Toyota donates P1 million to La Mesa Watershed

Toyota Motor Philippines Foundation, Inc., represented by its president, David Go., Ph.D, adopted a total of twenty hectares within the La Mesa Reservation Area that amounted to P1 million. The said portion of the watershed will be known as the Toyota Forest.

The latest adoption to the ABS-CBN Foundation, Inc.- Bantay Kalikasan (AFI-BK) Save the La Mesa Watershed Project, this donation will cover expenses for 8,000 tress of indigenous species that will be planted by AFI-BK. Started in 1999, the project hopes to reforest a total of 1,200 hectares of the once denuded area around La Mesa dam.

The memorandum of agreement was signed by David Go, Ph.D. and Gina Lopez, managing director of ABS-CBN Foundation, Inc. and was witnessed by Yasuro Takeuchi, president of Toyota Autoparts Philippines, Inc. with Nobuharu Tabata, president of Toyota Motor Philippines Corporation, and Marlo Mendoza, Bantay Kalikasan program director with Ma. Isabel Bunao, Bantay Kalikasan resource mobilization manager.

Both Toyota Motor Philippines Foundation, Inc. and AFI-BK will be responsible for the rehabilitation, protection, and development of the watershed for the purpose of water production, soil erosion prevention, and flood control. This partnership is also intended to pilot a successful watershed management and development strategy that will later be used as a learning model for other watersheds.

In his message, Dr. Go said, "We strongly support the reforestation of the La Mesa watershed because we believe that this major reservoir is worth saving to continue supplying future generations with much needed water."

The Toyota Group is a strong advocate of taking care of the environment. It has embarked on tree planting activities through the Clean and Green Program in Parañaque and Santa Rosa, Laguna, as well as providing seedlings to various government and private organizations.

Toyota is also in the course of developing a forest inside the Toyota Special Economic Zone in Santa Rosa. And to sufficiently provide for its greening requirements, Toyota has even maintained a tree nursery inside the Toyota complex

"Although we are determined to continue the programs we have started in these areas, we believe that we can still do more on a wider scale. It is for this reason that we have forged a partnership with the ABS-CBN Foundation to address a larger community. I am confident that this partnership between Toyota and ABS-CBN Foundation will provide a better future for the Filipino people," Said Dr. Go.