By Tara Yap

Iloilo Governor Arthur Defensor Sr., while saddened by the Commission on Appointments’ non-confirmation of Ms. Gina Lopez as environment secretary, said Lopez should have been more “tactical” in the fight for the environment.
Defensor said Lopez should not have “picked a fight against the mining industry at the start; she should have waited until the time she was confirmed and started the fight.”
A day after she was appointed by President Duterte in May 2016 as environment chief, Lopez ordered an audit of all mining firms in the country and stripped away permits from most of them for “violations” of environmental laws.
Wednesday, he said, was “a very sad day” for environmentalists after the 25-member commission disapproved the ad interim appointment of Lopez during voting in an executive session.
The Chamber of Mines, however, that had been spearheading the campaign against Lopez, immediately expresses “gratitude” to the CA for the rejection of Lopez’s appointment.
“It was a very sad day…because it’s rare that a cabinet member has that passion and commitment to help our efforts in so far as environment is concerned,” Defensor said, as he added that she showed no fear in fighting the “destructive” mining industry.
Lopez’s family hails from Iloilo province and owns, among others, broadcast giant ABS-CBN and the utilities firm Meralco./WDJ