by Rosmelia Raymundo
[PRESS RELEASE] On August 30, a group of multi-stakeholder eco warriors planted indigenous Philippine wood species trees at the Laguna Quezon Land Grant (LQLG) area between Sinoloan and Real in Quezon Province. The UP Los Baños Land Grant Management Office, the Philippine Army and the non-profit organization Fostering Education and Environment for Development (FEED), Inc. carried out the sixth leg of their environmental program LIVING LEGACY: Plant A Tree, FEED Our Future. Most of the tree-planting volunteers came from the Philippine Army’s “Jungle Fighters” from the 1st Infantry Division, 2nd Infantry Battalion. Notably, it was also attended by three of FEED’s UP Los Baños thesis scholars; Ben Arizala, manager at the UPLB Land Grant Management Office; Professor Emeritus Asuncion K. Raymundo; Cpl. Arnold DT. Dela Cruz under Lt. Col Edgar Mangabay; together with the FEED, Inc. President Ofelia Bakker and Vice-President Anne-Marie Bakker.It was the first time for BS Agriculture students and FEED scholars Jamie Ann Tumolva, Jomari delos Reyes and Renerio Gentallan Jr. to join the tree planting activity. Tumolva shared that that the event gave them not only the experience to plant trees and trek also allowed the participants to bond and get to know one another. She added that the event “serves as an eye opener on the resources that we have and its beauty to uphold and protect. It also serves as an opportunity for us to give back to Mother Earth in our own little way”.
The green organization FEED,Inc. has been actively engaging with academia such as UPLB to conduct research into the sustainable and feasible restoration of the country’s forests and natural woodlands, specifically indigenous woods.
And anyone from student organizations to top UPLB officials can extend their support. By giving a contribution of PHP500, this will enable FEED to purchase seedlings from sustainable seedling banks, will get a tree planted in one’s name which will also support social and media campaigns to help spread awareness and raise support from the community.
Dr. Raymundo summarized the importance of the tree planting aptly, “We need to think decades ahead. By planting a tree, we can restore our forest and nature will respond and give us a better environment.”
Interested to join their next tree planting event? Learn more about FEED by visiting http://feed.org.ph/ or follow FEED on Twitter @FEEDInc.