GCash’s sustainability platform GForest and climate technology developer Wovoka Philippines have launched a five-year initiative to plant more than one million native trees and mangroves, tapping digital finance to accelerate ecosystem restoration while creating green jobs in climate-vulnerable communities.
The partnership, formalized through a memorandum of agreement signed on Philippine Arbor Day, will restore degraded upland forests and coastal ecosystems in Oriental Mindoro and Camarines Norte from 2026 to 2030.
The project reflects a growing trend of leveraging financial technology to scale environmental action, allowing millions of GCash users to support reforestation through everyday digital transactions.
Under the GForest platform, users earn green energy points from activities such as cashless payments and convert them into tree-planting initiatives, linking daily consumer behavior with large-scale ecological restoration.
“This tech-for-good partnership with Wovoka Philippines utilizes the scale of GCash to build real-world ecological barriers and secure green livelihoods for the communities that need them most,” said Michelle Fernandez, GCash general manager for Sustainability and Corporate Communications.
The restoration program will rehabilitate forests and mangrove areas damaged by deforestation and environmental degradation, boosting carbon sequestration, protecting biodiversity, reducing soil erosion and strengthening natural defenses against floods and storm surges.
Wovoka said all restoration work will follow science-based ecological standards by planting only native and site-appropriate tree and mangrove species to maximize survival rates and restore ecosystems sustainably.
Beyond its environmental impact, the initiative is designed to generate lasting economic opportunities. Local farmers and coastal residents will be employed to plant, monitor and protect restoration sites, providing year-round income through tree nursery operations, maintenance and site patrols.
By combining fintech, ecological science and community participation, the partners hope to demonstrate that climate action can extend beyond carbon reduction and become a practical model for restoring ecosystems while strengthening rural livelihoods and resilience against increasingly severe climate risks.
