DENR thumbs down Masungi caretakers’ plea vs wind project

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has rejected the appeal of Masungi Georeserve caretakers against a planned wind farm cutting through protected areas in the Sierra Madre mountains in Rizal.

- By BRIX LELIS

The Masungi Georeserve Foundation Inc. (MGF) called for a cease-and-desist order (CDO) and the revocation of the environmental compliance certificate (ECC) issued to Rizal Wind Energy Corp.’s (RWEC) 603-megawatt project.

The group warned that the project would encroach on multiple “strict protection zones,” including the 1,600-hectare Masungi Karst Conservation Area (MKCA)— home to fragile limestone formations that are highly sensitive to human activity and development.

In the MKCA alone, MGF said 16 wind turbines would be erected, claiming that they could threaten wildlife, vegetation and communities within the project area.

However, according to a document obtained by The STAR, the DENR’s Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) denied MGF’s request, stating that its investigation found no clear violations.

“No sufficient basis has been established to conclude the existence of grave or irreparable environmental damage that would necessitate the issuance of a CDO,” EMB regional director Robert Angelo Metin said.

He said RWEC has complied with the ECC’s pre-construction conditions and that no operations have taken place on the site since the permit was issued, except for the installation of a meteorological mast.