Great Investments

Spurred by the commitment to give environment a chance to cope with the changing tides of nature, my workmates from San Miguel Brewery Inc. and I treaded the mild currents of the Mactan waters as we marched some two kilometers to the mangrove site of Barangay Catarman in Cordova, Cebu.

The landscape was inspiring as we saw before us growing mangrove trees planted by the National Statistics Office that braved the changing currents and gusts of wind that crossed through the island.

We headed further on where sand dunes shaped into small islets of white chocolate. The hills were inviting and the fish that fleeted through our steps gave us a ticklish nip or so as they swam through. 

Annually, the employees of San Miguel Brewery Inc. take time to propagate trees at the watershed areas as well as plant propagules of mangrove species along the coastlines of the province of Cebu.

In this particular beach, there was not much garbage to speak of. So our coastal clean-up was not much to talk about thanks to the active advocacy of Barangay Captain Alejandro Aro. The experience of mangrove planting was another thing as it gave us a treat of the exhilarating intimate encounter with nature.

Our objective was to plant as many as 20,000 propagules. The aches of our backs and the sore feeling at the hind of our legs later could attest to the dedication with which some of us planted. The silent stitch that nagged our spines the next day was not blamed on old age as even the kids who came with us were miraculously silent with exhaustion on their way back to the cottage where we had our brunch. The little muscular snags brought afresh the fun we had in caring for the environment.

It is a tradition of San Miguel Brewery Inc to “climb every mountain and ford every spring” annually to plant trees, clean the coastline and plant mangrove species along the shallow waters. It is considered an exercise of social responsibility that is given action by the company’s advocacy to preserve and regenerate the local ecology.

Last September, employees and their families climbed the slopes of Pong-ol Sibugay to plant seedlings of various tree species in the area. This was done in coordination with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources as well as with the Metro Cebu Water District.

The strong and sturdy trees that sway with the breeze along the Mananga Watershed area attest to the years of dedication the San Miguel employees have given to this cause. For years, the employee volunteers of San Miguel Brewery Inc. have always looked forward to the next environment caravan as they believe that participating in the cultivating nature is like investing in the bank. It saves for the future of the next generations and gains an interest greater than money can give. It carries with it a sustainable field, a rich nesting place for the fishes and marine life, and the shaping of a character of a people who do not only live for today but prepare for their children’s tomorrows.