Caritas backs Masungi caretakers:‘Unwise’ for DENR to let them go
The foundation said that the MOA remained valid and binding and while it remained so, it promised to continue its work alongside 100 local rangers. ‘Alarming attitude’
“This alarming attitude casts a shadow to the true intents of a MOA cancellation which has been tagged by observers as a smokescreen for the DENR to avoid their obligations under the MOA to remove the fraudulent and large-scale illegal occupants in the protected areas, which includes personalities with government ties,” MGFI said in its statement.
Caritas said that the success of the Masungi Georeserve Project was “a testament to its positive impact.”
“We are concerned about the real impact of this cancellation,” Alminaza added.
Caritas Philippines echoed MGFI’s statement that the move seems to favor private establishments rather than the Filipino people and the environment.
The organization urged the DENR to explore alternative solutions, including formal negotiations and open dialogue.
This is a time when the government should be supporting successful initiatives, not hindering them Gerardo Alminaza
Caritas Philippines vice president and San Carlos Bishop
Call for public support
“Caritas Philippines joins Masungi Georeserve in raising concerns that the cancellation could be a way to avoid the DENR’s obligation to remove illegal occupants from the protected area, including those with government ties,” Alminaza said.
Caritas Philippines also called on the public to stand together against the DENR’s “unwise” decision and fight for the preservation of the Masungi Geopark Project.
MGFI maintains that the MOA had “all the elements of a valid agreement” and that it was done through the Expanded National Integrated Protected Areas System Act, or Republic Act 11038.
“The MOA provision which declares that ‘the intent of the parties is to constitute the project area as a perpetual land trust’ is not a grant or gift of land to the foundation, contrary to malicious insinuations,” Dumaliang said.
Willing to dialogue“A close reading of the contract will reveal that we can only manage the project for as long as the law or Constitution allows, which is yet to be determined by the courts for conservation,” she added.
Aside from being awarded the agreement, MGFI said the group had also earned it.
It cited several international awards it had received for its work, such as recognition at the 2024 World Economic Forum in Davos, as one of the best practices in the world for ecosystem restoration and winning the 2022 UN Sustainable Development Goals Action Campaign Inspire Awards.
The foundation said it was willing to hold a dialogue with the DENR and the DOJ to clarify matters and present more facts on the issue. INQ
