This year marks the 10th anniversary of Esquire Philippines. What better way to celebrate than with our annual Man at His Best (MAHB) event. This year, we honor 10 heroes and mavericks from the worlds of film, music, business, art, sports, politics, and more. These are men and women who have inspired us through their work, achievements, and advocacies.
We present Esquire’s Warriors of the Year, Ann and Billie Dumaliang.
Ann Dumaliang was at home in 2009 when she overheard her father receiving a phone call from one of the rangers in Masungi Georeserve. Over the phone, she could hear machine gunfire. A chill ran down her spine as she experienced the first of what would be many violent encounters with land grabbers and thugs hired by quarrying companies to claim Masungi.
PHOTO: Jilson Tiu ILLUSTRATION: War Espejo
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Masungi Georeserve is an award-winning geotourism site that began as a simple public-private reforestation project in 1996, in which the government through the DENR awarded the Dumaliang family the rights to develop 30 percent of the forest, while conserving 70 percent of the area. The project involved restoring 400 hectares of denuded forests.
Masungi Georeserve
PHOTO: Jilson Tiu
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Today, the georeserve is run and protected by sisters Ann and Billie Dumaliang, who are Masungi Georeserve’s project manager and trustee, respectively.
In February 2021, the Dumaliang sisters were named among the five winners of Vanity Fair’s 2021 Changing Your Mind Travel Awards. Ann is also a National Geographic Explorer and a Regional Finalist for Young Champions of the Earth by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
Ann Dumaliang, Project Manager of Masungi Georeserve
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Billie Dumaliang, Trustee of Masungi Georeserve
But in 2020 alone, the sisters had to defend the Georeserve from at least five land grabbing attempts.
“I’ve always been one to promote peace and to have consensus,” Billie says. “I never enjoy conflict. But when you actually see these things happening in front of you, when you experience abuse of power, violence, and people you know are threatened and are fearing for their lives, there is only one way to respond, and that is to fight back.”
“You’re up against wealthy and powerful individuals, it’s a challenge, but based on our experience, we are compelled to say something, to do something, and to fight back.”
PHOTO: Jilson Tiu
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At one point, a mob of 40 people from the city were brought in to Masungi to lay claim on the protected watershed as their “ancestral land.” Rogue elements from the armed forces and a private security agency were hired to frighten the Dumaliang sisters.
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“We went to the site to see what’s happening, but instead of seeing our security officers apprehending these guys who came out of nowhere, it was them who were being apprehended,” said Billie.
“There is really a syndicated activity by a complex web of actors.”
PHOTO: Jilson tiu
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One of the most gripping encounters that Ann was involved in happened in 2020 when she single-handedly faced at least four heavily armed men in Masungi who were claiming she was trespassing on their property.
The encounter was caught on video, with one of the men telling her, “Akala mo hindi kita kakaladkarin?” (“You think I won’t drag you out of here?”)
Defiant, Ann fired back: “Sige, kakaladkarin mo ako? Hahawakan mo ako?” (“Go ahead, drag me.”), said Ann, daring the men thrice her size.
Realizing they were on video, the men backed down and refused to drag her away.
But why are these heavily armed men so interested in Masungi?
PHOTO: Jilson Tiu
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Masungi’s Hidden Wealth
For the land grabbers, Masungi is a rich land that is sitting on top of millions of dollars’ worth of quarry.
For Ann and Billie, it’s a sanctuary for returning flora and fauna, some of which have not been seen in Luzon for decades. The land even hosts prehistoric plants older than dinosaurs.
Masungi Georeserve is proving to be a bastion for disappearing wildlife in Luzon. Sightings of the super-elusive North Luzon cloud rat have been reported in Masungi, but the family has yet to snap a photo of the endangered rodent.
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Indigo-banded Philippine kingfishers have also found a home in Masungi. Although not critically endangered, the bird is very elusive and difficult to photograph. An exceedingly rare jade vine was also discovered in Masungi.
Seeds and Planters, Not Barbie Dolls
Growing up, Ann and Billie were fortunate to have had a regular subscription to National Geographic magazine, which had a profound impact on them.
“The wonder of nature and the universe, of curiosity and exploration, at a very young age, we were inspired by these books and magazines,” Billie says. “Here in Masungi, working in a georeserve, we continue that and learn so much every day. Every day, you might discover a very unique plant or animal species, it’s such an exhilarating moment. It’s like I’m now living inside those books!”
National Geographic Magazines Ann and Billie Grew Up Reading as Children
“When you’re exposed to so many Science books, the focus becomes the thirst for knowledge, the curiosity, the quest for truth,” Ann adds. “That’s what science is about, constantly learning and improving in search of truth. That’s one thing that’s very inspiring when working at Masungi.”
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“We’re just always focused on the truth, integrity, and nothing else, and letting others see that. It’s also something our dad stands for, keeping our integrity no matter how things are.”
As children, Ann and Billie did not receive typical gifts for Christmases and birthdays. They never got Barbie dolls.
“Si Papa, his gifts are always books, seeds, and planters,” shares Ann. “Very rarely would he give us Barbie dolls.”
“And the best time to talk to him if you really want to spend time with him is at the backyard while he’s tending to plants, picking up weeds. That’s how we were exposed to greenery, other than on weekends when he would bring us up to the mountains for a walk.”
Those things nurtured Ann and Billie and led to them having an intimate relationship with nature and the outside world, as well as having a profound empathy for the environment.
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Proving Conservation Can Coexist Development
Part of what makes Masungi a success is how it prioritizes conservation over development. Unlike other joint conservation efforts between the government and the private sector, which develops 70 percent of land and conserves 30 percent, Masungi is the opposite: It developed 30 percent of the land for ecotourism and conserves the rest.
“My father does engineering, and that has shaped my perception of how development can really support conservation,” says Ann. “A lot of people would say economic growth and conservation are mutually exclusive, but here in Masungi, we’ve shown that development can really be a vehicle to sustaining the natural world if only we are investing in getting to know it enough and are invested in doing things excellently enough.”
Ben Dumaliang, Father of Ann and Billie, Founder and President of Masungi Georeserve
PHOTO: jilson tiu
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What People Should Truly Understand About The Fight for Masungi
Apart from facing thugs on the undeveloped areas of Masungi, Ann and Billie also have to fight disinformation campaigns against them led by “powerful” and “wealthy” forces.
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“This person hired multiple PR agencies to spread disinformation about us, about the project,” Billie says. “These were orchestrated. Suddenly, there were articles spreading lies and fabricating stories about us and Masungi. That’s how terrible the war on disinformation is nowadays. It’s so easy for people to lie nowadays.”
PHOTO: Jilson Tiu
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But behind the fabricated headlines and violence, Ann and Billie are firm on their commitment to Masungi.
“I want the people to know that it is possible,” Billie says with closed eyes.
“Despite harassment and abuse of power, there is hope.”
“There is a change that is happening on the ground. You have to see that in tandem with the threats, and you have to see that vision, that impact is more powerful than any threats we are facing, and I want them to join in that movement, to be inspired, to feel they are part of the campaign to protect Masungi.”
PHOTO: Jilson Tiu
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“We really need support and more allies. If they see how much has been done and how many hectares have been saved from illegal activity, I think there are 2,000 hectares saved, considering how close this is to Metro Manila, if we are able to sustain that, grabe iyon. How impossible is that? Yet, we made it happen.”
“If we can do it here, we can do it anywhere else.”
PHOTO: Jilson Tiu
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PHOTO: Jilson Tiu ILLUSTRATION: War Espejo
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In this story: Creative direction and interview by Mario Alvaro Limos • Photographs by Jilson Tiu • Makeup by Muriel Vega Perez • Hair by Erika Glendo • Shot on location at Masungi Georeserve • Special thanks to Renz Perez of Masungi Georeserve
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