Phoenix to help reforest Talomo-Lipadas watershed

PHOENIX Philippines Foundation said on Saturday that a total of 2,500 seedlings will be planted in a five-hectare property in Talomo-Lipadas Watershed area this year.

In an interview, Socorro Cabreros, the oil company's assistant vice president for corporate legal affairs, said the tree planting activity is slated on September 8 and is part of the foundation's initiative to mitigate the effects of climate change.

She said the number of seedlings is based on the number of participants in the Kadayawan Run, an annual marathon that kicked-off Sunday.

"That's the promise. For every runner, one tree will be planted in the watershed," she said.

She said the marathon generated more than P500,000, which will be donated to foundation for the purchase of the seedlings.

Bethoven Sur, the foundation director, said 70 percent of the seedlings will be hardwood trees while the remaining 30 percent will be fruit-bearing trees.

The fruit-bearing trees like cocoa, coconut and other crops, he said, will help the indigenous peoples (IP) earn a living when fully grown.

"We will also buy seedlings from them because they, too, have nurseries. To make the entire project sustainable," he said.

He said tapping the IP communities will ensure success in this project, being the ones to oversee the growth of the seedlings.

He said the watershed used to have 2,000-hectare forest, but half of it was already denuded.

"The watershed is the most important because we get water from three. We really have to protect it, otherwise our water source will deplete," he said.

To recall, Phoenix Foundation and Davao City Water District signed a five-year Adopt-A-Site project memorandum of agreement last month to jumpstart the preservation initiative of the oil company. (Antonio L. Colina IV)