Lotilla Out of the Marcos Cabinet, Off to the Vatican — New DENR Chief Cuna Once Got Suspended Over Canada's Trash

Raphael "Popo" Lotilla is out of the Marcos Cabinet. The veteran bureaucrat who served as both Energy secretary and DENR chief is being shipped off to Rome as the Philippines' next ambassador to the Holy See. Palace Press Officer Claire Castro announced the move on Friday, insisting that Lotilla "neither resigned nor was asked to resign" — he just wanted a "lighter assignment."

Replacing Lotilla as acting DENR secretary is Undersecretary Juan Miguel Cuna, a career DENR official who's been with the department since 2008. Cuna worked his way up from provincial officer to undersecretary for field operations in Luzon and Visayas, and is respected by colleagues for his understanding of forestry and environmental governance.

But Cuna's record isn't spotless. In 2018, the Ombudsman ordered him suspended for three months over his role in the controversial shipment of container vans of trash from Canada back in 2013. At that time, he was already an undersecretary heading the Environmental Management Bureau — so this isn't his first time in the hot seat.

Lotilla had served under Marcos since the very first week of the administration in July 2022, initially as energy secretary before being moved to DENR in May 2025 during a Cabinet revamp. He was bypassed three times by the Commission on Appointments, which never acted on his nomination. Prior to the Marcos era, he served as energy chief under Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo from 2005 to 2007.

The DENR welcomed Cuna's appointment, with Forest Management Bureau assistant director Ray Thomas Kabigting praising his "particular focus on forestry" and expecting more streamlined governance. Whether Cuna can navigate the department's massive mandate — from mining to environmental enforcement — without controversy remains to be seen. Good luck, Secretary.

Source: Rappler