Strengthening Indigenous People's Role in Reforestation in Agusan Del Norte
In Butuan City, Agusan del Norte, reforestation efforts in the Taguibo River Watershed Forest Reserve heavily involve the indigenous Manobo community and how it can improve their income streams by supporting their livelihood.
Abaca fiber is one of the primary products of Barangay Anticala, employing many locals. Roland Mabandos, a member of Anticala Tribal Council of Elders and Leader Association, Inc. (ATRCELAI) said, “We plant abaca for livelihood. As it grows to its viable growth, we process it and sell it to the local buyers. That is why we really pushed for One For Trees (OFT) to include abaca in our planting mix. Abaca planting is feasible in our area because of our cold climate.”
Because of this, One Meralco Foundation, the corporate social responsibility arm of the Manila Electric Company (Meralco) and Butuan City Water District (BCWD) partnered to design the reforestation program according to the grassroots needs. More than 48,000 native and fruit trees were intercropped alongside abaca by ATRCELAI and Anticala Watershed Farmers Producer Cooperative (AWFPC).
Planting native trees alongside abaca has benefitted Manobo and other farmers as the former’s shade helps the latter grow as it thrives in colder temperatures. But aside from the boost in livelihood, the big-picture impact of reforestation never went out of sight for AWFPC and ATRCELAI members.
“Our priority is always to protect the Taguibo Watershed. We stay true to our commitment that our planting is for the benefit of the river," Glen Andojoyan, member of AWFPC, narrated.
The One For Trees program, which started in 2019, has planted and nurtured 2,727,433 trees to date. It also has active partnerships and plantation sites in Laguna, San Miguel, Bulacan, Norzagaray, Bulacan, various LGUs in the Province of Bohol, Kalibo and Ibajay, Aklan, Butuan, Agusan del Norte, Del Carmen, Surigao del Norte, and Pangantucan, Bukidnon.