THE GOVERNMENT needs to cancel quarrying agreements and halt illegal construction around the Masungi Georeserve in Baras, Rizal, and focus on conserving the area, civil society organizations said.
Over 30 heads of environmental organizations and educational institutions signed a joint statement seeking an end to such activity at Masungi and the Upper Marikina Watershed, which they said risks degrading the environment around the portion of the Sierra Madre range to the east of Metro Manila.
“The conservation project, spanning 2,700 hectares of severely degraded and abused watershed areas around the Masungi limestone, seeks to stop illegal activities such as land grabbing, quarrying, and illegal construction, and rewild the landscape crucial to Metro Manila’s disaster and water resilience,” according to the joint statement.
Apart from being a conservation area and park, the Masungi project also aims to protect the Upper Marikina Watershed.
The joint statement urged the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to immediately cancel Mineral Production Sharing Agreements (MPSA) in force within the Upper Marikina Watershed.
The group cited Republic Act No. 11038 or the Expanded National Integrated Protected Area Systems Act, which bans mineral exploration, mining, and quarrying inside protected areas.
“We believe these are more than enough grounds to merit the expeditious cancellation of the said MPSAs. We condemn the reported moves of certain officials to approve similarly harmful and contradictory activities inside the protected area, such as the construction and operation of certain swimming pool resorts that disrupt and divert waterways inside the critical watershed,” according to the statement.
“It is ironic and disheartening that instead of canceling the quarrying agreements and removing illegal permanent structures, there are now threats of removing the award-winning reforestation work of the Masungi Georeserve Foundation in the area,” it added.
The group said that studies estimate the remaining forest cover of the Upper Marikina Watershed at 11% as of 2021.
“This dire situation could significantly worsen the extent of flooding in low-lying reaches of the Upper Marikina Watershed, including the cities and communities of Metro Manila and Rizal Province,” according to the statement.
Among the signatories are environmental lawyer Antonio A. Oposa, former Puerto Princesa Mayor Edward S. Hagedorn, Manila Observatory Executive Director Jose Ramon T. Villarin, Wild Bird Club President Michael C. Lu, and United Nations Environment Programme Goodwill Ambassador Antoinette F. Taus, among others.
In a separate statement, Presidential Communications Office Secretary Martin M. Andanar also urged the DENR to look into environmental degradation in the area.
“Safeguarding the environment and natural resources is an important component in our sustainable development,” he said.
“We therefore express concern on reports of alleged development activities, which include resort expansion, in the Marikina Watershed. We urge the Anti-Illegal Logging Task Force to look into the matter and file the necessary charges against violators of environmental laws,” he added. — Luisa Maria Jacinta C. Jocson
