Masungi Georeserve welcomes postponement of BuCor's plan to transfer its headquarters

The Masungi Georeserve Foundation on Thursday welcomed the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor)’s plan to postpone transferring its headquarters in the georeserve in Rizal.

The foundation issued the remark after BuCor office-in-charge Gregorio Catapang Jr. revealed they are deferring its plan to transfer its headquarters to the georeserve due to “pending further studies” on its impact on the environment during the Senate tourism committee hearing on Tuesday.

“Knowing the potential environmental impacts of the plan, we are hopeful that the project will be scrapped altogether,” the Masungi Georeserve said in a statement.

It, however, urged Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Antonia Loyzaga to convene the Masungi Geopark Project’s Oversight Committee to resolve and prevent future conflicts within the project site.

“We must all be aligned with the long-term vision for Masungi that has been painstakingly built over the last 25 years. As scientists, environmental planners, and citizens have all said: Let us keep Masungi a sanctuary for our unique geological heritage and threatened wildlife,” the foundation said.

The foundation also thanked the senators for investigating the “destructive activities” in the Masungi Georeserve and the Masungi Geopark Project.

“We hope to continue working with the Senate as it exercises oversight over matters affecting our people’s right to a healthy ecology,” the Masungi Georeserve said.

“Once again, we are grateful for our fellow Filipinos and supporters in the international community for being vigilant about this threat. We continue to count on your voices in helping us save Masungi against the many challenges it faces,” it added.

Catapang said they are hoping for an urban planner or an environmental planner to help them in conducting the study, assuring the senators that they will not push for BuCor’s headquarters in the area if “it’s not worth it.”

He said they are asking for six months to one year to finish this study.

Meanwhile, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla earlier said the plan to build the new BuCor headquarters in Tanay is not yet final.

The Masungi Georeserve is a conservation project in Rizal that has won international several awards including the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDG) Action Award under the Inspire Category in 2022, the Water ChangeMaker Awards in 2021 for its efforts to protect and restore the watershed from “large-scale threats such as quarrying, land trafficking, and timber poaching,” and the 2018 Pathfinder Award Special Commendation presented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) and WildArk.

In 2021, Masungi's Ann and Billie Dumaliang were among Vanity Fair magazine's "Changing Your Mind Travel" awardees. — LA, GMA Integrated News