DENR-EMB, partners push for stronger environmental action in CALABARZON

TAGAYTAY CITY, Cavite (PIA) — The Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Environmental Management Bureau (DENR-EMB) in CALABARZON is strengthening collaboration among government agencies, local government units, private sector, academe, civil society organizations, and other stakeholders in advancing environmental protection and sustainable waste management in the region.

With the theme “Climate Action: Fostering Community Spirit, Caring for the Environment,” the Environmental Summit 2026 on August 20 highlighted the importance of collective action in addressing the region’s growing environmental challenges.

“This theme is not merely a slogan but a blueprint of our collective efforts. It emphasizes that caring for the environment is not the responsibility of one person or organization alone. It requires a united community spirit and a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach,” DENR-EMB CALABARZON Regional Director Robert Angelo Metin said.

The bureau also noted that the region has demonstrated how collaboration can translate environmental challenges into concrete actions, particularly in solid waste management and the implementation of the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Act.

Through EPR, businesses eligible under the law and local governments are being brought together to strengthen the recovery and diversion of plastic packaging waste from landfills and the environment.

“This cooperation is among our strongest defenses against plastic pollution. The waste we collect can be diverted and returned to the circular economy, helping effectively protect our water and land resources from improper waste disposal,” Metin added.

He added that strengthened cooperation between stakeholders is also gradually addressing persistent challenges in waste segregation at source, green collection, waste recovery, and the reduction of plastic waste being disposed of in sanitary landfills.

As the region experiences urbanization and increasing volumes of waste, the agency stressed the need to move beyond simply collecting and disposing of waste and instead strengthen systems that promote waste reduction, reuse, recycling, recovery, and resource efficiency.

Metin said this requires sustained participation not only from the government but also from industries, businesses, communities, households, and individual citizens.

The summit also recognized the contributions of LGUs, national government agencies, industries, Obligated Enterprises, diverters, partner organizations, and other stakeholders that have continued to invest their time, resources, and expertise in environmental protection.

Beyond recognizing environmental champions, the summit provided an avenue for stakeholders to share initiatives, strengthen partnerships, and identify more sustainable approaches to solid waste management and environmental protection. (AM/PIA CALABARZON)