The decision of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to cancel the four Mineral Product Sharing Agreements (MPSAs) in the Upper Marikina River Basin Protected Landscape (UMRBPL) were lauded by chieftains of the Dumagat tribes in the Sierra Madre.

In a statement, more than a dozen Dumagat indigenous tribes living in the UMRPBL expressed massive relief when DENR Secretary Ma. Antonia "Toni" Yulo-Loyzaga revealed during a Nov. 16 Senate hearing that two of the MPSAs were already canceled while the other two pacts have been given notices for cancellation and are only awaiting a 90-day effectivity.

“Secretary Loyzaga wiped away our fears over the then-impending violation and decimation of our sacred mountain, including the trees, wildlife, river and water supply for our crops and consumption," the Dumagat tribe chieftains collectively said.

"The MPSAs cause great damage not just to us but also to our fellow countrymen living in the lowlands that experience flooding and landslides every year," they added.

Prior to Loyzaga's confirmation, the recently canceled MPSAs were only suspended by the leadership of the DENR under the previous Duterte administration.

The tribal chieftains also expressed gratitude to Loyzaga when she vowed during the Senate hearing that there would be no more MPSAs inside the protected area of the Upper Marikina River Basin.

According to the law, quarrying and mining are prohibited within protected areas.