Netizens remembered Gina Lopez amid the recent calamity
Former Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Gina Lopez had a striking statement in 2017, and this was recalled by netizens following the devastating effect of flooding in the province of Cebu.
Due to strong typhoon Tino, a large portion of Cebu and nearby provinces in Visayas suffered from flooding. Buildings and houses were destroyed, and lives were taken.
Aside from the anomalous flood control projects, people were also blaming how rich businessmen were abusing nature for their own gain. Engineer Slater Young, a former Pinoy Big Brother housemate, received a massive amount of bashing online.
Slater was blamed because of his so-called Monterrazas project that aimed to provide a luxurious residential development located on a hillside. Reportedly, the water from the dam was released, which caused the flooding downhill and swept everything.
With this, netizens recalled how Gina Lopez highlighted the value of taking care of the environment because it would also be detrimental for people, based on the article in Bandera.
“If you kill the environment, you kill everything. 1/3 of the Filipino depends on our natural resources,” Lopez said during the press conference when the Commission on Appointments junked her appointment as the DENR Secretary in 2017.
In her statement, she also stressed that it is the government’s duty to protect the environment. She added that making decisions based on business interest would shrink the responsibility.
Amid the effects of typhoon Tino on many areas in the Visayas Region, many netizens recalled this statement made by Gina Lopez years ago.
“Dati hindi siya pinapakinggan. May mga negative pang sinasabi kay GL pero ngayon, nakikita n’yo na? Kung nakinig lang sana tayo noon pa man,” a netizen commented.