In the dead of the night of July 24, 2021, while the rest of Metro Manila and Sitio San Roque in Baras, Rizal were gradually preparing to sleep, Masungi Georeserve forest rangers were shot—a culmination of the tension between the Masungi team and the entities exploiting the forest land for their own profit.

In this article for our Manila Bulletin column Eleventh Hour, Pinoy Climate Reality Leader Ruzzel Morales recalled that fateful incident and painted a bleak picture of the ongoing fight to restore the dignity of the Upper Marikina Watershed—a critical ecosystem that provides valuable life-giving services to 20 million residents of Metro Manila and nearby provinces.