Philippines Plants 153K Trees in New Iloilo Project

Meralco PowerGen Corporation is turning a promise into a forest, one seedling at a time in the Philippines.

The energy company just launched Phase II of its Handumanan Reforestation Project in Lambunao, Iloilo, committing 10 million Philippine pesos (about $175,000) to plant 153,660 native trees over the next four years. The new phase will restore 80 hectares of land with endemic, indigenous, and agroforestry species chosen to thrive in the local climate.

This isn't the company's first rodeo. Since 2009, MGEN has planted nearly 846,000 trees and mangroves across 256 hectares in the Panay region. Phase I of Handumanan alone covered 150 hectares with more than 522,000 trees.

The project partners West Visayas State University with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to ensure the young forest gets the care it needs. Local communities will help plant and monitor the trees, creating steady work in an area where livelihood opportunities can be scarce.

MGEN's reforestation effort feeds into the larger One Meralco One for Trees Program, which aims to plant five million trees across the Philippines by 2030. Every tree planted brings that ambitious goal closer to reality.

The Ripple Effect

Restoring 80 hectares of forest does more than make the landscape greener. The native trees will pull carbon from the atmosphere, helping offset emissions in a country vulnerable to climate change impacts like typhoons and flooding.

Wildlife that disappeared when the forest was cleared will find new habitat as the canopy fills in. Birds, insects, and small mammals need connected forest patches to survive, and projects like this create vital corridors.

The economic impact matters too. Families involved in planting and maintaining the forest earn income while learning sustainable land management practices they can apply to their own plots. Agroforestry species in the mix will eventually provide fruit, timber, and other products communities can harvest without destroying the forest.

CEO Felino Bernardo put it simply at the project signing: "Every tree we plant is a promise of cleaner air, richer biodiversity, and a healthier planet."

That promise is growing roots in Iloilo, where 153,660 seedlings will become a legacy forest for generations who haven't been born yet.