Press Release
September 22, 2022

Hontiveros calls for probe into incidents of violence, land-grabbing in Masungi

Senator Risa Hontiveros on Thursday filed Proposed Senate Resolution No. 231 calling for the Senate to conduct an inquiry into incidents of violence, land-grabbing, illegal logging, and quarrying, which affect the Masungi Georeserve and the rest of the Upper Marikina River Basin Protected Landscape (UMRBPL).

"Nakakabahala na ang paulit-ulit na iba't-ibang uri ng karahasan na nararanasan ng mga tagapangalaga ng Masungi. We, in government, have a duty to defend the interest of this conservation site as it is a protected area established under Republic Act 11038 or the Expanded Integrated Protected Area Systems Law. We cannot take our environmental defenders for granted," Hontiveros said.

On Sept. 19, 2022, it was reported that over 30 armed men apparently employed by "Sinagtala Security Agency Services" were encamped along the Marikina-Infanta Highway, within the vicinity of the conservation area.

The volunteers and employees of Masungi Georeserve Foundation Inc. have also reportedly been threatened and harassed by groups allegedly engaged in illegal quarrying, logging, and land-grabbing in the UMRBPL, culminating in the shooting of two park rangers in 2021. The violence against these forest guards impelled Hontiveros to file Proposed Senate Resolution 806, which sought a Senate investigation into this particular incident.

"Bukod sa usapin ng peace and order, ito'y usapin din ng pagpapahalaga sa likas-yaman ng ating bansa. The biodiversity and integrity of the area's natural environment, including the 400 species of flora and fauna as well as 60-million-year-old limestone formations, should be saved and secured. Nakapunta na ako sa Masungi mismo at nakita ko ang sukat at lawak na dapat nating protektahan at pangalagaan," Hontiveros said.

"We know that our natural resources help us curb the effects of climate change. Sa katunayan, noong 2020, naging usapin din sa pagdinig ng Senate Committee on Environment, Natural Resources, and Climate Change, na ang mga land-grabbing at deforestation activities sa Masungi ay maaaring naging sanhi ng matinding pagbaha pagkatapos ng hagupit ng Typhoons Rolly at Ulysses. Lahat tayo ay katiwala ng ating kapaligiran. Let's not wait for another tragedy before we seriously take care of our environment, our only home," Hontiveros concluded. ###

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*Note: Please see attached PSR No. 231

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