The Department of Environment and Natural Resources on Thursday created four field offices in the National Capital Region to strengthen the enforcement of environmental laws in the region, home to over 12-million people.
Secretary Roy Cimatu said the initiative is also part of the Duterte administration’s ongoing effort to make government services more accessible to the people, particularly those in Metro Manila.
“The creation of the four field offices in the DENR-NCR aims to strengthen the enforcement of environment and natural resources laws and promote focused and area-based operations,” Cimatu’s Administrative Order No. 2019-02 read.
“Thus, this brings the programs, projects, and services of the department closer to the public.”
The new field offices would enhance coordination between the DENR, other government agencies and the 17 local government units in the metro tasked by the Supreme Court to clean-up the heavily polluted Manila Bay.
The DENR-North Metro Manila field office would cover the cities of Caloocan, Valenzuela, Malabon and Navotas.
The South Metro Manila field office would have jurisdiction over the cities of Taguig, Parañaque, Las Piñas and Muntinlupa, and the municipality of Pateros.
Quezon City, Marikina City and Pasig City would fall under the East Metro Manila field office, while the cities of Manila, San Juan, Mandaluyong, Makati and Pasay would be covered by the West Metro Manila field office.