Civil society to have bigger role in Perlas administration

Civil society will play a bigger role in Philippine politics if environmentalist Nicanor Perlas gets elected as president. This was the promise he gave Monday during the presidential debate organized by the Philippine Daily Inquirer at the University of the Philippines in Diliman. Perlas, himself a leader of non-government organizations, said that if elected president, he would ensure "a larger balance of power" between the government, civil society, and business. "One of the first things that I would create once elected president is a new Cabinet position on civil society affairs. For me this is important because we are going to introduce a new concept of governance that goes beyond government," he said. Perlas said he would like to appoint environmentalist lawyer Antonio Oposa Jr., a Ramon Magsaysay awardee, to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources if elected. To the Department of Health, Perlas said he would appoint former Health secretary and UP professor Jaime Galvez Tan. Perlas, 58, finished his primary and secondary education at the Ateneo de Manila University. He earned his degree in Agriculture at the Xavier University in Cagayan de Oro City and his Masters degree in Botany at the University of the Philippines in Los Banos, Laguna. As an environmentalist, he worked on the issues of nuclear power and sustainable agriculture. Perlas was also one of the Philippines’ delegation to the 1992 Earth Summit. He also became co-chair of the Green Forum of environmental groups in the 1990s. He has also worked as a consultant for several agencies of the United Nations and for several branches of the government. - Johanna Camille Sisante/KBK, GMANews.TV