Armed men ‘invade’ Masungi conservation site

MANILA, Philippines — More than 30 armed men have encamped at the Masungi conservation site in Rizal allegedly planning to “take over huge tracts of land in the protected area.”

The group of men reportedly belongs to Sinagtala security agency.

In a Facebook post on Saturday, the Masungi Georeserve described the move as an “invasion.”

“They are planning to take over vast tracts of land in the protected area to sell them to third parties,” the management said.

The management called on the Departments of the Interior and Local Government and Environment and Natural Resources as well as the Philippine National Police to take immediate action.

“The area is part of Masungi’s conservation site, the Kaliwa Watershed protected area, and has been legally titled to the Philippine government since the 1950s,” Masungi Georeserve said.

Lt. Col. Eunice de Guzman, spokesperson for the Provincial Police Office 4, said they deployed some personnel yesterday to look into the report.