THE Commission on Appointments on Wednesday confirmed the appointment of Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu.
His department said on Twitter that the commission’s 15 members did not object to his appointment.
Malacañang welcomed Cimatu’s confirmation.
“We welcome the confirmation of the nomination of Department of Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Roy A. Cimatu by the Commission on Appointments,” Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella said in a statement.
The Philippine Nickel Industry Association also welcomed Cimatu’s confirmation.
“We express our support for Secretary Cimatu in pushing forward programs toward sustainable development and lasting environmental protection initiatives,” the group said in a statement.
“Most of all, we are confident that Secretary Cimatu’s appointment will foster dialogue within the industry as well as usher in the overall sustainable development of the communities we serve.”
Cimatu, a retired general and former military chief, was tapped by President Rodrigo Duterte to head the DENR after the CA rejected the appointment of his predecessor Gina Lopez.
Unlike Lopez, Cimatu had expressed his openness to mining in the country as long as it was done responsibly.
Duterte reappointed Cimatu on June 1 after he was initially bypassed by Congress.
“The confirmation of my ad-interim appointment as DENR secretary will allow me to continue to institute reforms and pursue programs and projects that would truly protect the environment and improve people’s lives,” Cimatu said in a statement.
“This gives me enough inspiration to carry out the seemingly gargantuan tasks of protecting the environment and ensuring the sustainable use of the country’s rich natural resources in the face of climate change and dwindling natural wealth of the nation.”