TANAY, Rizal – A week after a group claiming to be government-designated environment stewards called for the relocation of a flagship project embarking on the use of wind to create electricity, the private firm working on a renewable energy project signed an agreement with the local government focusing on initiatives to improve livelihoods, job opportunities, local tourism, education, environmental protection, and disaster risk reduction.
However, Masungi Georeserve Foundation Inc. (MGFI), stood firm on its position and asked the government to revoke all permits or certifications it issued for a planned wind energy farm in what they described as a “fragile protected area.”
Among the permits and certifications that the MGFI referred to include the 2019 approval issued by the Board of Investments to Rizal Wind Energy Corp.'s 603-megawatt power project and the environmental compliance certificate from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
Previously, MGFI denounced the drilling activities inside the Masungi Karst Conservation Area (MKCA) by the Rizal Wind Energy Corp. as part of its preparation stages for the construction of 12 wind turbines.
LGU Instead of MGFI
With the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the host local government now a done deal, the private corporation expressed optimism that all issues raised by the MGFI had been properly ‘explained and accounted for.’
The partnership with the municipality of Tanay in Rizal aims to ensure that the construction and eventual operation and maintenance of the Tanay wind farm project "aligns with the best interests" of the local government and its constituents – particularly the members of the Dumagat-Remontados indigenous group.
LIVELIHOOD FOR IPs. Members of the Tanay-based Dumagat-Remontados will reap the benefits of the MOA, says Tanay Mayor Rafaelito Tanjuatco.
Under the agreement, both parties will pursue programs and projects enhancing livelihood and job opportunities, local tourism, education, environmental protection, and disaster risk and reduction
Among the programs and projects planned are environmental initiatives supporting the preservation of water sources and natural caves, and priority employment for residents during the construction of the wind farm.
Drilling Fake News
In a statement, RWEC umbrella company Vena Energy of Singapore categorically denied allegations of drilling activities inside the Masungi Georeserve.
According to Vena Energy corporate communications group head Angela Tan, it had halted all of its drilling, soil testing, and other studies in the area since November 2023 following a meeting with representatives from MGF.
“We have been working closely with government authorities, securing all necessary permits, including the environmental compliance certificate (ECC), for the study on the potential of wind energy. We adhere to the applicable laws and regulations on environment and protected areas,” Tan said in another news article that appeared in the Philippine Daily Inquirer.
However, MGFI co-founder Billie Dumaliang insisted that it was RWEC which earlier admitted that the project was in the “advanced pre-development stage” in preparation for commercialization after securing permits.
MGFI Invokes MOA
Dumaliang likewise invoked the MOA that was signed in 2017 by the late Environment Secretary Gina Lopez which effectively awarded MGFI forest management of the entire Masungi Georeserve area which is about the same size as Pasig City.
MGFI’s Billie Dumaliang
She added that the MGFI tenure is covered and protected by Presidential Proclamation No. 1636, DENR Department Administrative Order (DAO) 1993-33, and a local ordinance by the Tanay local government unit declaring the MKCA a conservation area.
Dumaliang insisted that the DENR’s old order should still be followed – “Unless there is an explicit cancellation or lifting of the department order by another DENR secretary, then the DAO is still in effect. In policy, the more specific law or policy applies,” she told the Inquirer on Thursday.
“I challenge them to show me a document repealing the DAO and which secretary signed it,” Dumaliang said.
DENR Finally Speaks
In response to Dumaliang’s statement, Environment Undersecretary Juan Miguel Cuna admitted that industrial projects of any kind are disallowed in protected areas to preserve the natural environment.
He however clarified that in designated multiple-use areas like MKCA, renewable energy projects like wind farms are allowed, adding that the wind energy farm project is already covered by an ECC and that the DENR would “come up with mitigating measures to address these impacts to eradicate the impact or minimize them.”
DENR Usec. Miguel Cuna
Cuna likewise took a swipe at the MGFI’s assertion on the validity of Presidential Proclamation No. 1636 and that of the “spurious MOA” as decades-old policies that had been superseded by the 2018 national integrated protected areas system law which divided the whole of Masungi into protected areas and multiple-use zones.
Construction of the wind farm is expected to start by April this year. Completion is targeted for the fourth quarter of 2025.
A Lucrative Business
MGFI is also engaged in a lucrative business – offering and collecting as much as P155,000 for an eight-hour use of the Masungi Geopark for events and pictorials and charging P1,800 per head (for a minimum of five persons) as an entrance fee to the visitors.
In what appears to be an admission to allegations hurled against MGFI’s “lucrative business,” Dumaliang said in an interview with the Business Mirror that MGFI has achieved a level of financial independence by generating its funds and minimizing dependence on external sources.
“That’s why we also need to continuously innovate. We need to be able to offer new experiences and world-class experiences to our guests to be able to sustain our work,” she concluded.
A check with various collecting agencies (including the Tanay LGU) showed that MGFI isn’t paying taxes to the government.
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