CONVERGE ICT Solutions Inc. has vowed to assist Aetas and the Angeles City Watershed Advocacy Council Inc. (Araw-ACI) on the rehabilitation of the city's watershed area.
The telecommunication firm is set to sign a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the Aeta community in Barangay Sapangbato here to adopt a two-hectare land for reforestation.
Araw-ACI, the implementer of the Angeles Watershed Reforestation Program (AWRP), is also a signatory on the MOA.
AWRP is a joint advocacy program of Araw-ACI and the Angeles City local government headed by Mayor Carmelo “Pogi” Lazatin Jr.
The MOA signing, scheduled on November 5, will be marked by a tree planting activity with 500 seedlings.
Some 150 advocates from Converge, Araw-ACI and the members of the Kapatirang Aetas ng Angeles-Porac para sa Kalikasan at Agrikultura (Kaapka) will join the event.
Dennis Uy, chief executive officer and co-founder of Converge, will lead the Converge team on November 5.
He will be joined by the company’s president and co-founder Grace Y. Uy, Chief Strategy Officer Benjamin Azada and their Chief Operations Officer Jesus “Boboy” Romero.
“Angeles City, as well as the whole of Pampanga, is home to Converge. We take it as our duty to make it a livable and sustainable city for the benefit of its residents and businesses. Preservation of the Abacan river and the Angeles watershed is crucial to maintain the water reserves of the city for the present and future generations,” Uy said.
Araw-ACI president Renato S. Tayag Jr. and Kaapka President Fred A. Pan will sign the MOA.
Survival of the plants
Under the AWRP, Araw-ACI implements the Adopt-a-Watershed Program -- a three-year reforestation program designed for large groups and big companies that are willing to maintain and support a certain area of land inside the 560-hectare Angeles watershed.
The purpose of the program is to ensure the survival of the plants within a three-year growth period until they can live on their own in the forest.
“We thank Converge for taking this journey with us. They will surely serve as an inspiration to other companies that are willing to share their resources for reforestation and for ensuring the sustainability of our water supply in the Metro Clark area,” Tayag said.
He added that under the MOA, Araw-ACI is tasked as the “project implementer” while Converge is the “project sponsor” and Kaapka is the “project steward”.
Araw-ACI and the Angeles LGU, through the City Environment and Natural Resources Office (Cenro), have already planted about 15,000 seedlings of forest trees, fruit-bearing trees and bamboos at the Angeles watershed from 2019 to the present.
There are 40,000 seedlings ready at the site that are scheduled for planting until December 2021.
Before 2019, Tayag and other private sector advocates have been consistently planting at the site for more than a decade.
“We are proud to be in strong partnership with Araw-ACI, and the local community of Aetas in this reforestation and water conservation initiative. With this, we will not only preserve the natural resources of Angeles but support the livelihood of the land stewards who will be nurturing our 2-hectare segment of the watershed,” said Benjamin B. Azada, Converge’s Chief Strategy Officer.
As a publicly-listed and steadily growing company, Converge has made steps towards integrating environment programs in its operations.
Just this October, it made the switch to 100 percent renewable energy to power its Manila headquarters, in Pasig.
Converge is contracted to purchase up to 2.5MW of clean, geothermal energy to electrify its data center and offices up to 2023.
Converge has recently affirmed its sustainability commitment that stands on four key pillars: delighting customers, operating a sustainable company and leading it with integrity and good governance, giving back to the planet, and creating a positive community impact.