DENR, PNP probe presence of armed in Masungi's conservation site
MANILA, Philippines — Authorities are investigating the presence of armed men who have encamped within the vicinity of Masungi Georeserve’s conservation site, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources said.
At a briefing Monday, DENR Undersecretary Jonas Leones said the agency and the Philippine National Police are conducting their own investigations into the presence of armed men on the roadside of the Marikina-Infanta Highway who allegedly plan to take over a huge portion of land in the protected area.
“The PNP is preparing its situation report of their investigation on the matter. The DENR is also conducting its own parallel investigation," Leones said.
According to Leones, the armed men are employees of Sinagtala Security Agency hired by another claimant. He added the area where the men camped out is outside any protected area and the Lot 10 titled to the Republic of the Philippines.
Masungi, however, said the area is part of the organization’s conservation site, the Kaliwa Watershed Forest Reserve, and Lot 10.
“The map they gave and the coordinates clearly show that they are within,” Masungi Georeserve Foundation trustee and project manager Ann Dumaliang told Philstar.com.
Leones said the DENR will review and validate the maps and other documents being presented.
“The department recognizes the issues surrounding the Masungi Georeserve and adjacent lands have a long, complex history, and involve conflicting claims and national interest. The DENR assures the public it will uphold the rule of law and continue its mandate of preserving the proclaimed protected area,” he said.
NewsX: Pools, ‘plunderers’ make Upper Marikina watershed conservation a hard and perilous task
‘Invasion’
Masungi over the weekend sounded the alarm over the presence of armed men within its conservation site, calling it a clear act of “invasion.”
Under an agreement signed with the DENR in 2017, Masungi will plant and maintain trees to help heal the degraded watershed. The DENR is in charge of ejecting illegal occupants from the project site and canceling tenurial instruments with violations.
In an update Monday, the organization said the regional police unit confiscated illegal firearms from the group. But the armed men have not been arrested.
Philstar.com reached out to the Rizal Police Provincial Office, but it has yet to respond to our queries.
Masungi renewed its call for urgent action from government agencies to enforce laws and stop the invasion of the protected area.
“They should be alarmed and strive to cause the immediate arrest and eviction of this group,” Dumaliang said.
“We’ve seen recently how investigations have become a way to cause delay and how this speed of response has become a scapegoat to give speculators more time to get established, and thereby also allowing the harassment of environment defenders,” she added.
Located upstream of Metro Manila, the Kaliwa watershed and the Upper Marikina River Basin Protected Landscape serve as safety net against cyclones and rains, and home to various flora and fauna.
Masungi has locked horns with quarry operators, resort owners, and other entities who illegally occupy forestlands inside the protected landscape.
Early this year, Masungi’s forest rangers were mauled by people suspected to be working for resorts inside the protected area.
"We reiterate that we are the key ally of the government in protecting our natural resources in this singular ecosystem and wildlife sanctuary. We should be working together with one line of sight and a common goal to fearlessly stop environmental crimes especially in the light of the climate emergency," Dumaliang said.
- Latest
