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This is an excerpt from MEGA February-March 2026 MEGA Matters Feature
In geology, impressive things take time. The Masungi Georeserve, a conservation area just two hours outside of Metro Manila, is no exception. About 20 million years ago, the area where the georeserve now sits was underwater. In the millennia that followed, tectonic activity pushed the seafloor up and formed the mountains of Rizal. From there, karstification, or the dissolving of rock by acidic water, formed the most prominent features of Masungi that we now see. The towering limestone columns that jut through the ground to give Masungi— or masungki, meaning spiked—its name.
Earth took a meandering route to form Masungi’s landscape. But the irony now is that time, once a friend, is running out.
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Threats, such as land-grabbing and quarrying, have put this area under persistent, and very real, danger. In 2021, two park rangers in Masungi were shot. A year later, armed men encamped within the conversation site, prompting public outcry.
Incidents such as these lead to the sad fact that the Philippines ranks as one of the deadliest countries in Asia for environmentalists. According to a report by Global Witness, 298 environmental killings occurred in the Philippines from 2012 to 2023.
It is in this context that sisters A nn and Billie Dumaliang stand their ground. As leaders of the Masungi Georeserve, they are responsible for keeping this ecological sanctuary safe and guiding it in its mission of community-driven conservation.
It is hard work that has not gone unrecognized. Billie was the recipient of The Outstanding Young Men award in 2024. The sisters were also named part of TIME’s Next Generation Leaders the same year.
However, Ann and Billie are quick to point out that keeping Masungi safe is not individual work. They name people like Dr. Angel Alcala, national scientist and former DENR secretary, who banned applications for quarrying in Masungi through an administrative order. They also credit the work of their father, Ben Dumaliang, who has been working to protect Masungi for almost 30 years.
Environmental work in the Philippines is like an ecosystem in itself. According to Billie, “ There are agitators, orchestrators, and innovators. For a movement to happen, you need all three. Agitators are the activists. Innovators are the ones who create models that people can follow, and then orchestrators are the ones who bridge policy and all of this innovation.”
Read more about Ann and Billie Dumaliang’s mission to protect the Masungi Georeserve in MEGA’s February-March 2026 issue now available on Readly, Magzter, Press Reader and Zinio.
Photographed by SELA GONZALES. Art Direction CLARE MAGNO and TROY NONATO. Sittings Editor STEF JUAN. Producer THESSMAR LECTURA. Makeup ARIA ORTEGA (BILLIE) and BARBIE FAVIS (ANN). Hair MAT T LEDESMA. Stylist CHA FRONTE.
Shot on Location at MASUNGI GEORESERVE
