Department of Justice (DOJ) Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla on Monday assured that the Masungi Georeserve in Tanay, Rizal will be protected.
“We are pro-environment. The environment is not our enemy. It seems that there are just some people who are alarmist about the matter,” Remulla said, in an interview.
The protection of the park was assured by Remulla after the Masungi Georeserve Foundation aired its concerns on the plans of the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) to relocate its headquarters and erect housing for its personnel in the Georeserve.
He also said that the BuCor has a title for certain portions of georeserve park.
“What is important is for Masungi to be preserved and the other unused areas are used by the government,” he stressed.
According to him, Masungi is “the heritage of the Filipino people” and “does not belong to one foundation at all but to all the Filipino people.”
“These people should not make the mistake that they are the only ones who can protect the environment. There are a lot of people who want to protect the environment,” he stressed.
Remulla revealed that he has talked with Department of Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga on the issue. “We will speak in one voice on this matter,” he said.
At the same time, Remulla explained that it is not yet certain if the proposal of the BuCor to relocate its headquarters and put up housing for its personnel at the property in Tanay will push through.
“It’s not yet sure. It is still being explored),” he said, adding that they are also looking into using the property to house youth or female offenders from the National Capital Region (NCR).