“La Mesa is the last forest of Metro Manila, a living buffer that protects the water lifeline of millions”
WE OFTEN think of sustainability in big, abstract words—net zero, circular economy, water neutrality.
They sound important, but distant.
Yet sometimes, sustainability becomes tangible the moment a pair of corporate shoes touches soil, when executives trade boardrooms for boots, and when a company known for refreshing lives decides to help restore them—one tree at a time.
That moment came quietly at the La Mesa Watershed last Dec. 17, where Coca-Cola Philippines, led by its President and General Manager Tony del Rosario, joined hands with the Million Trees Foundation in a simple but powerful act: planting trees where Metro Manila’s water future begins.
La Mesa is not just another green patch on the map.
It is the last forest of Metro Manila, a living buffer that protects the water lifeline of millions.
To plant a tree there is to invest in tomorrow’s tap, tomorrow’s rainfall, tomorrow’s resilience.
And for Coca-Cola—whose business is inseparable from water—this was not symbolic CSR. It was strategy with soul.
Tony del Rosario has often spoken about leadership that goes beyond quarterly results.
At La Mesa, that philosophy took root—literally. The sight of Coca-Cola leaders and volunteers planting alongside environmental stewards from MTF sent a clear message: sustainability is no longer an annex of the annual report; it is embedded in how modern companies must operate.
Coca-Cola Philippines has long been active in sustainability, but what makes its approach noteworthy is its breadth and intent.
There is water stewardship, at the heart of the Coca-Cola system worldwide.
In the Philippines, the company has invested in water replenishment initiatives, watershed protection, rainwater harvesting, and community access to clean water—working with local governments, NGOs, and water experts to ensure that the water it uses is responsibly returned to nature and communities.
There is packaging sustainability, driven by the global World Without Waste vision—collecting and recycling the equivalent of every bottle sold, increasing recycled content in PET bottles, supporting recovery and recycling partners, and expanding refillable glass and returnable packaging options that Filipinos have long known and trusted.
There is climate action, with energy efficiency initiatives in manufacturing and distribution, the shift to greener refrigeration, and partnerships that reduce emissions across the value chain.
And there is community empowerment—from livelihood programs for waste collectors to youth education and disaster response—recognizing that sustainability only works when people move forward together.
What distinguishes Coca-Cola’s engagement with Million Trees Foundation is the alignment of purpose.
MTF’s work in reforestation, urban greening, and watershed rehabilitation—particularly at La Mesa—complements Coca-Cola’s water and climate commitments. Trees, after all, are nature’s original water engineers: they hold soil, slow floods, recharge aquifers, and cool cities.
Beyond the ceremonial planting, Coca-Cola has expressed its intention to partner with MTF as an institutional supporter, signaling a longer-term relationship—one that goes beyond photo ops and toward sustained impact.
Institutional support means continuity: nurseries that keep growing seedlings, maintenance that ensures saplings survive, monitoring that turns numbers into measurable environmental gains.
In a country increasingly battered by floods, droughts, and heat, this kind of partnership matters.
The private sector cannot replace government, and NGOs cannot do it alone.
But when corporations with scale, resources, and reach decide to act responsibly—and locally—the multiplier effect is real.
There is something poetic, too, about a beverage company planting trees. Coca-Cola has always been present in Filipino life—at sari-sari stores, fiestas, family reunions, long bus rides, and late-night conversations.
Now, through efforts like this, it becomes present in quieter, longer timelines: in forests regrowing, watersheds healing, and future generations inheriting a little more shade and security.
In my welcome remarks, I declared Coca-Cola as the “national drink” in the Philippines since it corners 75 percent of the market and being one loyal Coke drinker makes it worthwhile to interact with its President and employees at the Million Trees Nursery and Eco Learning Center.
At La Mesa, as soil was pressed around young saplings, it felt like a reminder that sustainability is not a slogan but a habit.
Not a campaign, but a commitment.
And not just about saving the planet in the abstract, but about protecting very specific places—like the forest that quenches Metro Manila’s thirst.
When companies like Coca-Cola Philippines choose to plant roots, not just bottles, they show us what modern leadership looks like: grounded, accountable, and forward-looking.
Sometimes, the most refreshing thing a company can do is help a forest grow.
(The writer, president/chief executive officer of Media Touchstone Ventures, Inc. and president/executive director of the Million Trees Foundation Inc., a non-government outfit advocating tree-planting and environmental protection, is the official biographer of President Fidel V. Ramos.)ax
