3 million trees and counting: How One Meralco Foundation’s One For Trees is sustaining the power of our forests

For Retchie Sacapaño, the mangroves of Ibajay, Aklan, were once just a backdrop to her childhood — a place to catch crabs for dinner. It wasn’t until 2010 that she realized that these trees were the frontline of her community’s survival when she was offered a job to be a tour guide and learned more about the importance of mangroves. Today, as an active member of the peoples’ organization Bugtongbato Fisherfolk Association (BFA) protecting the Katunggan It Ibajay (KII) Mangrove Eco-tourism Park, Retchie isn’t just a witness to nature; she is one of its many stewards.

“I found out how essential the mangrove forests are to us,” Retchie shared. “We don’t just earn money; we also became tour guides and educate our visitors on why we must preserve our forests.” Through the One Meralco Foundation’s (OMF) One For Trees (OFT) program, Retchie and her community in 2023 planted 50,000 mangroves in a barren part of the forest, checking in every weekend to ensure its growth that her children and grandchildren will inherit in the years to come.

This local effort is part of a much larger environmental initiative. Since its launch in 2019, OFT planted and nurtured a total of 3,045,104 trees across 36 reforestation sites nationwide. In 2025 alone, OFT added 165,141 new trees to this growing tally, with a 92 percent survival rate. The program also directly benefits 2,492 tree farmers who serve as the primary guardians of these lands.

OMF puts the spotlight on environmental stewards whose actions and positive intentions for their communities made a major milestone possible. More than just a story of numbers, it is also a story of how reforestation is made impactful, ensuring that every seedling represents a lifeline for the people who call these ecosystems home.

Empowering communities

The bond between forests and the people who depend on it is something that cannot be severed. In many parts of the country, those who rely most on land are often the ones struggling most to get by. OFT helps address this by treating tree farmers as the true heart of the program, recognizing them as long-term partners whose success is the best guarantee for the forest’s survival.

In the Taguibo Watershed in Butuan City, Agusan del Norte, the Manobo tribe has long relied on the river for everything — from drinking water to food on their table. However, illegal logging turned the once-clear waters turbid, with senior citizen Danilo Dandanon Sr. seeing the river recede firsthand. Through OFT’s partnership with the Butuan City Water District (BCWD), Danilo alone has planted 600 seedlings, including fruit-bearing trees like durian and lanzones. In total, 48,000 trees have been planted and nurtured there, with members of the Anticala Watershed Farmers Producer Cooperative and Anticala Tribal Council of Elders and Leader Association Inc. being the main peoples’ organizations at the forefront of this initiative.

By integrating agroforestry, farmers like Danilo earn immediate income through planting and long-term sustenance from future harvests. By empowering the Manobo people to lead the reforestation of their ancestral domain, the program ensures the watershed — the main source of potable water for over 250,000 people — is protected by those who need it most.

Restoring ecosystems

For a country consistently ranked as one of the most vulnerable to climate change, reforestation is far more than an environmental goal — it is a strategy for survival. Through OFT, OMF focuses on forest restoration using native and endemic species. These efforts are designed to create a natural defense system that ensures water security and protects coastal regions from the increasing threat of extreme weather events.

The true power of these nature-based solutions was tested in 2021 in Del Carmen, Surigao del Norte when super typhoon Odette (international name Rai) ravaged the island of Siargao. Residents there witnessed a life-changing reality: The bakhawan, or mangroves, cushioned the typhoon’s full force, preventing even greater devastation in the communities there.

As part of the reforestation efforts there, OMF partnered with the local government of Del Carmen and the Kaanib ng mga Mangingisda at Magsasaka ng Numancia (KAMAMANA), a people’s organization dedicated to protecting mangroves from illegal cutting and illegal fishing, to plant and nurture 125,000 mangroves across 50 hectares. This initiative does more than just add green cover; it transforms the community’s relationship with the land. By introducing alternative livelihoods, such as training residents to be eco-guides, OFT helped shift the community’s behavior. Families who once relied on cutting mangroves for firewood have now become their fiercest protectors.

These efforts contribute to a milestone of global importance. In November 2024, the Del Carmen Mangrove Reserve (DCMR) was officially declared the 10th United Nation Ramsar Site1 in the Philippines — a designation identifying it as a Wetland of International Importance--a far cry from it being notoriously known for rampant illegal cutting in its mangrove forests. Spanning nearly 4,900 hectares, the reserve accounts for more than half of Siargao’s total mangrove forest. It is a critical sanctuary for endemic species, including the Philippine duck and the Mindanao hornbill. Beyond protecting biodiversity, the restored mangroves act as a permanent, living barrier against storm surges for the families who live along the coast.

Growing the forests as a shared mission for all

Protecting a landscape as vast as the Sierra Madre mountain range requires a collective effort from many stakeholders.

This approach is best seen at the UP Laguna-Quezon Land Grant in Siniloan, Laguna. This critical land acts as a natural buffer against the tropical cyclones that regularly sweep in from the Pacific Ocean, protecting millions of lives in the surrounding communities. To date, the program planted and nurtured 285,739 trees there, directly contributing to answering the urgent call to save and protect Sierra Madre in return. Every native seedling planted is a step toward restoring what is called the “backbone” of Luzon, ensuring the mountain range can continue to break the force of powerful tropical cyclones.

The real strength of effort lies in the people who show up to plant. For volunteers like Meralco employee Raizza David, trekking into the mountains to help reforest it is a personal way to help make the country more resilient. “Our nature serves as protection against calamities,” she says. “And I want to contribute to making our mountains stronger.”

This spirit of volunteerism is backed by the expertise of partners like Fostering Education & Environment for Development, Inc. (FEED), whose ridge-to-reef approach helps protect ecosystems across the country. By combining the passion of everyday people with evidence-based strategies, the program provides steady, alternative livelihoods for the local guardians of the forest. These efforts can help ensure that the Sierra Madre remains a living, breathing shield for generations to come.

Safeguarding nature’s futures from the roots

Back in Aklan, Retchie and 100 other members of the peoples’ organization don’t just plant; they monitor. Every Saturday, they return to the Katunggan It Ibajay to water the propagules and clear obstructions to its growth. They have even identified new spots in the forest that need healing, bringing their own propagules to grow the forest further.

For her, the return on investment is clear: More mangroves mean more places for fish to lay eggs, which means more catch for the fisherfolk. It is a cycle of sustainability that outlasts any single Earth Day.

“Long after we’re gone, the benefits of what we’re doing will still be here for our children and their children,” said Retchie, underscoring the importance of their efforts beyond the payout.

With three million trees and counting, One For Trees is ensuring that when the next generation looks at the forest, they see not just wood and leaves, but a legacy of protection.