Famed Sisters Managing Philippine Georeserve Accuse Government of ‘Strong Arming’ Them

Ann and Billie Dumaliang say they’re “done with being friendly” with Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga. The renowned conservationists and sisters, in an exclusive new interview with TIME, accuse the Philippine Environment Secretary of “malicious” actions, being “allergic to criticism,” and “strong arming” them into “abandoning” Masungi Georeserve, the internationally-acclaimed ecotourism site they manage just outside Manila. 

Their anger stems from shock. The Dumaliangs were surprised to see on the news that the Department of Environment and Natural Resources was evicting them from part of Masungi Georeserve—a move that could threaten their overall efforts to protect the 6,600-acre conservation area. 

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On March 7, the department said in a press conference that it canceled a 2002 deal it had with longtime developer Blue Star Construction Development Corporation—the Masungi Georeserve Foundation Inc.’s affiliate company owned by Ben Dumaliang, the sisters’ father—over alleged failure to deliver a contracted government housing project as well as other alleged violations. The canceled deal covers some 740 acres, including the georeserve’s Discovery Trail. The department has ordered Blue Star to leave that 740-acre area within 15 days.

“Everyone was quite caught off guard,” Ann Dumaliang tells TIME. “Not just because we were not involved in it at all, but because this is also the first time that they are raising all of these issues in the last 20-plus years that we have been protecting this place.”

Masungi Georeserve is a popular eco-tourism destination, known for its rainforest and picturesque limestone formations. The site, its officers, and its rangers, have been recognized worldwide for conservation and geotourism efforts—standing out especially in a country that’s deemed the deadliest in the continent for environmental defenders.

The Discovery Trail has allowed visitors to trek through the conservation area for at least 1,500 Philippine pesos ($26) to see karst limestones and other flora and fauna. Billie Dumaliang says the funds collected go toward the reforestation of the more than 5,900 acres around it—an area also under threat if a separate 2017 joint contract gets canceled—and help to pay the up to 100 rangers protecting the reserve.

In Friday’s press briefing, an environment department official said, “everyone, even those with us in conservation and [environment] protection, if they violate the law, the government will take action.”

But the Dumaliang sisters, who are trustees of the foundation, reject accusations of violating the law and decry unfair treatment. “[Other alleged] violators get, what, one to four show-cause orders?” Ann said. “We get an immediate cancellation. It’s terrible.” Billie added that the department’s move stands “in stark contrast to all of these environmentally destructive projects … that have been allowed to go on for all these years and despite strong opposition.” Yulo-Loyzaga has previously been blamed for failing to swiftly address controversies surrounding the country’s environmental landmarks. 

The sisters also disputed Blue Star’s alleged failure to deliver on contractual obligations, claiming it was the department who did not hold up its end of the contract and did not engage with Masungi Georeserve’s officers. Billie Dumaliang says she believes environment secretary Yulo-Loyzaga has been particularly “vindictive,” after groups such as theirs have criticized her. “We’re very vocal about this, we’ve exposed illegal activities, we make her look bad, but these are very petty reasons for taking a course of action that is not in line with the mandate of the department,” Billie said.

Billie added that Yulo-Loyzaga’s directive on Masungi also “puts into question the commitment of the current administration to its international commitments on climate change, human rights, biodiversity, land degradation, and peace.” The Philippines has pledged to rehabilitate 7.1 million hectares of degraded and deforested land by 2028.

Some Philippine lawmakers are also questioning the rationale behind the cancellation of the Blue Star contract. In statements on social media, Senator Nancy Binay criticized the haphazard decision and asked what the department’s plan and vision for the Georeserve is after the cancellation, while Representative Raoul Manuel slammed the department for failing to have a dialogue with the Masungi Georeserve Foundation before cancelling and painting the organization as an “enemy.”

The Philippine environment department and secretary did not immediately respond to specific queries from TIME, referring instead to a primer made by the department that outlines the history of the Blue Star contract as well as Blue Star’s alleged violations, including: imposing fees and constructing facilities in the site without local permits, fencing a portion of government property, and failing to complete agreed upon housing units in the area. 

For now, the Dumaliangs are planning to exhaust their legal remedies, even as the department mulls involving the police to enforce the eviction. They are aware of the security risks—those with interests in the land, such as resort owners, have been linked to attacks on the site’s rangers and officers patrolling and protecting the site, and the georeserve has been the subject of online smear campaigns and threats. They believe that with the order, Masungi’s detractors are “emboldened” to continue the harassment and potentially escalate violence. They say the order sends a “chilling effect” to all environment defenders.

But still, they aren’t planning to leave Masungi without a fight. “We will invoke our right, of course, to continue our work,” Billie said. “If we need to use our bodies to shield, then we will.”