MAKABAYAN senatorial bet and House Deputy Minority Leader France Castro (PL, ACT Teacher) has accused the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) of favoring the corporate interests of land developers rather than protecting nature with regard to the Masungi Georeserve issue.
In a statement, the lawmaker questioned the issuance by the DENR of a notice to the Blue Star Construction and Development Corp. last March 7 to vacate the 300-hectare area it occupies in Baras, Rizal.
The area is covered by the 2002 Supplemental Joint Venture Agreement under the Arroyo administration.
The DENR, through Undersecretary Juan Miguel Cuna, gave Blue Star 15 days to vacate the area after unilaterally nullifying its nearly 23-year-old contract on the grounds of legal infirmities.
The area is an ecological conservation site that has caught the attention of the international community.
“The drastic move to evict the Masungi Georeserve Foundation is a clear initial step to opening the area for commercial interests. The DENR must be made to declare whether it aims to protect the environment or sell out to the highest bidder,” Castro said.
“The timing of this eviction notice is highly suspicious, coming at a time when Masungi has received international recognition for its conservation efforts. This is not about legal technicalities—this is about silencing environmental advocates who have been effective in protecting our natural resources,” Castro added.
ACT Teachers nominee and former Representative Antonio Tinio pointed out that the DENR’s actions contradict its mandate as the primary agency responsible for environmental protection.
“The DENR should be the first to defend Masungi, not the one threatening its existence. It is tragic that the very agency whose task it is to protect our ecology is the one throwing out its true advocates,” Tinio said.
The former legislator underscored that the conservation work done by the Masungi Georeserve Foundation has been exemplary, even earning multiple international awards and recognition for its innovative approach to environmental protection and sustainable tourism.
“In just a few years, Masungi has transformed from a degraded area threatened by illegal logging, quarrying, and land-grabbing to a model of conservation. They’ve planted over 100,000 native trees, protected endangered species, and provided sustainable livelihoods for local communities. Destroying this success story would be an environmental crime,” he pointed out.
Rep. Castro likewise raised questions on the timing of the eviction move just as DENR Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga was “conveniently” on personal leave with no clear timeline for her return.
“Why did they need to do this while the DENR Secretary was away? Are they trying to hide something? These kinds of actions show a lack of transparency and accountability in the agency,” she noted.
In the past, Masungi, with help from environmental groups and civil society organizations, fend off attempts by the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) to claim the land for its new headquarters.
“We’ve already opposed BuCor’s plan to build its headquarters in Masungi, and now we see this move to evict the current conservation managers. This cannot just be a coincidence. There is a bigger plan afoot,” Castro said.
