DENR suspends protected land agreement deal with SBSI

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has suspended its Protected Area Community-Based Resource Management Agreement (PACBRMA) with Socorro Bayanihan Services Inc. (SBSI), it announced on Friday.

According to its statement, DENR secretary Ma. Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga has issued a letter of suspension, as the SBSI did not comply with the terms and conditions of the agreement.

The PACBRMA enables migrant groups to develop and conserve a piece of a Protected Area for 25 years. The SBSI was awarded the agreement in 2004.

The DENR added that it started investigations into the alleged activities of the SBSI in 2019 due to violations of the PACBRMA, including restriction of entry into the area; the establishment of checkpoints and military-like training; resignation of teachers, uniformed personnel, and barangay official; and establishment of structures in the PACBRMA area.

The SBSI submitted its Community-Based Resource Management Plan in 2019 but was denied by the DENR due to its aforementioned violations. In 2021 and 2022, the DENR called the attention of the SBSI for its violations but did not get a response.

The DENR also said in its statement that it will work with the Department of Interior and Local Government, the Department of Social Welfare and Development, the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development, and the Provincial Government of Surigao del Norte to peacefully enforce the suspension and for the relocation of its occupants.

Currently, SBSI leader Jey Rence Quilario, alias Senior Aguila, is under Senate investigation for the organization’s alleged illegal practices, including forced child marriages and other sexual offenses.

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