Paje unfit for Environment chief post, bishop says

A Catholic bishop in Mindanao has asked the Commission on Appointments not to confirm the appointment of Ramon Paje as Environment Secretary, citing Paje’s supposed inaction on destructive mining activities in parts of Mindanao. In an interview on Church-run Radyo Veritas, Marbel Bishop Dinualdo Gutierrez said other people – “certainly not Paje" – are more qualified to run the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). Excerpts of the interview are posted on the website of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP). “He does not have the education background. He does not know the [environmental issues] in the country, especially in Mindanao. He does not know about violations here," the CBCP article quoted Gutierrez as telling Radyo Veritas. The bishop even cited Paje's inaction on the environmental destruction caused by the Tampakan mining project, claiming he sent pictures of the controversial Tampakan mining operation to Paje, but “nothing happened… not even a reply." For the second time this month, the CA on August 24y deferred recommending Paje’s confirmation as DENR secretary. — with Paterno Esmaquel II/LBG, GMA News