Practically every part of the coconut tree has value. It provides food, shelter, fuel, medicine, livelihood, and export income to millions of Filipinos.
From 18 million planted coconut trees to a target of 100 million, the initiative aims to revitalize the coconut sector and create opportunities for Filipino farmers.
After several gracious invitations from DAILY TRIBUNE big bosses Willie and Chingbee Fernandez, I finally begin this new journey as a columnist in the country’s No. 1 newspaper, which averages 15 million engagements daily on Facebook alone. And I do so with gratitude, humility and a clear sense of purpose.
Through Civic Sense, I hope to explore where public policy meets everyday life — and where government, business, civil society and citizens can work together for the common good. At the same time, this column will advance my advocacy for sustainability and environmental protection.
It is fitting that my maiden column should begin with something hopeful: planting trees, protecting water sources and helping Filipino farmers build better lives.
On 28 August, the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) and the Million Trees Foundation Inc. (MTFI) will join hands for “Bayaniyugan: Nationwide Simultaneous Coconut Planting,” a major activity of the 40th National Coconut Week.
The main ceremony will be held at the Million Trees Nursery and Eco Learning Center at the La Mesa Watershed in Greater Lagro, Novaliches, Quezon City, with simultaneous planting activities in different parts of the country.
This year’s theme, “Regenerating the Coconut Economy, Future-Proofing the Coconut Value Chain,” captures the importance of the undertaking.
The coconut has long been called the Tree of Life. It even inspired National Artist Ryan Cayabyab to compose “Da Coconut Nut,” performed by Smokey Mountain in 1991.
Practically every part of the coconut tree has value. It provides food, shelter, fuel, medicine, livelihood and export income to millions of Filipinos.
But coconut planting is not simply about putting more trees into the ground.
It is about replacing aging and unproductive trees, protecting the soil, improving water retention, strengthening rural livelihoods, and making communities more resilient to climate change.
Coconut farmers have remained among our poorest agricultural workers despite the industry’s enormous contribution to the economy.
One cannot help but recall the controversial coconut levy — a multibillion-peso fund originating from taxes collected during the 1970s and 1980s and intended to benefit millions of coconut farmers. But that is another story for a future column.
For now, planting must be accompanied by productive varieties, technical assistance, financing, processing facilities and reliable markets.
Farmers should earn not only from copra but also from coconut water, virgin coconut oil, coco sugar, coir, coco peat and other higher-value products.
The coconut trees must grow — and so must the incomes of those who nurture them.
PCA administrator and CEO Dexter R. Buted will deliver the inspirational message at La Mesa, while Deputy Administrator Roel M. Rosales will explain the rationale of the activity and acknowledge the project partners.
While I am here in California, MTFI chairman Emeritus Gen. Reynaldo V. Velasco will welcome the participants to the La Mesa Watershed, the nerve center of the Annual Million Trees Challenge.
The PCA–MTFI collaboration brings together two vital concerns: regenerating the coconut economy and protecting the environment.
PCA contributes its agricultural mandate, technical expertise and nationwide network. MTFI brings its experience in watershed rehabilitation, nursery management, environmental education and volunteer mobilization.
Since the Annual Million Trees Challenge was launched in 2017, the initiative has planted and grown 14.5 million trees in seven critical watersheds. MTFI is now working toward 20 million trees by 2030.
Our experience has taught us that planting is the easiest part. The harder work begins after the speeches have ended and the cameras are gone.
Seedlings must be appropriate to their locations. Planting sites must be prepared. Young trees must be watered, protected and monitored under a three-year nurturing protocol.
Success is measured not by how many seedlings are planted in one morning but by how many remain healthy years later. This is why MTFI speaks of tree growing and nurturing rather than mere tree planting.
No foundation or government agency can perform this enormous task alone.
MWSS administrator Engr. Leonor Cleofas and Maynilad president Ramoncito S. Fernandez have steadfastly supported MTFI since its establishment in 2021.
San Miguel Corporation has helped develop facilities and environmental programs at the Million Trees Nursery and Eco-Learning Center, reflecting SMC chairperson and CEO Ramon S. Ang’s advocacy of nation-building through environmental protection.
Santa Clara International, through chairman Nicandro Linao, has remained a reliable supporter of MTFI’s environmental undertakings.
QBE Insurance Group, through the QBE Foundation, supported the QBE SanQtuary, three nurseries and a carpentry facility. It has become a reliable MTFI partner over the last three years.
These partnerships show what bayanihan can accomplish when institutions work toward measurable and lasting results.
Every coconut seedling planted nationwide on 28 August will represent more than another tree counted in a report.
It will be a promise to a farmer, a contribution to food and water security, and an investment in the resilience of future generations.
This is how lasting movements begin: one tree, one farmer, one community and one shared commitment at a time.
That is civic sense in action.
(Melandrew T. Velasco, or MTV, is a veteran journalist, author and publisher who has written more than 45 books. He heads Media Touchstone Ventures Inc. and serves as president and executive director of the Million Trees Foundation Inc.)
