Leonardo DiCaprio calls on Marcos to ‘protect’ Masungi Georeserve

THE campaign to protect the country’s Masungi Georeserve has received another support, and it is from none other than “Titanic” star and environmentalist Leonardo DiCaprio.

The Hollywood actor expressed his support for the movement in his latest Instagram post, calling on President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr. to save the award-winning conservation area located in Baras, Rizal from alleged unlawful activities like mining and logging.

In his post, DiCaprio narrated how local communities dealt with the illegal deforestation in the Masungi Georeserve in the late 1990s. He mentioned their conservation efforts to restore its ecosystem by growing trees and taking care of the wildlife, and how locals participated in protecting the area.

Known as a popular hiking trail, Masungi Georeseve is not only home to several endemic plants but also to endangered and threatened species like the Philippine Hawk-Eagle, Philippine Hanging Parrot, Indigo-banded Kingfisher, Philippine Long-tailed Macaque, and Philippine Warty Pig.

But there’s a threat to such initiatives, said DiCaprio.

“Now this success is in jeopardy, as the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) threatens to cancel the agreement that protects this area from prolific land grabbing activities. This cancellation would set back the success of an internationally acclaimed conservation effort and leave the area vulnerable again to mining, logging, and illegal developments,” he explained.

He then urged Marcos to “intervene and continue to protect” Masungi Georeserve, stressing that by doing so, the Philippines could “become a leader in sustainability, eco-tourism, biodiversity protection, and climate action.”

Masungi Geopark Project

DiCaprio included a link to the petition to protect the Masungi Geopark Project, an initiative born through an agreement between the Masungi Georeserve Foundation Inc. (MGFI) and the late DENR secretary Gina Lopez in 2017. 

It aims to restore nearly 2,700 hectares of degraded forestland around Masungi Georeserve and prevent deforestation in the area.

The project bagged the UN Sustainable Development Goals Action Award under the Inspire category in September 2022 for its efforts to fight deforestation. 

The petition that the 49-year-old actor shared on Instagram was the same petition with 10,000 signatures sent to the Office of the President on June 5, coinciding with the commemoration of the World Environment Day. It was addressed to Marcos and DENR Secretary Ma. Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga, urging them to bolster their support for the project.

Legal battle

In April, the DENR brought up the plan to cancel the 2017 agreement between the government and the MGFI, saying that it was “void ab initio” or void from the beginning due to the provision that gave the foundation the “perpetual land trust for conservation” over the area.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) had ruled that the “perpetual land trust for conservation” agreement with the MGFI went against Article 12 Section 12 of the Constitution, which limits “exploration, development, and utilization of natural resources” to 25 years.

The MGFI said that the planned cancellation of the agreement was “untenable” and “a travesty of justice, stressing that the contract “has all the elements of a valid agreement.”

“The MOA [memorandum of agreement] provision which declares that ‘the intent of the parties is to constitute the project area as a perpetual land trust’ is not a grant or gift of land to the foundation, contrary to malicious insinuations. A close reading of the contract will reveal that we can only manage the project for as long as the law or constitution allows, which is yet to be determined by the courts for conservation,” it clarified.

The foundation said that the agreement will remain “valid and binding” until it is declared void by the court.

DENR’s response

While it appreciates DiCaprio’s concern over Masungi Georeserve, the DENR said that “no one is exempt from the law.”

“It explained, “The Filipino people own the area occupied by Masungi Georeserve Foundation and the operation of the resort venues that charge the public for day tours, meetings, and weddings remains non-compliant with Philippine laws.”

It claimed that the owners of MGF were the “same signatories” to the Joint Venture Agreements and Supplemental Agreement investigated by the DENR and are now “subject [to] investigation” by Congress.

However, the MGFI was quick to contradict the DENR’s statement and clarified that it is not a “resort” but “a non-stock, non-profit Foundation duly registered at the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).”

It also clarified that the trails in the conservation area have a certificate of non-coverage (CNC), which it said is “equivalent [to] the Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) for projects with insignificant environmental impact as defined by the Philippines Environmental Impact System (EIS).”