Press Release
July 29, 2021

Hontiveros calls for probe on Masungi shooting, calls for greater protection for forest guards

Senator Risa Hontiveros has called on the Senate to conduct a legislative probe into the recent shooting of two forest rangers of Masungi Georeserve in Sitio San Roque, Barangay Pinugay, Rizal. The rangers were shot in the dark of night, amid heavy rains by unidentified men in bonnets.

"This violence is unacceptable. The Masungi forest rangers have dedicated themselves to preserving and defending our environment, but unscrupulous individuals have attempted to take their lives. Bigyan natin ng hustisya silang mga puspusang nagbabantay sa ating kalikasan," Hontiveros said, upon filing Proposed Senate Resolution No. 806.

The incident happened on July 24, Saturday, at a ranger station near GSB resort in Sitio San Roque. The Masungi Georeserve administration had claimed that GSB resort illegally occupies a forestland in the Upper Marikina River Basin Protected Landscape.

"The need to protect our forest guards cannot be understated. The country only has 1 forest guard for every 4,000 forest hectares, despite the ideal ratio being 1 for every 500 hectares. Hindi pwedeng napapahamak ang mga tagapagligtas ng ating kalikasan dahil sa kasakiman ng iilan," Hontiveros said.

The senator stressed that these attacks also come on the heels of a series of suspicious activities at the watershed, such as the illegal erection of new structures. There are also armed private guards in the area who have been hired by private firms that claim to have bought, and are cordoning off parts of the area, for their private use.

Furthermore, according to data from Hansen Global Forest's dataset, only about 23-34% of forest cover is left in the Upper Marikina Watershed. Hontiveros shares that this figure has continued to drop since its declaration as a protected area in 2011.

"In December 2020, during the Senate hearing led by the Committee on Environment, Natural Resources, and Climate Change, I also flagged land-grabbing and deforestation activities in Masungi, which were suspected to have caused the severe flooding after the onslaught of Typhoon Rolly and Ulysses. Taon-taon tayong binabagyo at binabaha. Taon-taon may nawawalan ng tahanan o mahal sa buhay. Let's be serious in our mission of preserving our environment, lest the Philippines lose more than we already lost," Hontiveros said.

"These continued aggressions not only threaten the safety of the rangers but have also prevented restoration and protection efforts. Ang ating kalikasan ang unang proteksyon laban sa hagupit ng baha at bagyo. Not taking care of our environment is tantamount to not taking care of our people," Hontiveros concluded.

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