24/09/2022
INVADERS HAVE LEFT THE AREA
Today, our forests won, like a long drought welcoming its first drops of rain.
We found champions in DILG Sec. Benhur Abalos and PNP Chief Police General Rodolfo Azurin Jr., who have demonstrated today that they are firmly on the side of environmental protection and the safety of its defenders. Majority of the invaders were no longer around just before the Secretary’s party came on-site.
Masungi Georeserve Foundation deeply thanks DILG Sec. Benhur and his staff for personally going to Lot 10, parts of Masungi Georeserve and the Masungi Geopark Project. With his commitment to protecting these areas, we look forward to working with him to bolster our efforts in reforesting and defending our conservation sites.
We also give our sincere appreciation to PNP Chief General Azurin, for his dedication to peace and safety by putting up a police detachment in our vulnerable areas. We thank as well PNP CALABARZON Regional Director Brig. General Nartatez for confiscating the fi****ms in the encampment when others didn’t. This helped deescalate the situation.
Our gratitude goes to Sen. Risa Hontiveros for her initiative to call an inquiry into the anomalous and violent incidents in Masungi’s conserved areas, bringing even more sense of urgency on the matter.
To all the media correspondents and outlets that have kept a watchful and truthful eye on this precarious situation, thank you for your persistence and diligence in not letting this story be buried away.
Finally, to our fellow Filipinos, partners, allies in government, and previous visitors, who have voiced their support and opinions, calling out facts as they see it and pushing this issue online and offline— you have protected our rangers and team by not letting harm happen to them in the darkness. You and the media have helped galvanise the government agencies into action.
Let us continue to urge the government to look into the possible anomalous and syndicated activities that made this invasion possible in the first place.
This is not the end, just the beginning. We know that we will continue to sustain various forms of attacks and disinformation after this, so we seek your continued support to help us power through. Our conservation work continues, in Lot 10 and other areas entrusted to us.
Remember: It is only through our combined vigilance, persistence, and courage that another assault on Masungi is foiled. Let us continue to push back and speak truth to power not only in Masungi but in other threatened sanctuaries in the Philippines.
Today feels like the first drop of rain for a land long crying for help, but soon, with our hearts full of hope, the rain will come.