PBSP to kick off largest reforestation caravan

PBSP to kick off largest reforestation caravan
Cebu Daily News, Community Section
June 17, 2010

More than 600 volunteers from the 18 institutions will take an active role in protecting the environment by planting trees at the start of the rainy season.

This is the biggest assembly the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP) will bring to the Cebu Hillylands for the kickoff of its annual reforestation caravan on June 19.

As of this month, San Miguel Corporation, Jollibee Foods Corporation-Vismin, Cebu Daily News, Punongbayan and Araullo, Qualfon Philippines Inc., Primary Structures Corporation, Lexmark International Philippines Inc., TMX Philippines Inc., Cebu Energy Development Corporation and Cebu Microelectronics Inc. are among the companies that will take part in the kickoff.

PBSP is targeting to plant more than 20,000 tree seedlings on a nine-hectare area in sitio Cantipla 1 & 2, barangay Tabunan, Cebu City during the kickoff activity.

PBSP, the largest corporate-led foundation in the country committed to social development, has been organizing annual reforestation caravans since 1988 with the help from member companies and other groups.

The organization aims to reforest the barren areas of the 29,000-hectare Central Cebu Protected Landscape, Metro Cebu's major source of potable water.

For this year's caravan, PBSP targets to enrich 124 hectares with more than 300,000 endemic, fruit-bearing and forest trees.

PBSP hopes to increase the number of volunteers for the annual activity.

PBSP encourages other companies and individuals to participate in its reforestation efforts by adopting a hectare to be reforested or by bringing employee volunteers on any scheduled Saturday of the annual caravan.

The reforestation caravan will run for 15 Saturdays until Sept. 25.

Companies that already booked a Saturday to help PBSP plant trees are NKC Manufacturing Philippines Corporation, Dumaguete City Development Bank, Lear Corporation, Cebu Dynamic Youth, MSM Cebu Inc., Taiyo Yuden Philippines Inc., Vivant Corporation and the Visayan Electric Company.

For inquiries and details, interested corporate sponsors or individuals may contact Malu Largo at 2325270 or 2325238 or email mblargo@pbsp.org.ph/ malu.b.largo@gmail.com.