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| Former
US President Jimmy Carter thanks Alvarez
after he filed a resolution at the House
of Representatives lauding Carter for
his contributions to urban housing development
under the Habitat for Humanity Programs. |
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Heherson T. Alvarez was elected representative of
the 4th District of Isabela in May 1998 under the
Lakas-NUCD-UMDP party which he then served as Secretary
General. He served one term as congressman at the
House of Representatives during the 11th Congress,
from 1998 to March 2001.
A leading member of the opposition and the minority
block at that time, he is best remembered as the
principal initiator of the impeachment complaint
filed against former President Joseph Estrada
at the time when everybody else thought the idea
was almost a "fantasy" and no one supported
the complaint.
Against all odds, the impeachment complaint gathered
steam and began to snowball after more evidences
surfaced, convincing his colleagues that there
was probable cause to file the complaint against
former President Estrada.
The impeachment complaint paved the way for EDSA
II. In recognition of Alvarez' s effort the People
Power Commission gave him the EDSA People Power
Freedom Award.
As a member of the House of Representatives in
1999, he led the fight against the proliferation
of pornographic images in the movie and television
industry, together with a multi-sectoral group
of religious and civil society members.
This culminated in the "Jericho March"
of thousands of concerned Filipinos at the Philippine
Senate grounds, resulting to a Senate inquiry
that led to a renewed effort from the local movie
industry to police itself.
Also in 1999, Alvarez spearheaded a move to oppose
the plan of the Marcos family to bury the late
President Ferdinand E. Marcos at the Libingan
ng mga Bayani in Fort Bonifacio in Makati City.
The massive rally Alvarez led at the Don Chino
Roces Bridge, attended by religious leaders, the
youth, former President Aquino and other political
luminaries who opposed Martial Law, prompted former
President Estrada to finally cave in and keep
the remains of the late dictator in a refrigerated
crypt in Ilocos Norte.
In March 2001, recognizing his steadfast commitment
to good governance and his passion for the protection
of the environment through sustainable development,
President Arroyo appointed him as Secretary of
the Department of Environment and Natural Resources
(DENR).
Accomplishments:
He continued to be the leading voice on the environment
in the House of Representatives where he was responsible
for the enactment of the following laws:
Northern Sierra Madre Natural Park Act (RA 9215),
protecting the country's last remaining virgin
forests
and pristine waters, including the many plants
and animals that thrive in it such as the
Philippine
Eagle, the dugong, and many others.
Solid Waste Management Act (RA 9003), the first
measure signed into law by President Gloria
Macapagal
Arroyo, which promotes ecological waste management
and creates necessary
institutions
for its implementation.
Clean Air Act (RA 8479), setting standards for
ambient air and emissions from all air pollution
sources
and strengthened the government structure for
implementation and enforcement.
As congressman, he also filed the following comprehensive
package of proposed measures in the 11th Congress
that would address the entirety of environmental
degradation:
Smoking Ban Act
Clean Water Act
Total Commercial Log Ban Act
Land Use Act
Community-Based Forest Management Act
National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA)
Act
Wildlife Resources Conservation Act
Revision of the Environment Code
Biomedical Waste Control Act
New Pollution Control Law
Mangroves Protection and Conservation Act
Creation of Special Environmental Courts
Indigenous Oil and Gas Act
Energy Conservation Act
Geothermal Act
His important measures approved on Third Reading
in the 11th Congress were:
Omnibus Electric Industry Restructuring Act
Anti-Racketeering-Influenced and Corrupt Organizations
Act
Anti-Trafficking in Filipino Women Act
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