The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) have partnered to create new job opportunities, particularly in the environment sector.
Environment Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo Loyzaga and Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma inked a memorandum of agreement to promote employment opportunities aligned with the protection and conservation of the country’s natural resources and the ecosystems.
Loyzaga said the DENR is working closely with the DOLE in determining how many jobs to cover by identifying all the regions, both land and coastal areas, which are in need of support in terms of forestation and implementation of the government’s greening programs.
The Forest Management Bureau is looking at the country’s geography with a view to mapping out possible areas where the so-called “green jobs” would be available, she said.
“There is a full range of opportunities available, and we hope that this may begin to serve as a strategic way of looking at how our environment and our economics might actually intersect, especially in the case of the most socially vulnerable, and most environmentally vulnerable geographies,” she added.
The environment chief said to understand the country’s geography would help national government agencies in identifying unemployment rate, poverty incidence, and high value areas that would benefit the most from environmental employment opportunities.
Loyzaga said the green jobs – ranging from planting, forestation, monitoring, and upkeep of areas of concern – would alleviate unemployment in the country.
The partnership was in line with DOLE’s Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers or TUPAD project that provides emergency employment for displaced, underemployed and seasonally employed workers.