San Miguel Corporation’s power unit is set to plant 1.1 million seedlings this year as part of its seven-year upland and mangrove forest rehabilitation initiative covering 4,000 hectares of land that has expanded to more than seven provinces in the country.
It involves the rehabilitation of 2,800 hectares of upland forests and 1,204 hectares of mangrove forests in Negros Occidental, Pangasinan, Zambales, Bataan, Bulacan, Quezon, Albay, and Davao Occidental, a press release from SMC said Tuesday, May 25.
The program, dubbed “Project 747” and spearheaded by SMC Global Power Holdings Corp., was first launched in 2019 and has so far planted 1,994,988 seedlings and propagules over 620 hectares of land as of December 2020, it said.
It brings together employee volunteers and partner farmer and fisherfolk associations, who work together to plant and take care of the forests, it said.
“With close to two million trees planted in two years, this shows the dedication and commitment of our SMC Global Power’s employee volunteers, our partner organizations, and our government agencies, in rehabilitating forests and growing new ones in both upland and coastal areas,” SMC president Ramon Ang said.
“Last year, because of pandemic restrictions, we were only able to plant 900,000 trees and mangroves. This year, we intend to make up for it by planting 1.1 million trees, when the rainy season starts,” Ang said.
“Caring for the environment is key to mitigating the global problem of climate change. While we work hard to provide for the growing energy needs of Filipinos, we also do not stop looking for better technology and sustainable solutions to reduce impact to the environment,” Ang said.
“Sustainability has always been ingrained in our company culture and built into all aspects of our businesses, that is why we continuously invest on programs that preserve the environment and promote environmental stewardship among various stakeholders,” he added.*