For sisters and eco-warriors Ann and Billie Dumaliang, their home during the year-long lockdown has been the conservation area Masungi Georeserve.
Besides being secluded from ever-rising COVID-19 cases, the two remain in Masungi to take on constant and serious threats to their conservation efforts, from to “.”
Ann, 29, and Billie, 28, are managing trustees of the geological heritage site in Baras, Rizal, which is defined by rainforests and limestone rocks.
Weekends as kids were spent in the area, which was being reforested with the help of their dad, Masungi Georeserve Foundation president Ben Dumaliang. As a denuded Masungi was rehabilitated in two decades, consciously or not, the sisters grew up to be its next stewards.
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Ann and Billie Dumaliang on Masungi’s iconic spider web-inspired platform. Image: Nikki Inso
Saving Masungi ultimately means financing conservation efforts. Though managing the site is a joint venture between the government and the foundation, the government does not contribute any funding.
Thankfully, the foundation has proven that sustainable tourism, is, well, sustainable, by offering nature-friendly trails led by a local tour guide. When Masungi transformed into a geopark — part-trek and part-obstacle course — it quickly became a social media sensation and has received .
