Caritas Philippines, the development and advocacy arm of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), has voiced its unwavering support for the Masungi Geopark Project amid the Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ (DENR) intention to cancel the 2017 Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) that birthed the globally acclaimed reforestation endeavor.
“We believe the planned cancellation is unwise and would be detrimental to environmental protection efforts,” declared Caritas Philippines Vice President Bishop Gerardo Alminaza in a statement issued by the organization. “This is a time when the government should be supporting successful initiatives, not hindering them.”
Caritas Philippines underscores the tangible success of the Masungi Georeserve Project, viewing it as a beacon of hope in environmental conservation.
“We are deeply concerned about the real impact of this cancellation,” Alminaza emphasized.
Echoing the sentiments expressed by Masungi Georeserve, Caritas Philippines perceives the cancellation as potentially favoring “large-scale fraudulent claimants, land grabbers, quarries, and swimming pool resorts” over the welfare of the Filipino populace and the environment.
In light of this, the organization urges the DENR to explore alternative avenues, such as formal negotiations and open dialogue.
“Caritas Philippines stands alongside Masungi Georeserve in raising apprehensions that the cancellation might serve as a pretext to shirk the DENR’s responsibility to evict illegal occupants from the protected area, including those with government affiliations,” remarked Alminaza.
Caritas Philippines concludes its statement by rallying the public to unite against this “unwise” decision and rally for the preservation of the Masungi Geopark Project.
In my opinion, despite the reported voidance of the Memorandum of Agreement between the Masungi Management and the DENR under former Secretary Gina Lopez (as revealed by a DENR Secretary recently during the Senate’s hearing on the Bohol Chocolate Hills), I still hope that Masungi will continue managing the forest reserve.
However, to satisfy all stakeholders involved, I propose that the MOA should not be perpetual but for a fixed period, for instance, renewable every twenty years. This approach would ensure ongoing oversight and accountability, while also allowing for adaptation to changing circumstances and the evolving needs of environmental conservation.
