Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu has spearheaded the groundbreaking of the first phase of a 100-hectare enterprise development project with auto giant Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corp. in Bangui, Ilocos Norte.
The joint venture between the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and MMPC aims to rehabilitate some 100 hectares of forest land through a sustainable integrated area development approach.
“In pursuit of sustainable and inclusive growth, our government under the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte necessarily employs a participatory approach,” Cimatu said.
Under the joint venture, MMPC would provide funds for the sustainable integrated area development projects to be identified by the DENR which, in turn, will provide the technical requirements in terms of manpower skills and government support.
The DENR chief, a native of Bangui, underscored the importance of the agency’s “convergence approach” with the private sector and the local government to achieve equitable growth that will “improve the ecological condition of the country as well as the socio-economic status of the community.”
“Bangui’s initiatives to sustain its local tourism industry hinges well on it people’s desire to harness and protect its ecological condition,” Cimatu said.
MMPC president and chief executive officer Mutsuhiro Oshikiri said environmental advocacy forms the core of the company’s corporate social responsibility program.
“We, too, will be doing our part for the betterment of the environment. I applaud DENR for their commitment in ensuring the sustenance of the habitats not only here in Ilocos Norte, but also in the different regions of the Philippines,” Oshikiri said.