Senator Erwin Tulfo blasted the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) for alleged negligence and failure to act on illegal logging, mining, and infrastructure in protected areas, questioning why the agency should get a P27-billion budget when it “cannot even do its job.”
During the Senate’s 2026 budget deliberations, Tulfo showed videos and photos of damaged sites in Surigao del Sur, Bulacan, Zamboanga del Norte, and the Sierra Madre.
He said the DENR either remained silent or failed to give clear answers.
Senator Loren Legarda, defending the agency’s budget, echoed the frustration, saying she “cannot defend” the DENR due to its lack of action.
“I hope I am the one asking questions because this is difficult to defend. I have no answers; I will not invent answers. I am even more frustrated than you,” she added.
Tulfo earlier delivered a privilege speech seeking stronger protection for the Sierra Madre, noting it has repeatedly shielded Luzon from major typhoons.
He ended his interpellation urging colleagues to act. “Compassion is what we need to save this nation, to save our environment.”IMT
