DENR on Di Caprio's call to protect Masungi: No one is exempt from law

MANILA – The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) on Thursday maintained that the Masungi Georeserve Foundation Inc. (MGFI) and the operation of the resort venues inside the protected area are non-compliant with Philippine laws.

In an official statement issued on Thursday in response to an Instagram post of Hollywood Actor Leonardo Di Caprio calling for the conservation of the area, the DENR said it appreciates the concern raised by the international celebrity.

However, it stressed that "no one is exempt from the law".

"The Filipino people own the area occupied by Masungi Georeserve Foundation, Inc. and the operation of the resort venues that charge the public for day tours, meetings, and weddings remains non-compliant with Philippine laws," the DENR said.

The department said that the owners of Masungi Georeserve in Baras, Rizal are "the same signatories" to the Joint Venture Agreements (JVA) and Supplemental Agreements (SA) for the delivery of government housing projects.

They were the same signatories "that have been investigated by DENR and is currently subject to investigation in aid of legislation by both houses of Congress."

In response, the MGFI clarified that the Masungi Georeserve is a non-profit conservation initiative run by the MGFI, a non-stock, non-profit Foundation duly registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

"Masungi is therefore not a resort, which is built for the primary purpose of entertainment and profit," the MGFI said.

Moreover, it added that "only light, local, sustainable, and temporary structures and features that enhance and sustain the character of the landscape are present" in the area.

The Foundation also assures that strict and sustainable visitor protocols are implemented for those who visit the park and that carrying capacities are observed.

In May, during the hearing by the House Committee on Natural Resources investigating alleged unauthorized and unlawful activities at the Masungi Georeserve, the DENR Legal Affairs Service said that there is already a recommendation for the cancellation of the 2017 Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the MGFI for the conservation of the 2,700 hectares of forested land in Rizal province.

It alleged that there were violations of the provision of the 1987 Constitution during the period of the 2017 MOA.

The MOA grants the MGFI "perpetual land trust for conservation subject to law".

Meanwhile, The Department of Justice has also issued a formal opinion stating that the perpetual conservation runs afoul of the limitations set by the Constitution.

In his social media post, Di Caprio called for the conservation of the Masungi Georeserve in unison with local rangers.

The Hollywood actor even tagged President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. "to intervene and continue to protect Masungi".

Di Caprio said that in the late 1990s, much of Masungi was illegally deforested, but was restored with the help of local communities, as more locals became involved in protecting the ecosystem.

"Now this success is in jeopardy, as the Department of Environment and Natural Resources threatens to cancel the agreement that protects this area from prolific land grabbing activities," Di Caprio said in his post.

"This cancellation would set back the success of an internationally acclaimed conservation effort and leave the area vulnerable again to mining, logging, and illegal developments," he added. (PNA)