In October 2020, Masungi Georeserve, a private company running an eco-tourism business using public lands, and a contractor of the DENR (Department on Environment and Natural Resources), illegally intruded the Ancestral Domain of the Indigenous Peoples of Antipolo, the Dumagat-Remontado Tribe. 

The said company, Masungi Georeserve, operated by Blue Star Development & Construction Corporation headed by Ben Dumaliang, upon the review of the DENR - Biodiversity Management Bureau, through DENR Asec and Director Ricardo Calderon, confirmed that Masungi Georeserve  has “no proper tenure” in the said area, they do not have the permit (SAPA) required to operate in the area, and that their only legal basis of being in the area, a MOA, cannot supersede the E-NIPAS LAW.

Moreover, ASEC Calderon criticized the MOA as “flawed & disadvantageous to the government” aside from the MOA having no expiration, they have not been paying the mandatory fees & taxes to the government since day one, and with the said disadvantageous MOA, it means forever free from the mandatory fees & taxes.

Masungi Georeserve’s entrance fee ranges from Php 7,500-9,000/per hour, while a rent of their venue for private events is Php 250,000/for 6 hours use.

Aside from overcharging the public, they are using the lands that belong to the state FOR FREE for crying out loud! 

Not only is Masungi unfairly using public lands belonging to the State for free for their own business interests, but this is a question of their morality as an entity & contractor of the DENR as the people behind the Masungi have maligned, threatened and attacked the Indigenous Peoples and other people helping the IPs for months, to drive them away from the lands that legally and rightfully belong to them as certified by the NCIP (National Commission on Indigenous Peoples) with their Certificate of Ancestral Domains Title: CADT No. R-04-ANT-AD-003

We believe that the government must act on this immediately and give justice to the Indigenous Peoples and the Filipino People by enforcing THE RULE OF LAW:

 1) PERMANENTLY TERMINATE THE OPERATIONS OF THE MASUNGI GEORESERVE AND BAN THIS PRIVATE ENTITY FROM ANY GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS

2) REVOKE THE MOA THAT IS “FLAWED & DISADVANTAGEOUS TO THE GOVERNMENT” 

3) ORDER MASUNGI GEORESERVE TO LEAVE THE ANCESTRAL DOMAIN AS SOON AS POSSIBLE

Let us give justice to the Indigenous Peoples and the Filipino People, and never ever allow people and private entities such as Masungi Georeserve and the Dumaliangs to be granted contracts with the government ever again.