DENR’s small step with Big Effects

When J.A Alesmo, 26, decided to legally register her home-based business in “a (city in Metro Manila) in 2007, it was one of the most (excruciating) experiences I’ve ever had – all those queuing in government offices to get licenses and documentations and certifications. It was almost like they didn’t want me to start a business,” she says.

 While recognizing she had options, such as “hiring other people to do the registering in my behalf, I am not called a microentrepreneur for nothing – I didn’t have a big start-up capital, and I didn’t have limitless resources, for that matter. I had to control my expenses every step of the way.” This is why any help she says she can get is welcome, “if not actually a necessity,” Alesmo says.

This is why any help she says she can get is welcome, “if not actually a necessity,” Alesmo says.

Interestingly, help comes from government offices, too – the very entities Alesmo experience difficulties with. At least it is in the case of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), the body responsible for the harmonious co-existence of develop (where the key factor is business), polity (where the key actor is government), and culture (where the key actor is civil society). The three realms are interacting, dynamic, and complementary components of an integral whole. As such, the (DENR) encourages and promotes the participation of the business and industry sector in the country's environment and natural resources development, conservation, management, and protection,” the AO’s first section, outlining its basic policy, states.

The business and industry desks were created at DENR’s central office, and at regional offices and bureaus – specifically, at DENR’s special concerns office (SCO) for the central office, with two desk officers designated by the SCO director; at the office of the regional executive director (RED) for regional business and industry desk, also manned by two officers designated by RED; and as designated by the bureaus to “address concerns of their respective sectors (in the case of forestry-based business and industry, the Forest Based Industry Advisory Committee or FBIAC serves as the working group).”

With the establishment of the central and regional business and industry desks, select DENR officers were empowered to be “primarily responsible for directing and coordinating all phases of the desk (for) activities such as conducting consultation meetings with business and industry sectors to discuss mutual concerns and collaborative activities; encourage continuous improvement, innovations and allow flexibility on processes and procedures to be adopted or used by the desk; improve communication among major players and stakeholders; (and) develop feedback mechanism between government and business and industry.”

In the end, the AO hopes to “forge a strong and dynamic DENR (and) business and industry sector partnership on environment and natural resources” by providing them “access to DENR line and staff bureaus, attached agencies, and regional, provincial and community Offices.”

As for Alesmo, that “some offices at least try to simplify the processes for businesspeople is, I suppose, good enough. Just as they always say, you can’t, at least, fault them for trying,” she says. “And that the help also enables me to help (in their endeavours, too), well, that most certainly is a welcome add-on (for everyone).”

For more information, visit the Department of  Environment and Natural Resources at Visayas Avenue, Diliman, Quezon City; call (632) 9296626 to 29, 9296252, 9296620, 9296633,or 9297041 to 43; or visit denr.gov.ph.