Protect our watersheds and environment

We pen this letter to shed light on the concerns surrounding the response of DENR Undersecretary Ignatius Loyola Rodriguez to Mr. Jarius Bondoc (Sept. 12, 2023).

Contrary to Usec. Rodriguez’s statements, it appears that senior officials in the DENR are being misinformed about the actual situation on the ground.

Despite the issuance of 40 out of 80 Cease and Desist Orders by the Calabarzon regional director against swimming pool resorts in watersheds, these resorts blatantly continue their operations. Instead of facing legal consequences, these flagrant violators are being rewarded by rogue DENR officials with clearances and contracts for Special Use in Protected Areas (SAPA). This has resulted in continued illegal operations, further damaging our fragile environment.

These serious issues extend further. Between 2006 and 2007, Penro Rustia wrongfully issued 25 free patents to the KABALAT syndicate, an open defiance of existing laws and standing orders from successive DENR secretaries. Despite orders for eviction and reversion, the KABALAT are still on site, illegally selling watershed land and constructing facilities, with not a single patent being reverted to the watershed to date.

Moreover, several questionable survey plans signed by Calabarzon officials exist, enabling syndicates to sell, occupy and develop the titled Lot 10 property of the Republic, further contributing to the issue. The silence from DENR officials on these matters is not only disturbing but it also undermines the government’s efforts in conserving the environment.

The Protected Area Management Board (PAMB), headed by Director Tamoria, passed a surprising resolution recommending the cancellation of the Masungi Geopark Project (MGP) Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) on unfounded grounds, without due process. This hasty resolution came after the PAMB provided clearances to the two biggest resorts operating within the MGP project area, favoring activities that glaringly flout the law and harm the fragile watershed.

Masungi conservationists have been suffering from a series of harassments, intimidation and violence, emboldened by certain public statements from high DENR officials and the PAMB’s resolution to recommend the cancellation of the MOA. They face an orchestrated smear and harassment campaign by resorts and quarries, endangering their lives and their invaluable work in environmental preservation.

We cannot help but draw parallels between the disproportionate scrutiny that our MOA is being subjected to by DENR officials and Rizal congressmen, and the unraveling Senate investigation of the Socorro Bayanihan Services Inc. (SBSI). Said Senate probe over the illegal operation of an alleged cult stumbled upon a dubious conservation agreement between DENR and the cult. It appears that SBSI has been misusing its Protected Area Community-Based Resource Management Agreement (PACBARMA) over some 353 hectares of protected area in Surigao without any effective sanction from DENR. Had not the Senate probed SBSI, albeit for a different purpose, the conservation scam in Surigao would have gone unnoticed.

Rife are reports of PACBARMA, IFMA, ISF and other supposedly community-based reforestation projects around the country turning out, not trees and forests, but more residential and business structures, in contravention of their very objectives. We ask the Secretary and our Rizal lawmakers to similarly probe and review said contracts in our own province, in aid of enforcement and/or legislation.

To shed light on these serious issues, I urge the Secretary and other responsible officials to personally inspect the MGP project site. Despite Masungi’s year-long attempts to privately share these disturbing stories, their pleas have fallen on deaf ears. It’s crucial for the welfare of our environment and for upholding the rule of law that the Secretary and other DENR officials take action on these matters promptly, ensuring that accurate and complete reports guide their decisions and actions.

This letter hopes to serve as a catalyst for the much-needed change and as a medium to uncover the truth behind these alarming issues. It’s vital for the Secretary, DENR and Masungi to come together as true partners in conserving the environment for the benefit and enjoyment of all Filipinos, ensuring the protection and preservation of our nation’s precious natural resources.

We place our trust in The Philippine STAR to publish this letter and aid in the pursuit of environmental justice and conservation, helping to bring these issues to the forefront of public awareness and discussion. – Ben Dumaliang, president, Masungi Georeserve Foundation