“Economic growth is not genuine if it does not bring social justice.”
This is the point expressed by Deparment of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Gina Lopez when she faced the briefing in Malacañang on Thursday morning.
“Genuine economic growth comes with area development. Area development is when you take an area and develop its potential,” she said.
Lopez’s statements came a day after she told the Senate Committee on Labor that she would resign if, within one year and a half, she would fail to improve the lives of residents affected by the closure of mining companies.
Lopez earlier ordered 23 mining companies to stop their operations, citing their destructive effects to watersheds.
The DENR Secretary said, President Duterte agreed with her decision as they both believe that preserving the quality of water people drink is more important than gold and nickel.