The start of the Duterte administration on July 1, 2016 proved to be a morale booster as far as pro-environment groups were concerned, particularly with the appointment of the late staunch environmentalist Gina Lopez at the helm of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). Buoyed by the strong backing of President Duterte, Lopez boldly showed the political will that her boss was known for by waging her own war to save the country from environment degradation. In just less than a year since she assumed the top DENR post, Lopez issued orders that cancelled the permits and or rejected the applications of many mining operations all to the delight of pro-environment groups which were impressed by the hard stand yaken by the Duterte administration.

Recuenco, A. (2022,June 29). Boracay, Manila Bay clean-up among environment legacies. Manila Bulletin, p. 7.