Miss Earth 2017 candidates join FNI tree planting activity

GLOBAL Ferronickel Holdings, Inc. (FNI), the second largest nickel producer in the Philippines and the largest single lateric mine in the world, recently joined forces with candidates of Miss Earth 2017 to conduct a tree-planting activity within the Upper Marikina River Basin Protected Landscape (UMRBPL) in Barangay San Jose in Antipolo City.

The UMRBPL, with a total land area of 26,126 hectares, was estab- lished through Presidential Proclamation 296 in 2001. It hosts a number of threatened and endangered species, some of which are endemic such as the Antipolo tree, Red Lauan, Yakal, Luzon Bleeding Heart, Rufous Hornbill, and the Northern Luzon Cloud Rat.

During the event, employees of FNI were joined by 20 candidates of Miss Earth 2017 to plant seedlings of Narra and Fire trees covering a one- hectare area. The candidates genuinely enjoyed the activity and took to heart their advocacy of preserving and restoring Mother Earth.

“We are one with the candidates and organizers of the Miss Earth Pageant in actively promoting environmental awareness and conservation,” said Atty. Dante Bravo, president of FNI, who led the team during the tree-planting activity. “We remain commmited to forest conservation and restoration not only in the areas where we operate but in other areas across the country as well. In fact, we also planted 1,000 seedlings of narra and rambutan trees at the Kaliwa River Forest Reserve in Tanay, Rizal in celebration of Arbor Day.”

FNI’s tree-planting projects were done in support of the National Greening Program (NGP) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).