San Miguel Brewery to plant 70,000 trees

DAVAO CITY: San Miguel Brewery Inc. has vowed to pursue more tree planting activities this year to sustain its support to the government’s re-greening program, particularly in its areas of operation, through its Trees Brew Life program.

This year, the beer company aims to plant 70,000 seedlings of hardwood, mangrove and fruit-bearing species in the cities of Valenzuela and Quezon in Metro Manila; Mandaue and Bacolod in Visayas; Davao in Mindanao; and Angeles and Laguna in Luzon.

Under SMB’s flagship Buhayin ang Kalisan, the nationwide environmental program has succeeded in planting close to 600,000 seedlings since its inception in 2010.

In Davao City, close to 200 company officers and employees, supported by SMB partners and the media, recently planted a total of 2,200 malibago, narra, mahogany and sagimsim seedlings near the Pangi River at Purok Asico, Km. 6.5 in Barangay Matina Pangi. The area was hit by a massive flood when the river overflowed in 2011, killing at least 30 people.

“We should never stop making our world better because that is the challenge for us every single waking day. How can we make a difference? How can we make our world a better place? How can we make our world a better one for the next generation?,” SMB president Roberto N. Huang said in remarks read by Wilfredo Camaclang , SMB-Davao plant manager.

“Big things start small. Our Trees Brew Life project started with a tiny seed which was cared for and grew into a tree that now provides shelter, food, and a host of other benefits that offer immeasurable impact on our lives and that of future generations,” he added.

Huang said the tree-planting program is their own response to the challenge to plant seedlings in support of the National Greening Program of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

“And I am proud to say, in our own small way, that we have contributed in taking care of nature by planting more than 600,000 trees to date,” he said.

He also said the project aims to protect, preserve, and rehabilitate forest covers in both urban and rural settings and aid in regenerating mangrove areas in coastal communities. Another purpose of the initiative is to ensure the availability of water supply in the communities where the company operates.

This as SMB looks to further boost its environmental efforts to keep in line with San Miguel Corp.’s (SMC) pledge to adapt water sustainability measures in all of its businesses.

“Conducting this re-greening program coincides with our mother company’s direction to propagate water sustainability. There’s no question that water is essential in our business, and trees are the means by which we can secure ample supply of it for years to come,” Huang said.

“After our run this August, we will have more tree-planting initiatives year round in pocket areas so that we can continue increasing the seedlings we have planted. Our country is visited by strong typhoons and for every felled tree, we need to replace it with ten more trees,” he vowed.