The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) partnered with Isla Lipana & Co./PwC Philippines to review the systems and processes at the Mines and Geosciences Bureau and the Environmental Management Bureau.
The partnership was formalized through the signing of a memorandum of understanding between DENR Secretary Antonia Loyzaga, and Alex Cabrera, chairman emeritus of Isla Lipana & Co.
PwC Philippines is a professional services firm engaged in delivering audit and assurance, and tax and advisory services within and outside the Philippines.
Loyzaga said the recent DENR Field Operations Management Conference has shown areas in the agency where there are gaps in their processes and have the potential for synergy.
“This will be an opportunity to actually address those gaps and to build value on the efforts done by everyone in the department,” she said.
In support of the DENR’s transformation initiatives, the project with PwC aims to review the existing policies of the MGB and EMB to identify the major gaps on their processes and functions.
MGB is mandated to formulate and implement policies and programs pertaining to geology and the exploration, development, conservation, and utilization of mineral resources; while EMB is the primary line bureau responsible for the formulation, supervision, and implementation of policies and programs in relation to the prevention and control of pollution, as well as waste management, and environmental impact assessments.
The project shall conduct comprehensive assessment using appropriate governance, risk management, and compliance tools to review and assess risks in the existing systems and processes of MGB and EMB, and shall develop a five-year transformation roadmap with corresponding action plans and recommendations for improvement to strengthen the DENR toward a better organizational performance.
Cabrera said PwC Philippines, as a company that believes in integrity and sustainability, is impressed with the DENR’s plan, which focuses not only on top-level strategic initiatives but also includes sampling a few critical departments referred to as “the center of gravity.”
“If we are able to solve these important issues at the most difficult spots of the agency, then it will be no problem solving the rest of the issues,” he said.