DENR chief urged to meet with Masungi to settle questions on caretaker deal
MANILA, Philippines — A network of environmental organizations called on the leadership of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to meet with the Masungi Georeserve Foundation to address concerns about their agreement to restore and protect parts of the fragile Upper Marikina Watershed.
In a statement on Monday, the Upper Marikina Watershed Coalition urged Environment Secretary Toni Yulo-Loyzaga to hold a direct dialogue with Masungi "to settle mutual concerns on its joint reforestation program." Masungi is a member of the coalition.
Under a 2017 agreement between the foundation and then-environment chief Gina Lopez, Masungi will plant and nurture trees to help heal a 2,700 hectare area in the Upper Marikina River Basin and Protected Landscape.
But in a Senate hearing last November, DENR officials said the contract with the foundation is disadvantageous to the government. The foundation called the pronouncement “libelous, irresponsible and baseless.”
The Upper Marikina Watershed Coalition said the urgency of safeguarding Masungi Georeserve and its reforestation project "cannot be understated."
“Their internationally recognized work has stopped further severe, irreversible damage and threats to the people, land, and biodiversity of the protected area—all of which have been painstakingly recovered and protected through many sacrifices of its people in the past 20 years,” the coalition said.
Cancel quarry permits
The Upper Marikina Watershed Coalition also called for the release of orders canceling the mineral production sharing agreements (MPSAs) that were granted to quarry companies. An MPSA gives contractors the right to mine within a contract area.
According to the groups, the Mines and Geosciences Bureau said the cancellation orders, although already recommended, have not yet been signed by the environment secretary. Philstar.com sought the comment of Yulo-Loyzaga, but she has yet to respond as of posting.
The coalition that includes Alyansa Tigil Mina, Kalikasan People’s Network for the Environment and Non-Timber Forest Products-Exchange Programme stressed the political threats and undue pressures against environmental defenders are "deeply concerning and unacceptable."
"The use of political power to undermine the preservation of this important ecosystem is indicative of the dangerous uphill battle that environment defenders all over the Philippines experience," the groups said.
"Our fight in the Upper Marikina Watershed alongside the Masungi Geopark Project is a critical piece in the climate action agenda of our government, and the support, or lack thereof, from public sector actors can determine where their real priorities and interests lie," they added.
Over the years, Masungi has locked horns with quarry operators, resort owners, and other entities who illegally occupy forestlands inside the 26,000-hectare protected area.
The House of Representatives’ chamber’s committee on natural resources will conduct an inquiry into the alleged unauthorized and unlawful activities at the Masungi Georeserve on Wednesday.
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