MANILA, Philippines – The two powerful storms that devastated Metro Manila and North Luzon two months ago prompted a number of companies to rethink their strategies to ensure sustainability in their host areas.
And while many have just begun mapping out revisions, the Aboitiz Group of Companies proved to be one step ahead with a self-imposed challenge it had set earlier this year: to plant one million trees.
In response to this challenge, the SN Aboitiz Power (SNAP) Group recently held simultaneous tree planting activities in Marikina, Benguet and Ifugao.
SNAP chief executive officer Emmanuel V. Rubio called the activity “the start of [the company’s] crusade to help mitigate the devastating effects of climate change.”
According to Rubio, the activity was also a “response to the devastation brought about by Tropical Storm ‘Ondoy’ which disrupted lives in Marikina and neighboring towns while Typhoon ‘Pepeng’ caused landslides and claimed many lives in Benguet, our host province.”
“Part of our corporate social responsibility is supporting our host communities, not only in disaster response but equally important, in disaster mitigation,” he stressed.
Close to 2,400 seedlings were planted by 200 employees and community volunteers from SNAP-Benguet Inc. and SNAP-Magat Inc. who trekked to watershed areas in their host communities for the company-wide event.
Some 1,300 seedlings of Narra, Tuai, Mahogany, Bangkok Santol and Anonas were planted in the Magat Dam Watershed Area in Barangay (village) Sto. Domingo, Alfonso Lista, Ifugao while around 1,000 coffee seedlings were planted in Sitio (sub-village) Binga in Barangay Tinongdan, Itogon, Benguet.
Meanwhile, SNAP’s Manila-based employees also joined a 400-strong contingent from different Aboitiz companies on the same day to plant 3,200 seedlings of Molave, Narra, Kamagong, Fire Tree, and some fruit trees in the Marikina watershed in Antipolo City.
Participating companies included Pilmico, Unionbank, 2Go, AEV, AP Renewables, Aboitiz Transport System, Luzon Hydro and Kerry Logistics.
To ensure sustainability, establishment of fire lines and application of fertilizers will be conducted as post planting activities.
In October, the Aboitiz Group of Companies set for itself a target to plant one million trees to offset the group’s carbon emissions. Some 700 employees and volunteers planted 20,000 seedlings of indigenous trees in Bojo, Aloguinsan in a tree planting activity held last month in Cebu.
SN Aboitiz Power is jointly owned by SN Power of Norway and the Aboitiz Group. SNAP-Benguet Inc. is the owner of the 175-MW Ambuklao and Binga hydroelectric power plants (HEPPs) operating in Benguet while SNAP-Magat Inc. owns the 360-MW Magat HEPP.
