QUEZON CITY — Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Juan Miguel Cuna urged Filipinos to observe Earth Day today by making choices that put priority on nature-based solutions –choices that, when multiplied across households and barangays, translate into safer homes, steadier incomes, and cleaner neighborhoods.
“A family in a rural barangay wakes before dawn to fetch water from a distant spring; a farmer tills land he does not legally own and cannot invest in better crops; children in crowded neighborhoods have nowhere safe to play; every storm threatens the roof and the harvest. These are the everyday costs — in time, money, and peace of mind — that nature-based solutions can ease,” DENR Secretary Juan Miguel Cuna said.
As the nation marks Earth Day under the theme “Our Power, Our Planet,” the DENR framed the day as both a call to action and a promise: that everyday environmental choices, supported by community programs and local leadership, can turn policy into tangible relief at the household level.
Secretary Cuna disclosed that the DENR is actively developing a national policy to institutionalize Nature-based Solutions (NbS) as a core strategy for climate adaptation and disaster risk reduction, moving beyond traditional, rigid infrastructure. Key initiatives focus on ecosystem restoration, specifically watershed management, forest restoration, and mangrove protection to build community resilience against climate change.
Secretary Cuna outlined how nature-based programs under the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. are designed to deliver those community and household benefits: Reforestation and watershed rehabilitation restore springs and improve local water availability, reducing the hours families spend fetching water and lowering reliance on costly alternatives. Community-based agroforestry and forest management help smallholder farmers diversify crops and stabilize incomes while protecting soil and water.
Coastal protection and the strengthening of marine protected areas help rebuild fish stocks so fisherfolk can bring home more reliable catches with fewer trips to distant grounds. Meanwhile, implementation of the Extended Producer Responsibility framework aims to reduce plastic leakage, strengthen recycling systems, and create livelihoods in waste recovery.
“These programs are not abstract targets,” Secretary Cuna said. “They are practical, community-driven actions that put time back in a parent’s day, food on the table more reliably, and a safer roof over a family’s head when storms come.”
Secretary Cuna called on local governments, communities, businesses, and households to treat Earth Day as a reminder that collective action begins with daily choices. Secretary Cuna urged barangays to integrate nature-based solutions into local development plans, encouraged families to support community planting and coastal stewardship activities, and asked businesses to comply with waste-reduction responsibilities that create local jobs.
“Collaboration is our power,” he said. “When families, local leaders, and industry act together, the benefits land directly in Filipino homes: less time spent on basic needs, lower out‑of‑pocket costs, and stronger, more resilient livelihoods.
