DENR urg ed: Resolve Masungi, Kaliwa Dam woes

Senator Raffy Tulfo has ordered the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to immediately resolve the ongoing security issues over the Masungi Georeserve and the Kaliwa Dam project.

Tulfo has been questioning the alleged failure of the DENR to address the security and control issues over the Masungi Georeserve in Rizal province.

"There's a lot of corruption happening in Masungi but the DENR is keeping a blind eye and a turning deaf ear over the issues,"Tulfo said as he recalled the death of two forest rangers 24 July last year.

Tulfo cited more than 20 armed men roaming around the area after "the DENR chose to suspend and not cancel" the Mineral Production Sharing Agreements granted to the Masungi Georeserve Foundation Inc.

The lawmaker insisted that the government is expected to act swiftly "when there is a crime involved."

"In this case, DENR is expected to spearhead actions taken in the protected area," he said.

Meanwhile, Tulfo said the P13.9-million intelligence funds lodged under DENR's proposed the 2023 budget "could be utilized" in resolving the alarming issues on the Masungi Georeserve.

"With this amount, you can tap a network of intelligence to identify who are the groups causing trouble inside Masungi. Kailangan po nating mapalayas ang mga armed groups diyan kasi even as we speak, nandoon pa rin po ang mga armed groups, pagala-gala (We have to get rid of those armed groups there because as we speak, they are still roaming around the area)," he added.

Tulfo said he has been receiving reports that the armed groups operating in the vicinities of Msungi are carrying high-powered M16 and M023 firearms. While Masungi's forest rangers merely had 9mm guns — making it hard for them to defeat armed groups illegally staying at the reserve.

Further, the lawmaker urged DENR Secretary Antonio Yulo Loyzaga to address the plight of Indigenous peoples in Rizal and Quezon provinces who might be displaced after being allegedly forced to sign a Memorandum of Agreement with Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System for the Kaliwa Dam project deal.

Tulfo said the DENR should be aware of the alleged intimidation of the private armed groups of the IPs.