BPI Foundation, the social development arm of the Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI), said it will reforest 171 hectares of land in Cebu.

Through its recently launched “Lakbay Luntian – Visayas” under its Balik-Kalikasan program, BPI Foundation targets to reforest 171 hectares of 136,800 upland trees in Dumanjug, Cebu.

Aligned with BPI’s sustainability efforts, this reforestation project, in partnership with Ramon Aboitiz Foundation, Inc., aims to preserve and restore rainforests across the country while equipping local communities with sustainable alternative livelihood.

“We encourage our employees, clients, and the general public to take part in this shared effort to offset our collective carbon footprint and help minimize climate risks,” said BPI Foundation Executive Director Owen Cammayo.

Cammayo noted that the country’s forests need healing. For it to continue to provide us with clean air to breathe—among other benefits it supplies human beings—several forests already require reforestation for it to sustain our lives.

In the case of Dumanjug in Cebu, according to globalforestwatch.org—an initiative of the World Resources Institute—in 2010, it had 632 hectares of natural forest, extending over 25 percent of its land

area. But in 2021, it was reported that it lost 909 million hectares of natural forest, equivalent to 516 tons of carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions.

“The Lakbay Luntian – Visayas project reflects BPI’s commitment to look after our communities and contribute significantly to the sustainability of our society. More importantly, the project is a call for collaboration -- for a shared commitment in helping build back a more sustainable and better Philippines,” Cammayo added.

The World Wide Fund for Nature Inc. said, “Forests provide us with shelter, livelihoods, water, food and fuel security. All these activities directly or indirectly involve forests.”

With the help of BPI employees, BPI Foundation also reforested 68,000 trees in 170 hectares of land in Pantabangan, Carranglan Watershed Forest Reserve, Nueva Ecija, through the pilot run of Lakbay Luntian in 2021.

The first project provided sustainable livelihood to 17 Indigenous People (IP) families in the area, and was done in partnership with eco-social enterprise Bambuhay and Ayala Corporation’s Kasibulan Project, a long-term program on reforestation and forest protection. BPI Foundation’s reforestation efforts aim to help offset BPI’s total carbon emissions for the year 2020.