Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources

Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources of the Philippines
Kalihim ng Kapaligiran at Likas na Yaman
Official seal of the cabinet department
Incumbent Raphael P.M. Lotilla since May 23, 2025
Style	Mr. Secretary (informal) The Honorable (formal)
Member of	The Cabinet
Reports to	The president
Seat	Visayas Avenue, Diliman, Quezon City
Appointer	The president with the consent of the Commission on Appointments
Term length	No fixed term
Inaugural holder	Galicano Apacible
Formation	January 1, 1917
Website	www.denr.gov.ph

The secretary of environment and natural resources (Filipino: Kalihim ng Kapaligiran at Likas na Yaman) is the head of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources of the Philippines.

Functions

The following are the functions of a secretary:^[1]

• Advise the president on matters under a department's jurisdiction;
• Establish the policies and standards for a department's operation;
• Promulgate rules and regulations;
• Promulgate administrative issuances;
• Exercise disciplinary powers over officers and employees under a secretary;
• Appoint officers and employees in a department;
• Exercise jurisdiction over a department's bureaus, offices, agencies and corporations;
• Delegate authority to officers and employees;
• Perform other functions provided by law.

List

Secretary of Agriculture and Natural Resources (1917–1933)

Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Took office	Left office	Governor-General
	Galicano Apacible (1864–1949) [2][3]	January 11, 1917	October 31, 1921	Francis Burton Harrison
				Charles Yeater
				Leonard Wood
	Rafael Corpus (1880–1960) [3][4]	November 2, 1921	July 17, 1923
	Silverio Apostol Acting [5]	July 18, 1923	September 6, 1928
				Eugene Allen Gilmore
				Henry L. Stimson
	Rafael Alunan Sr. (1885–1947) [6]	September 6, 1928	January 1, 1933
				Eugene Allen Gilmore
				Dwight F. Davis
				George C. Butte
				Theodore Roosevelt Jr.

Secretary of Agriculture and Natural Resources (1947–1974)

Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Took office	Left office	President
	Mariano Garchitorena (1898–1961)	July 1, 1947	September 1, 1948	Manuel Roxas
				Elpidio Quirino
	Placido Mapa [7]	September 21, 1948	September 14, 1950
	Fernando Lopez[a] (1904–1993) [7][8][9]	September 14, 1950	May 26, 1953
	Placido Mapa Acting [10]	May 26, 1953	December 29, 1953
	Salvador Araneta (1902–1982) [11]	March 10, 1954	August 13, 1955	Ramon Magsaysay
	Juan Rodriguez	August 18, 1954	March 3, 1960
				Carlos P. Garcia
	Cesar Fortich	March 3, 1960	September 15, 1961
	Jose Locsin (1891–1977) Acting	September 15, 1961	December 30, 1961
	Benjamin Gozon	1962	1963	Diosdado Macapagal
	Jose Feliciano	1963	1965
	Fernando Lopez[a] (1904–1993) [12]	December 30, 1965	January 15, 1971	Ferdinand Marcos
	Arturo Tanco Jr. [12]	January 15, 1971	May 17, 1974

Secretary of Natural Resources (1974–1978)

President Ferdinand Marcos issued Presidential Decree No. 461 on May 17, 1974, creating the Department of Natural Resources from the Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources.^[13]

Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Took office	Left office	President
	Jose Leido Jr.	May 17, 1974	June 2, 1978	Ferdinand Marcos

Minister of Natural Resources (1978–1987)

President Ferdinand Marcos issued Presidential Decree No. 1397 on June 2, 1978, converting all departments into ministries headed by ministers.^[14]

Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Took office	Left office	President
	Jose Leido Jr.	June 2, 1978	July 26, 1981	Ferdinand Marcos
	Teodoro Peña	July 27, 1981	June 30, 1984
	Rodolfo del Rosario	July 18, 1984	February 25, 1986
	Ernesto Maceda (1935–2016)	February 25, 1986	December 1, 1986	Corazon Aquino
	Carlos Dominguez III (born 1945)	December 2, 1986	January 30, 1987

Minister of Environment, Energy and Natural Resources (1987)

President Corazon Aquino issued Executive Order No. 131 on January 30, 1987, renaming the Ministry of Natural Resources as the Ministry of Environment, Energy and Natural Resources.^[15]

Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Took office	Left office	President
	Carlos Dominguez III (born 1945)	January 30, 1987	February 11, 1987	Corazon Aquino

Secretary of Environment, Energy and Natural Resources (1987)

President Corazon Aquino issued Administrative Order No. 15 on February 11, 1987, converting all ministries into departments headed by secretaries.^[16]

Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Took office	Left office	President
	Carlos Dominguez III (born 1945)	February 11, 1987	March 9, 1987	Corazon Aquino
	Jun Factoran (1943–2020)	March 10, 1987	June 10, 1987

Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources (from 1987)

President Corazon Aquino issued Executive Order No. 192 on June 10, 1987, renaming the Department of Environment, Energy and Natural Resources as the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.^[1]

Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Took office	Left office	President
	Jun Factoran (1943–2020)	June 10, 1987	June 30, 1992	Corazon Aquino
	Ricardo Umali Acting [17]	July 1, 1992	August 31, 1992	Fidel V. Ramos
	Angel Alcala (1929–2023)	September 8, 1992	June 30, 1995
	Victor Ramos	July 1, 1995	June 30, 1998
	Antonio Cerilles (born 1948)	June 30, 1998	January 25, 2001	Joseph Estrada
				Gloria Macapagal Arroyo
	Joemari Gerochi Acting	January 25, 2001	March 28, 2001
	Heherson Alvarez (1939–2020)	March 29, 2001	December 13, 2002
	Elisea Gozun	December 13, 2002	August 31, 2004
	Mike Defensor (born 1969)	August 31, 2004	February 15, 2006
	Angelo Reyes (1945–2011)	February 15, 2006	July 31, 2007
	Lito Atienza (born 1941)	July 31, 2007	December 28, 2009
	Eleazar Quinto Acting	January 4, 2010	February 12, 2010
	Horacio Ramos Acting	February 12, 2010	June 30, 2010
	Ramón Paje (born 1960) [18]	June 30, 2010	June 30, 2016	Benigno Aquino III
	Gina Lopez (1953–2019) Interim [19][20]	June 30, 2016	May 3, 2017	Rodrigo Duterte
	Roy Cimatu (born 1946) [21]	May 8, 2017	February 18, 2022
	Jim Sampulna Acting [22]	February 18, 2022	June 22, 2022
	Joselin Marcus Fragada Officer in Charge [22]	June 22, 2022	June 30, 2022
	Ernesto Adobo Jr. Officer in Charge	June 30, 2022	July 12, 2022	Bongbong Marcos
	Toni Yulo-Loyzaga	July 12, 2022	May 22, 2025
	Raphael Lotilla (born 1958) Interim	May 23, 2025	Incumbent

Notes

1. In concurrent capacity as the Vice President.

References

1. "Executive Order No. 192, s. 1987". Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
2. Official Gazette Vol. XV, No. 4. Reporter of the Supreme Court. 1917. p. 151.
3. Report of the Governor General Philippine Islands: Message from the President of the United States Transmitting Report of the Governor General of the Philippine Islands, Together with Reports of the Heads of the Departments of the Philippine Government, for the Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 1920. Washington: Government Printing Office. 1923. p. 163.
4. Annual Report of the Governor General Philippine Islands, 1923. Washington: Government Printing Office. 1925. p. 35.
5. Annual Report of the Governor General Philippine Islands, 1923. Washington: Government Printing Office. 1925. p. 181.
6. Annual Report of the Governor General Philippine Islands 1928. Washington: Government Printing Office. 1930. p. 175.
7. Fourth Annual Report of the Philippine Commission, 1903, Part 3. Washington: Government Printing Office. 1904. p. 682.
8. "Appointments and Designations: December, 1950". Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines.
9. Preston, Paul; Partride, Michael; Best, Anthony, eds. (2000). British Documents on Foreign Affairs: Reports and Papers from the Foreign Office Confidential Print. Part V, From 1951 through 1956, Series E, Asia, 1954. Vol. 7. University Publications of America. p. 526.
10. Preston, Paul; Partride, Michael; Best, Anthony, eds. (2000). British Documents on Foreign Affairs: Reports and Papers from the Foreign Office Confidential Print. Part V, From 1951 through 1956, Series E, Asia, 1954. Vol. 7. University Publications of America. pp. 526–527.
11. "Appointments and Designations: March, 1954". Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines.
12. "Vice President Quits Manila Cabinet Post". The New York Times. January 15, 1971.
13. "Presidential Decree No. 461, s. 1974". Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines.
14. "Presidential Decree No. 1397, s. 1978". Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines.
15. "Executive Order No. 131, s. 1987". Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines.
16. "Administrative Order No. 15, s. 1987". Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines.
17. "Re-inventing the forestry agencies of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Philippines: a case study". www.fao.org. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
18. "Benigno S. Aquino III". Presidential Museum and Library. Archived from the original on July 6, 2016. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
19. Viray, Patricia Lourdes (June 30, 2016). "Duterte's Cabinet takes oath, holds first meeting". The Philippine Star. Archived from the original on July 1, 2016.
20. Santos, Eimor P. (May 3, 2017). "CA rejects Gina Lopez appointment as DENR chief". CNN Philippines. Archived from the original on May 5, 2017.
21. "Cimatu appointed DENR secretary". Philippine Daily Inquirer. May 9, 2017. Archived from the original on August 13, 2020.
22. Kabagani, Lade Jean (February 18, 2022). "Cimatu resigns as DENR chief". Philippine News Agency. Archived from the original on February 20, 2022.

External links

• DENR - History
• History of the Department of Agriculture: 'DA Then and Now'