Philippines Names Former PEMSEA Executive Director Lotilla as New Environment Chief

^{Photo credit: NAPOCOR}

 

Philippine Energy Secretary Raphael P.M. Lotilla, who had served as Executive Director of  Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA) Resource Facility from 2008 to 2012, is set to take over the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) after his reassignment from the Department of Energy.

 

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has tapped Lotilla to the post as part of a Cabinet revamp, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin announced in a press briefing on 23 May 2025.

 

Leading the Road to Recognition

 

When Lotilla took the helm of PEMSEA in 2008, the organization was a regional program of the Global Environment Facility (GEF), implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

 

As Executive Director, Lotilla guided PEMSEA through its critical transition period, helping establish it as an international organization with its own legal personality on 26 November 2009, enabling it to enter into contracts, receive funds, and manage operations independently.

 

During his tenure, Lotilla played a key role in securing the Philippines as PEMSEA’s permanent headquarters. In July 2012, he signed the Headquarters Agreement with then-Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario, formally designating the Philippines as the organization’s host nation.
 

^{Headquarters Agreement signed: Then-Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert F. del Rosario (left) and former PRF Executive Director Raphael P.M. Lotilla (right) sign the agreement on 31 July 2012 to establish PEMSEA Resource Facility at the Department of Environment and Natural Resources compound in Quezon City.}

 

"The Philippines really made a strong representation, and had some advantages at that particular point," Lotilla explained in a 2022  interview. "For one thing, we were an ASEAN country, and we had the full backing of the government through the DENR. We were also a center of biodiversity. Our marine environment is actually far bigger than our land territory, and we have a strong marine science community here."

 

The Philippine Senate ratified the agreement in May 2015, officially establishing the PEMSEA Resource Facility in the country.

 

The former PEMSEA chief also broadened the organization's partnership base, welcoming four new partners in 2009 including the PEMSEA Network of Local Governments, the IUCN-Asia Regional Office, International EMECS Center, and the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity. Under his leadership, PEMSEA expanded to include 11 Country Partners and 19 Non-Country Partners.

 

The Manila Declaration
 

^{Former PRF Executive Director Lotilla speaks with the press during the East Asian Seas Congress 2009 in Manila, where regional stakeholders assessed the implementation of the Sustainable Development Strategy for the Seas of East Asia (SDS-SEA) and discussed future directions for coastal and ocean governance in the region.} 

 

In 2009, Lotilla led the East Asian Seas Congress with the DENR, which produced the Manila Declaration on Strengthening Implementation of Integrated Coastal Management for Sustainable Development and Climate Change Adaptation. It identified ten priority areas for countries to address climate change impacts on coastal communities. The Declaration also committed participating countries to report their progress at future ministerial forums.

 

Despite dealing with high-level international negotiations, Lotilla never lost sight of PEMSEA's grassroots focus. In an interview, he emphasized that PEMSEA’s greatest success was working at the local community level, where local projects achieved long-term sustainability.

 

"You can really see the commitment and see projects grow, to the level where activities become sustainable, and you can see the continuity despite changes in administration at the local level," he said, citing successful coastal management projects in Bataan, Philippines, and Sriracha, Thailand.

 

“The thing is, by focusing on working with local governments and communities, one gets around a number of difficulties," he noted, acknowledging that national politics often complicated environmental initiatives.

^{Former Executive Director Lotilla (second row, center) joins stakeholders in Boracay Island on April 2010 during the Scientific Forum and Consultation Workshop for Boracay's Sustainable Development to establish the Boracay Beach Management Program through the Integrated Coastal Management framework.}

 

A Legacy of Public Service

 

^{Former Executive Director Lotilla (center) joins volunteers during a coastal cleanup at the Las Piñas – Parañaque Wetland Park, formerly Las Piñas – Parañaque Critical Habitat and Ecotourism Area on April 2011. The event collected 150 sacks of waste from the Manila Bay coastline and was organized by the Direct Selling Association of the Philippines, led by Avon Philippines, with support from the DENR and PEMSEA.}

 

A native of Sibalom, Antique, Lotilla holds degrees in psychology, history, and law from the University of the Philippines (UP), and a Master of Laws from the University of Michigan. He began teaching law at UP in 1985 and went on to serve as the Vice President for the UP Public Affairs and Director of the UP Law Center’s Institute of International Legal Studies.

 

Lotilla served as Energy secretary twice. The first one was from 2005 to 2007 under the Arroyo administration and under President Marcos from July 2022- May 2025.

 

He also held key positions including Deputy Director-General of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) from 1996 to 2004, and President and CEO of the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corporation (PSALM).

/Klyra Orbien

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