The Masungi Georeserve requested intervention from President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. following their receipt of a 15-day notice from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
In an email, the georeserve expressed concerns over the possibility of eviction from the facility, which seriously threatens their efforts to safeguard and restore the mountain areas.
"We plead with President Marcos Jr. to intervene. The very laws that protect Masungi’s lands were put in place during his father’s administration, recognizing the importance of conservation for the nation’s future," the georeserve said in a statement.
The group is urging the President to pause and review the DENR’s notice and to engage in an open dialogue with various stakeholders to reach a unified decision.
It added that the recent decision of the environment department would undermine their efforts to protect the forest and the nearby watershed from illegal land grabbers.
Masungi Georeserve has encountered various private claimants asserting ownership of different parts of Lot 10 — the area where the georeserve stands — through various land titles.
In a televised interview, Ann Dumaliang of the Masungi Georeserve highlighted the facility's crucial role in protecting Metro Manila and nearby provinces.
“This is not just any random landscape. It is the upper reaches of the watershed that supports Metro Manila that’s already been severely, critically deteriorated,” Dumaliang said.
On 7 March, the DENR announced it was canceling its deal with Blue Star Development Corporation, the developer of Masungi Georeserve, due to a series of alleged violations, including incomplete housing projects that were part of its 2002 agreement under the Supplemental Joint Venture Agreement (SJVA).
Masungi Georeserve is situated in Baras, Rizal, within the Sierra Madre mountain range and the Upper Marikina Watershed.