Cimatu orders major reshuffle in DENR-Eastern Visayas
ACLOBAN CITY – Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Roy A. Cimatu has ordered a major reshuffle of all Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) officials in the agency’s provincial and community offices in Eastern Visayas.
DENR Eastern Visayas Regional Director Crizaldy Barcelo told The Manila Bulletin Cimatu personally ordered the reshuffle after he submitted the list of all Provincial Environment and Natural Resources (PENRO) and Community Environment and Natural Resources (CENRO) officers in Leyte and Samar.
Barcelo said Cimatu ordered the revamp in the DENR offices in Leyte and Samar after noting that some of the PENRO officers and CENRO officers were already overstaying.
He noted that a PENRO in Samar had been in office for almost eight years, and another in Leyte for more than five years already.
Barcelo said Cimatu wanted DENR officials to have a tour-of-duty of only three years in each post.
Ordered reshuffled were Northern Samar PENRO Elias Aya-ay to Biliran in Naval town; Ricardo Tomol to PENRO Eastern Samar in Borongan City from Maasin City; Eastern Samar PENRO Moises De la Cruz to Leyte in Palo; Samar PENRO Elpidio Simon to Northern Samar in Catarman town; Atty. Dario Suarez to PENRO Southern Leyte in Maasin City, and Leyte PENRO Ranulfo Arbiol to Samar, based in Catbalogan City.
CENRO transfers affected Lea Torres to Borongan City, Delia Benitez to Dolores, Eastern Samar; Mario Tubania to Ormoc City, Vallre Jess S. Abar to Baybay City, Edilberto Caidlang to Palo, Paquito B. Dabuet to Catarman, Northern Samar; Angelito Villanueva to Pambujan, Northern Samar; Alejandro Bautista to Maasin City, Southern Leyte; Marcialito Torres to San Juan, Southern Leyte; Baldomen Nuñez to Sta.Rita, Samar; and Gene P.Tomas to Catbalogan City.
Earlier, Barcelo showed his displeasure after learning that a CENRO maintained that there was no illegal logging going on in his area of jurisdiction, even after he found freshly cut lumber being used in a furniture factory in Samar.
Barcelo said he did not believe the explanation given him that the lumber was culled from the damage wrought by Super-Typhoon Yolanda as this was almost five years ago already.