Police to beef up Masungi Georeserve protection, security

Part of the Masungi Georeserve in Baras, Rizal  (NIÑO JESUS ORBETA)

LUCENA CITY – The regional police will beef up the government security forces protecting the Masungi Georeserve in Rizal province.

Brigadier General Paul Kenneth Lucas, Police Region 4A (PRO-4A) chief, said he ordered additional police officers to augment the Regional Mobile Force Battalion 4A and reinforce security measures at the Masungi Georeserve “against any forms of threat such as illegal logging, land grabbing, and quarrying.”

Lucas said the deployment is also aimed at safeguarding tourists and visitors and preserve the natural environment as directed by Interior and Local Government Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr.

“The police presence at the Masungi Georeserve underscores our dedication to ensure peace and order while prioritizing the protection of our natural resources,” Lucas said in a statement issued by the PRO-4A public information office.

“We recognize the importance of maintaining a strong partnership between the PNP and environmental advocates to ensure the sustainable management of our natural heritage,” he added.

Lucas vowed that the police “remain committed to fostering a safe and secure environment for all.”

He urged the public to continue their cooperation and support to safeguard ecological sites like the Masungi Georeserve and its vicinity.

The Masungi Georeserve is found within the 26,000-hectare protected area covering Antipolo City and the municipalities of Baras, Rodriguez, San Mateo and Tanay.

It is home to more than 400 species of flora and fauna, several of which are rare and threatened.

The Masungi Georeserve Foundation Inc. (MGFI) and the late Gina Lopez, then environment secretary, had entered into a memorandum of agreement (MOA) on the protection and conservation of its 2,700-hectare area that has since been plagued by incidents of violence, alleged land grabbing, and illegal logging and quarrying.

The foundation has repeatedly called on the government to protect forest rangers who are in danger due to harassment from several land claimants due to its resources for mining and other money-making ventures.