The people behind the Masungi Georeserve have literally scaled limestone cliffs and fought tooth and nail to preserve and restore their pocket of land in Baras, Rizal. But since 2024, calls have been made to save the georeserve, its flora and fauna, and its surrounding communities amid conflicts with other land developers, quarrying, illegal logging, and even the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
And then, in a press conference on Friday, March 7, the DENR said it canceled its contract with Blue Star Construction Development Corporation, the georeserve’s developer.
In addition to the cancellation of the Joint Venture Agreement (JVA), the DENR has also ordered Blue Star to vacate the area within 15 days, to the dismay of Masungi Georeserve Foundation Incorporated (MGFI), various government officials, and environmental advocates.
“For over two decades, Masungi and Blue Star have been on the frontlines, defending our forests against land grabbers, illegal quarries, and powerful vested interests,” MGFI said in a statement released on Friday. “Instead of holding these plunderers accountable, the DENR is attacking a project that the late Secretary Gina Lopez once called ‘the only good thing happening in the area.’”
“It is apparent that this case is part of a larger, more insidious effort to weaken environmental protection, silence advocates, and clear the path for selfish commercial interests to exploit our natural resources,” the foundation added.
The Agreement
In 1996, Blue Star won a bid by the DENR to develop 130 hectares of government property and convert the area into a “sustainable housing project” for government employees. According to MGFI, they agreed that 30 percent of the area would be developed for housing while the remaining 70 percent would be for green spaces.
In 2002, Blue Star was given an additional 300 hectares to develop under the new supplemental agreement (SJVA). “This expansion is based on the provisions of law, which allows a government project to be expanded or extended without additional bidding under certain conditions,” MGFI explained. The 300 hectares cover what would eventually become the Masungi Georeserve and its trails.
In 2017, the DENR, under late former Secretary Gina Lopez, signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with MGFI to restore, reforest, and protect 2,700 hectares of surrounding land in the area.
In April 2024, Blue Star charged the DENR P1.166 billion for its alleged failure to deliver lands in a state-owned territory. The DENR asserted that the billing had no legal basis, and current Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga said she planned to rule out the MOA.
In March 2025, the DENR argued that the 2002 SJVA is “illegal,” citing a “lack of essential elements and failure to go through a bidding process.” It also said that Blue Star failed to develop the 5,000 housing units agreed on in the 1996 JVA.
However, MGFI explained that the delays were caused by the DENR’s “failure to fulfill its contractual obligation to remove large-scale illegal occupants and claimants in buildable areas of the project site.”
Next Steps
On Monday, March 10, Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte released a statement of support for MGFI, calling its work “proof that restoration is possible when communities, organizations, and leaders work together.”
“At a time when deforestation and climate change threaten our natural resources, we must not reverse decades of progress,” she said. “We urge for open dialogue and collaboration to reach a resolution that upholds the rule of law while ensuring that conservation initiatives continue.”
Lawmakers like Senator Nancy Binay and ACT-Teachers Representative France Castro have spoken out on the issue.
“Ngayong pina-ba-vacate nila ang Masungi Georeserve in 15 days, ano ang vision at plano ng DENR para mapangalagaan at maprotektahan ang Masungi?” said Binay in a statement released on Saturday, March 8.
She added, “[N]ababahala tayo sa magiging resulta ng kanselasyon ng kontrata ng Blue Star. Alam nating walang kakayanan ang DENR na saluhin ang anumang kasalukuyang aksyon na ginagawa ng foundation.”
Castro said, “Ang pagpapaalis sa Masungi Georeserve Foundation ay malinaw na hakbang tungo sa pagbukas ng protektadong lugar para sa komersyal na interes.”
She also said that she will file a resolution to investigate the DENR’s “sudden” notice to evict Blue Star from the conservation area.
Meanwhile, MGFI said that it anticipated the DENR’s actions and is “confident of the legal remedies available to us to stay the order, continue our work, and save Masungi.”
