AboitizPower joins company-wide tree planting

MANILA, Philippines - AboitizPower upheld its commitment toward a cleaner and greener future as it joined the Aboitiz Group of companies’ tree-planting activities in different parts of the country last Oct. 16.

Executives and employees of AboitizPower and its subsidiaries, Subic Enerzone Corp., Davao Light and Power Co. Inc., Cotabato Light and Power Co., Aboitiz Power Renewables Inc., SN Aboitiz Power, and Hedcor Inc. spearheaded the planting of thousands of seedlings in their respective service areas.

Other Aboitiz companies like Aboitiz Transport System, Metaphil Inc., Pilmico Foods Corp. and Aboitiz Equity Ventures Inc. also took part in the program.

“We are not here solely to plant trees. More importantly, we are here to make a statement: We care about our environment, we care for our earth and, more importantly, we care about our children and the future generations and the planet we will leave behind for them,” said AboitizPower president and CEO Erramon Aboitiz.

He said the Aboitiz Group made a commitment to plant a million trees last year, but has since expanded its intentions “into a program that would plant three million trees up to 2015 nationwide.”

A total of 807 AboitizPower employees planted 7,225 seedlings in Luzon, 555 employees planted 15,000 in the Visayas, and 502 participants planted 5,600 seedlings in Mindanao. All in all, 1,864 employees were able to plant a total of 27,825 seedlings.

The Aboitiz Group held its first simultaneous nationwide tree planting on Oct. 10 last year.

It was organized after AboitizPower made a pioneering carbon emission inventory that showed that there is a need to plant one million trees over time to offset carbon emissions.

“We have also made it a point to plant indigenous trees that not only support our initiative but also help enhance the biodiversity in our surroundings. This is for the benefit of not only us humans, but also the birds and other creatures that share our planet. Aside from biodiversity enhancement, these trees will also eventually sequester tons of carbon dioxide annually, supporting our passion for a better world,” Aboitiz said.

AboitizPower senior vice president Luis Miguel Aboitiz, who attended the tree planting at the Makban geothermal facility, said trees are vital in maintaining the watershed needed for the power plant.