Smart plants trees in honor of teachers

MANILA, Philippines - In celebration of Teachers’ Month, Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) advanced its efforts to rehabilitate the Marikina Watershed with a “Tree-bute,” its first tree-planting activity in honor of teachers.

The activity is part of Smart’s commitment to support the reforestation of Marikina Watershed, a project being spearheaded by the Philippine Disaster Recovery Foundation (PDRF). Known as the Marikina Watershed Initiative (MWI), it aims to prevent the repeat of severe flooding in the magnitude of the 2009 Ondoy calamity by addressing the concern over the denudation of the Marikina Watershed.  

Smart employee volunteers planted native trees as a tribute to the teachers. They were joined by members of the 2010 Teachers’ Month Campaign steering committee; the NGO Fostering People’s Education, Empowerment, and Enterprise; officials of the Department of Education (DepEd); and the Antipolo City Government.

“Teachers plant and cultivate good values in their pupils’ minds, in the same way that the volunteers cultivate the soil by means of digging it to plant trees,” says Aniceto Sobrepeña, Metrobank Foundation Inc. president, who co-chairs the 2010 Teachers’ Month Campaign steering committee.

“Trees, like teachers, are nourishing, inspire growth and have a lasting impact not only on this generation, but on the generations to come,” adds Ramon R. Isberto, Smart Public Affairs group head and chair of PDRF’s Reforestation Committee.

Representing the noble profession was Mervin Portoza, principal of San Joseph Elementary School (SJES). Portoza and 15 of his pupils participated in the tree-planting activity. The school, situated near the Sitio San Joseph side of the watershed, will benefit from the reforestation efforts as these would ensure better flood protection for its immediate surroundings.

“Your safety from future floods depends on the tree-planting initiatives,” Antipolo City Mayor Nilo Leyble told the students during the opening program of “Tree-bute” held at the SJES campus. 

In his speech, DepEd Assistant Secretary Reynaldo Laguda enjoined the San Joseph community to take care of the trees that will be planted that day, hoping that they will help preserve the Marikina Watershed for the long term.

The event was attended by Philippine Business for Education executive director Peter Perfecto and Smart Public Affairs Community Partnerships senior manager Darwin Flores. A total of 1,250 native trees covering two hectares of the Marikina Watershed were planted.

As the lead network builder and resource mobilizer of PDRF, Smart has been an active supporter of the MWI since its launch in July 2010. The leading telecommunications company has adopted 12 hectares of the Marikina Watershed for rehabilitation in 2010. It is marketing MWI adoption packages to other private companies so that the private sector will “own” at least 100 hectares of the Marikina Watershed by the end of 2010.