as Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary.

File photo: Climate impacted communities, civil society representatives, environmental activists, and Greenpeace thrust their black-tainted palms as they stand in protest outside the DENR (Department of Environment and Natural Resources) office along Visayas Avenue. The groups call for the government to make climate polluters accountable for extreme weather events like Super Typhoon Carina, and the oil spill off Manila Bay. The protesters are demanding that the Marcos Jr. administration hold climate polluters accountable and make them pay for damages to ecosystems, community livelihoods, and health.

Reacting to the news, Greenpeace Southeast Asia Executive Director Jasper Inventor said:

“Sec. Lotilla takes over the DENR at a time of worsening climate, pollution and biodiversity crisis. We urge him to stay true to the mandate of the DENR to protect and conserve the environment for the welfare of present and future generations of Filipinos.

“On climate, his track record at the DOE was less than desirable. In the years that he served as secretary, we’ve seen aggressive moves to enable dangerous nuclear energy, promote fossil gas, and reverse the moratorium on coal-fired power plants. We challenge Sec. Lotilla to leave behind these old interests, turn a new page under his new mandate, and work to reverse the pro-nuclear and pro-fossil fuel stance of the administration. 

“As environment secretary of one of the nations most exposed to the climate crisis, we also hope that Secretary Lotilla will listen to and act upon the many strong and ongoing calls–from civil society, the academe, frontline communities and climate survivors in the Philippines and around the world–for climate justice and accountability from large polluting corporations.

“The secretary should leverage this new platform by taking bold and decisive action, such as urgently endorsing the Climate Accountability Bill to the President. Supporting this proposed law that seeks to hold companies liable for their role in climate change sends a strong message that the welfare of the Filipino people is the government’s top priority.

“His other priorities should include stemming plastic pollution by advancing a national ban on single use plastics and revising the EPR law to mandate reduction, halting the dozens of reclamation projects across the country, and putting a stop to destructive mining.

“We also hope to see a DENR that is more open to collaboration and dialogue with communities, people’s organizations, and civil society.”

For requests for interviews and other information, please contact:

Karl Orit, Communications Campaigner
Greenpeace Southeast Asia – Philippines
[email protected] | +63 9194571064 (Viber & WhatsApp)