The DENR Caraga, headed by RED Nonito M. Tamayo, along with other government agencies (DSWD, CHR, DepED, NBI, Philippine Army, PNP, DOJ, and other  NGAs) and the Local Government Unit of Socorro led by Mayor Riza Rafonselle Taruc-Timcang and the Provincial Government of Surigao del Norte led by Governor Lyndon S. Barbers, supported in the conduct of interview and ocular inspection by Senator Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa, Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs and the staff of

Senator Riza Hontiveros, Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Women, Children and Family Relations and Gender Equality) and staff of Senator Koko Pimentel, on Saturday, October 14, 2023, in connection with the Senate inquiry on the allegations/controversies faced by Socorro Bayanihan Services, Inc. (SBSI) in Sitio Kapihan, Barangay Sering, Socorro, Surigao del Norte, which is part of the Siargao Islands Protected Landscape and Seascape (SIPLAS).

The officials and members of the SBSI warmly welcomed Senator Dela Rosa and his team at Sitio Kapihan.

Aside from conducting exclusive interviews and public consultation on the alleged teenage marriage and other controversies within the organization, Dela Rosa's team also had an ocular inspection of Sr. Agila's quarters and the group's cemetery.

The SBSI is holder of a Protected Area Community-Based Resource Management Agreement (PACBRMA), which the DENR granted on June 15, 2004, and will expire on June 15, 2029, covering some 353 hectares of land in Barangay Sering.

The PACBRMA, however, was suspended by the DENR last month due to some alleged violations of the terms and conditions for which an investigation is ongoing.

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Parent Category: News & Events
Category: Press Releases
Published: 17 October 2023