NEARLY 100,000 seedlings have been planted or donated by employees of San Miguel Corporation (SMC) across the country as part of the company’s ongoing reforestation efforts under its Team Malasakit program.
The initiative, which marked its 10th year this month, has mobilized 2,457 employee-volunteers in 48 locations in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao since 2024.
The company said the campaign seeks to help restore forest cover, mitigate flooding, and improve air and water quality in vulnerable communities.
In the latest activity held on June 21, about 225 volunteers planted 2,000 seedlings of native tree species, including narra, lauan, banaba, and coffee, at the Mount Purro Nature Reserve in Antipolo.
Mount Purro is part of the Sierra Madre mountain range and plays a critical role in protecting Metro Manila and Rizal from severe flooding.
“Tree planting, when done consistently and at scale, makes a big difference,” said SMC president and chief executive officer Ramon S. Ang. “I’m grateful to our people for continuing to take part in this effort.”
According to SMC, trees planted at the same site last year have shown an 80-percent survival rate. For the rest of 2025, the company has lined up 21 more volunteer-led planting activities, involving 1,351 employees and targeting at least 7,675 additional seedlings.
The employee-led initiative complements the company’s broader reforestation efforts, including San Miguel Global Power’s Project 747, which has so far planted over 6.5 million trees and mangroves nationwide. The project has recorded a survival rate of 91 percent for upland trees and 89 percent for mangroves, and is on track to surpass its original target of 7 million trees in seven years.
San Miguel Properties Inc., a subsidiary of SMC, has also pledged to donate 80,000 seedlings to support reforestation work in Bataan.
“We are thankful that we now have San Miguel with us,” said Mount Purro Nature Reserve founder Alberto “Toto” Malvar. “Because we are not just planting trees, we are planting love for the environment. We don’t just plant and leave. We plant and return.”
