Ayala firms join 5-M tree drive, Maynilad reforests watershed

Ayala firms join 5-M tree drive, Maynilad reforests watershed | Daily Tribune

Planting 180,000 or 5 million trees will do more than reviving deforested areas. It will also restore biodiversity, improve water resources, reduce carbon emissions in the atmosphere, help mitigate the effects of climate change, and even provide livelihood to remote communities.

For the Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ (DENR) Forest for Life project that intends to plant that much trees in the next three years, it will need a lot of helping hand. The Ayala Group is throwing support to the ambitious project to ensure the growth and survival of that sheer number of trees.

DENR Secretary Raphael Lotilla and Ayala Corporation vice chairman Fernando Zobel de Ayala led the signing of the partnership on 31 July. Officials of Ayala companies ACEN, Ayala Land Inc., Bank of the Philippine Islands and Globe Telecom Inc. also affixed their signatures to the memorandum of understanding during the signing ceremony.

“Through the Forests for Life: 5 Million Trees by 2028 Program, we are combining science and community stewardship to restore critical ecosystems and secure our future. Together, we are not just planting trees — we are investing in climate resilience, biodiversity conservation, and inclusive growth for generations to come,” Lotilla said of the collaboration with Ayala Corporation.

“It is only through collaborating with government and similar-minded peers in the private sector can we truly create a natural environment that every Filipino deserves. May this partnership be a template of many more meaningful engagements with the DENR to advance the welfare of the environment and promote the responsible use of our natural resources,” said Ayala.

Forests for Life is well aligned with the Ayala Group’s long-held principles of stewardship and sustainability, including a commitment to achieve Net Zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

Meanwhile, Maynilad Water Services Inc. kicked off its 2025 “Plant for Life” program, which aims to plant 180,000 native trees across the Ipo and other critical watersheds this year.

Volunteers from private sector partners, civil society groups, media organizations and local communities joined Maynilad, its sister companies within the MVP Group, and the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System in planting seedlings at the Ipo watershed in Norzagaray, Bulacan.

“Watershed reforestation is crucial to safeguarding the region’s water resources,” said Maynilad chief sustainability officer Atty. Roel S. Espiritu. “Trees improve water infiltration, prevent soil erosion, and reduce sedimentation in dams, ultimately ensuring water quality and supply reliability for our 10.5 million customers.”

Since its launch in 2007, Plant for Life has planted over 1.45 million trees across nearly 2,000 hectares, expanding beyond Ipo and La Mesa to include the Kaliwa watershed, mangrove belts along Manila Bay, and areas near Laguna Lake.

To ensure high survival rates, Maynilad engages Dumagat community members and local groups to handle nursery operations, monitoring, replanting and forest protection.

Maynilad is the largest private water concessionaire in the Philippines in terms of customer base and its Plant for Life program is aligned with its broader sustainability and ESG (environmental, social and governance) goals.