THE PHILIPPINES’ turbulent history with matters of environmental protection, worsened by domestic territorial conflicts, has led to a culture of exploitation and violence along protected natural reserves. Now, with tensions rising between the government and private interests, local communities and activists are caught in the crossfire. The armed invasion by hired security personnel at the Masungi Georeserve—a rainforest conservation along the Upper Marikina Watershed and the Southern Sierra Madre—is but the newest escalation in a history of environmental disputes.

Timeline of events

Reports were first received about the arrival of a group of 20 armed men along kilometer 48 of the Marikina-Infanta highway on September 3. The men, representing Sinagtala Security Services Inc. on the behalf of claimant Beatriz Sonquipal, had encamped in the area. They asserted operation rights issued by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in the early 2000s while refusing to provide evidence.

According to the Masungi Foundation, the occupation by armed personnel on protected reserve grounds, alongside repeated harassment towards park staff, were violations of the law and sufficient grounds for arrest.

Thus, on September 20, the Foundation published a statement appealing for the arrest and prosecution of the invaders, assistance from the DENR, and a crackdown on alleged police cooperation in Sinagtala’s invasion. The next day, the DENR and the Philippine National Police (PNP) announced a joint investigation into both the security firm as well as the police personnel present at the reserve.

Inspections were done on September 22 and showed that Sinagtala’s License to Own and Possess Firearms had expired on January 30, 2022. The men were fined Php 1,000 for each violation of the Private Security Agency Law. “Otherwise, ‘no crime [was] committed,’” said Brig. Gen. Leumar Abugan, chief of the PNP Supervisory Office for Security and Investigation Agencies.

Sinagtala’s hired men then left the site on September 23, and the premises were put under intensified patrol by the PNP and Department of Interior and Local Government Secretary Benhur Abalos. A House Resolution has since been filed calling for a probe into the incident.

Under attack

The recent September encounter is not the Masungi Foundation’s first experience with armed invasion. Billie Dumaliang, a co-founder and trustee of the Masungi Foundation, notes that the park’s recent experience mirrors previous confrontations. “The modus operandi is mostly the same. A land grabber brings in a security agency or armed goons, then a mob of people from elsewhere, builds preliminary structures, and expands into forest lands or protected areas,” she adds.

Previous attacks included an intentional fire in April 2021 that cleared 16 hectares of Masungi’s forest area. Another incident followed in June 2021 when a mountainside within the reserve was illegally logged in what Masungi dubbed a “tree massacre.”

The local-led Masungi Foundation often confronts intrusive third parties such as mineral production sharing agreements and illegal resort builders who pose threats to the Masungi Foundation and endanger the local biodiversity. With threats involving large entities, Dumaliang highlights the need for “sustainable and committed” undertakings for environmental justice in cooperation with local government bodies.

Political relevance

In one of the most dangerous countries for environmental advocates, the Masungi Foundation continues its mission of combating environmental issues by seeking out government partnerships. Despite a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) formed with the DENR to protect the Geopark Project, as well as recent pledges for site protection against illegal claimants, Dumilang stated that the DENR has “provided minimal aid” to the Masungi Foundation.

She relays that the DENR has avoided discussion with them and claims that they “attacked [their] MOA more than…the root causes of environmental destruction and blatant illegal activities.” This was seen in a recent discourse between DENR Undersecretary Jonas Leones and another Masungi trustee. Following a report of the September invasion, Leones responded by seeking to review the reserve’s financial records as well as existing contracts between the two parties.

As a key representative of Philippine environmental protection efforts, the Masungi Georeserve’s land also attracts interest from local government units and private entities with different stakes in the territory. Conflicts between these parties push the reservation—as well as other protected areas in the country—to the political stage.

Despite political challenges from hostile private entities and a lack of support from the local government, the Masungi Georeserve remains steadfast in preserving its forests and amplifying the fight for environmental justice in the country. “We do not know if we can do what we do tomorrow, but we will try our best. Our work is worth it,” Dumaliang concludes. The offenses against the reserve and external responses to them shine a light on the future and present realities of the nation’s attitude towards local biodiversity.