Benjamin Cuaresma
MANILA, Philippines — Mamamayang Liberal Rep. Leila de Lima has challenged the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to prove that mangroves subjected to “earth-balling” can survive, calling for the suspension of the practice until a comprehensive scientific assessment is completed.
De Lima raised the issue during a House hearing on the DENR’s proposed 2027 budget, questioning why the agency issued an Oct. 8, 2025 memorandum establishing guidelines for requests to relocate mangroves even before the completion of a scientific study and broader consultations.
She questioned the basis for allowing the practice when the government had yet to establish a reliable survival rate for mangroves that are uprooted, transferred and replanted elsewhere.
“We understand that there is a technical working group (TWG) that was recently created regarding the earth-balling of mangroves. I am wondering why that memorandum was issued at all, even before consultations, or even before the creation of TWG, or a scientific study. What exactly is the survival rate?” De Lima said.
The lawmaker also questioned the DENR’s characterization of the memorandum as an “interim operational guidance,” saying it appeared to have evolved into a de facto policy that could facilitate the relocation of mangroves for major infrastructure projects.
For De Lima, the issue goes beyond individual projects. It raises questions about whether environmental safeguards are being established before, rather than after, potentially irreversible interventions are allowed.
“All of these things should have been confirmed or verified first before allowing the issuance of this memorandum,” she said.
Environment Secretary Juan Miguel Cuna said the DENR considered the memorandum appropriate at the time as part of its effort to balance environmental protection with sustainable development.
Cuna said the department had been consulting the Ecosystems Research and Development Bureau, Biodiversity Management Bureau and Forest Management Bureau, which are involved in assessing the survival prospects and technical requirements for mangrove relocation.
He said the initial findings had been encouraging but acknowledged that the broader study remains unfinished.
“We’re encouraged by the initial results that have been sent to us already, but for us to be able to really extensively complete the study, we are targeting December of this year,” Cuna told lawmakers.
De Lima, however, pressed the DENR to confront the scientific evidence directly, particularly if the final study determines that the survival rate of earth-balled mangroves is low.
She urged the department to suspend implementation of the memorandum while the assessment is being completed, or scrap the guidelines altogether.
Cuna committed to evaluate the matter.
De Lima has also sought congressional action on the broader issue.
She earlier filed House Resolution No. 1206 seeking an inquiry into the DENR memorandum, arguing that the guidelines could conflict with the country’s environmental commitments and undermine the Philippines’ role in mangrove conservation.
She likewise filed House Bill No. 8353, which seeks to establish coastal greenbelt zones at least 100 meters wide consisting of mangroves and beach forests to help protect coastal communities from erosion.
The proposed measure would also establish national policy goals for the protection, management and rehabilitation of mangrove resources.
“The lack of a national policy on mangroves poses a great challenge and has caused existing mangrove protection and rehabilitation efforts to remain ineffective and unsuccessful,” De Lima said.
She stressed the need for a comprehensive mechanism to protect coastal communities and critical habitats while supporting the recovery of fisheries and strengthening food security.
De Lima has further questioned the legal validity of the DENR guidelines, citing laws that mandate the protection of mangrove ecosystems, including the Philippine Fisheries Code of 1998, as amended, and the Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act.
The dispute ultimately centers on whether mangroves can be safely relocated without compromising the ecological functions they perform. For De Lima, that question must be answered by science before earth-balling is allowed to become an accepted mechanism for clearing the way for infrastructure projects.
Until that evidence is firmly established, she wants the DENR to put the brakes on the practice rather than allow an interim measure to become an entrenched policy.
ia/xf
