Jea Nicole Jacot
 
The Masungi Georeserve Foundation Incorporated (MGFI) condemned the decision of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to cancel the 2002 Supplemental Joint Venture Agreement (SJVA) agreement with Blue Star, the group that started conservation efforts at the Rizal preserve.

Photo Courtesy of Rappler/ABS-CBN News.

“Dito po sa napirmahang letter of cancelation ng ating department, sinasabi natin na isa sa mga kontrata rito, which is the 2002 Supplemental Agreement, is canceled, and we are demanding the Blue Star to vacate the area,” said Norlito Eneran, DENR Assistant secretary for legal affairs and enforcement, at a press briefing on Friday, March 7.

Blue Star is expected to leave the property 15 days after receipt of the cancellation letter.

In a statement released the same day, the foundation accused the DENR of prioritizing the interests of land grabbers, quarries, private resorts, and industrial projects over forest protection efforts, stating the agency has misused public funds to target the recognized conservation project. 

“Let us be clear – it is the DENR who is at fault here. It has stubbornly refused to carry out its contractual obligation to clear the area of large-scale illegal occupants, liens, and encumbrances, causing delays to the project and significant injury to its private sector partner,” it stated.

In 1996, the DENR and Blue Star made a deal to build 5,000 housing units called “garden cottages” for government workers on the 130-hectare public property, with a commitment to maintaining 70% of the land as green space. In 2002, President Arroyo then approved an expansion, adding 300 hectares to the project's size for 5,000 additional units.

According to the DENR, Blue Star secured a supplemental agreement “despite no substantial housing units built on the original 130 hectares awarded,” and no bidding process occurred.

As a response, the MGFI stated that the expansion is “based on the provisions of law, which allows a government project to be expanded or extended without additional bidding under certain conditions.”

MFGI is yet to receive DENR’s formal 15-day notice to vacate but it is “confident of the legal remedies available” to sustain its work and save Masungi.

The agreement recently canceled by the DENR is separate from the 2017 contract that pertains to a different 2,700-hectare area in Rizal, specifically intended for the Masungi Geopark reforestation efforts.