One Meralco Foundation (OMF), the social development arm of the Manila Electric Company (Meralco), celebrates this year’s World Wetlands Day by planting and nurturing 125,000 native mangroves in Del Carmen in Siargao Islands, Surigao Del Norte.
This initiative under OMF’s environmental program One For Trees (OFT), in partnership with the local government of Del Carmen and people’s organization Kaanib ng mga Mangingisda at Magsasaka ng Numancia (KAMAMANA), aims to uphold the importance of wetlands located in the western part of the teardrop-shaped island.
The groups joined hands for this initiative in observance of the World Wetlands Day with the theme, “Wetlands and Human Wellbeing.”
The Del Carmen Mangrove Forest Reserve, sprawling over 4,800 hectares, is one of the largest in the country. It serves as a diverse habitat for different mangrove species and various land and marine organisms that provide the residents with food supply and sources of income.
The mangrove forest also helps reduce organic pollution and protect communities against intense wind and waves in the typhoon-prone country.
The Del Carmen Mangrove Forest Reserve is an official nominee to the UN Ramsar Convention of Wetlands of International Importance – a step closer to putting one of Mindanao’s famous islands into the global map of wetland conservation.
As part of its ongoing environmental sustainability efforts, Del Carmen has initiated a reforestation project in three sites covering 50 hectares. This project, supported by OFT, will be a source of livelihood and income to KAMAMANA members and their families.
“Del Carmen is grateful for the support of One Meralco Foundation and the MVP Group through the One for Trees Program to increase awareness on the need of post-typhoon rehabilitation, the support to rehabilitate the Del Carmen Mangrove Forest Reserve and explore innovative solutions to maximize community-based livelihood to sustain the people’s behavior towards environmental conservation. It shows the continued commitment of LGU Del Carmen and the MVP group to ensuring a fairer and equitable world in which we live,” Del Carmen mayor Alfredo Coro said.
Since 2022, OMF has committed to reforesting mangrove sites as part of its efforts for environmental sustainability and encouraging community participation to protect and preserve forests and mangrove sites that are also the source of livelihood in the communities. OFT has planted and is nurturing 2,330,729 trees, of which 322,079 are mangroves.
“Reversing the losses in our environment takes more than just tree-planting activities; it takes conscientious efforts—from volunteers, to the local government partners, to the community—to grow, nurture and protect these trees so that the community can also reap economic and social benefits from them and over the long term, help mitigate the extreme effects of global warming and climate change. Ultimately, it is an investment for a more sustainable world for the future generation as well,” OMF president and Meralco chief sustainability officer Jeffrey O. Tarayao, said.
