
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 7) — The plan to relocate the Bureau of Corrections’ (BuCor) headquarters to the Masungi Georeserve is placed on hold, according to Acting Director-General Gregorio Catapang.
During a Senate hearing on Monday, Catapang bared that the plan to build its headquarters in 270 of the 300 hectares of the georeserve is “held in abeyance pending further studies to be undertaken, taking into consideration the impact on the environment with the construction of BuCor facilities in the area.
The Masungi Georeserve Foundation welcomed this, while still holding out hope that the project will be scrapped entirely.
Knowing the potential environmental impacts of the plan, we are hopeful that the project will be scrapped altogether,” it said in a statement Thursday.
The organization also urged Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Toni Yulo-Loyzaga to convene the Masungi Geopark Project’s Oversight Committee to resolve conflicts within the project site and prevent future ones.
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Environmental groups previously urged President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to intervene against the construction of BuCor facilities that could endanger the Upper Marikina Watershed’s biodiversity and natural resources.
While the Upper Marikina Watershed Coalition said it recognizes BuCor’s need to address the overcrowding in the New Bilibid Prison, it opposes the agency’s plans to build its facilities in Masungi as they “firmly believe that this should not come at the expense of the environment.Catapang, meanwhile, expressed hope that an urban or environmental planner would help BuCor in evaluating the environmental impact of constructing its facilities within Masungi.If it’s not worth it, we will not pursue,” the corrections chief said. “What I will do now, if this is really not available or it’s not for us, we’ll just put also our forest rangers, we have also our agroforest team that can help reserve and strengthen the ecosystem in the area.Catapang said the study may last from six months to a year as he promised to inform senators of its findings.














