Masungi Georeserve co-founders Ann and Billie Dumaliang have been cited in Time Magazine's 2024 Next Generation Leaders list.
The title honors their work protecting the conservation area, which is home to indigenous communities, rich flora and fauna species, and prehistoric limestones. It acts as a "water sponge" during torrential downpours in Manila.
“We hope our local leaders like President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. and DENR Secretary Toni Yulo-Loyzaga will appreciate our work and collaborate with us similarly so we can do more for the Filipino people,” Billie Dumaliang told the Manila Bulletin. “This recognition challenges us to do more, and to continue what we have been doing in Masungi in the past.”
Meanwhile, the Philippines remains one of the deadliest countries in Asia for environmental defenders, reports from Global Witness have shown.
The Dumaliangs and their 80 rangers at the Masungi Georeserve have faced physical and legal threats largely from property developers and authorities.
Harassment and disinformation campaigns, and the DENR's plans to void the agreement that allowed them to reforest and conserve the area following "constitutional issues" have posed a risk to the geological region.
The sisters told Time they are open to renegotiating with the government, but are also prepared to take the fight for conservation to court.
Right now, the conservationists are focused on “restoring the watershed areas around the limestone forest, where only 25 percent of forest cover remains, and which has affected the capital region’s ability to withstand climate change.”