“In environmental work, trees may be the symbol—but people and institutions are the true roots”
AS 2026 begins, the Million Trees Foundation, Inc. pauses—not to take a bow, but to take stock.
In a country where environmental work often feels like swimming against the current, the past year reminded us of a quiet but enduring truth: progress happens when many hands pull in the same direction, guided by shared purpose and earned trust.
It was a fruitful year, not merely in the number of seedlings raised or hectares nurtured, but in partnerships deepened and confidence built.
Because in environmental work, trees may be the symbol—but people and institutions are the true roots.
One of the strongest pillars of the year was the steady support of QBE Insurance Group whose commitment to climate resilience translated into real, on-the-ground action.
In an era of intensifying climate risk, QBE’s engagement thru its Team Verde and Vice President Art Arana affirmed that sustainability is no longer a peripheral corporate gesture—it is central to risk management, community protection, and long-term planning.
Equally transformative was the continuing collaboration with Grundfosthru, its Country Director Josephine de la Cerna, and Environment Director Bobby Fraga. Grundfos is a partner that understands water not only as a resource, but as a responsibility.
Their work with MTFI reinforced a simple but powerful idea: technology and ecology are not opposites—they are allies when guided by conscience.
Government partnerships proved decisive as well.
The Bureau of Plant Industry, under Director Gerald Panganiban, took innovation a step further by turning over a solar-powered Indoor Cultivation System to MTFI.
It was a quiet revolution—growing more, growing smarter, and growing sustainably, even in dense urban settings.
Complementing this was the vital support of the Bureau of Soil and Water Management led by Director Gina Nilo, whose composting project and machines reinforced a fundamental truth: healthy trees begin with healthy soil.
By closing the loop—from waste to nourishment—we moved closer to a genuine “circle of life” approach in watershed rehabilitation.
Water security partners remained indispensable.
Maynilad Water Services, under the stewardship of its leadership team headed by President Ramoncito Fernandez, together with the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System led led by Administrator Engr. Leonor “Bobby” Cleofas continued to remind us that forests and faucets are inseparable.
Every tree planted upstream is an investment in water flowing downstream—cleaner, steadier, and more secure.
Infrastructure and engineering excellence also found their place in the story through Santa Vclara International led by its Chairman and CEO Nicandro Linao whose engagement underscored the role of private builders in creating climate-resilient systems that endure beyond project timelines and press releases.
Then there is gratitude that predates all others.
Long before MTFI grew into a network of partners and programs, San Miguel Corporation, led by Chairman and CEO Ramon Ang, helped lay its foundations—demonstrating early on that environmental stewardship and nation-building are inseparable.
For that belief, and for setting the tone of malasakit that continues to guide our work, we thank MTFI Chairman Emeritus Gen. Reynaldo V. Velasco who has always stated SMC’s support to the foundation as the anchor to where MTFI is now in the forefront of massive tree planting and environmental protection.
Looking back, 2025 was not defined by a single milestone, but by convergence—of public and private sectors, of science and community, of intention and action.
Looking forward into 2026, the task remains unchanged but urgent: plant more trees, protect more watersheds, and prove—again and again—that collaboration is our most renewable resource.
One big event that we’re mounting this year is the Run for Million Trees on April 11 which is an Earth Day celebration.
This will complement our overall efforts in promoting sustainability and environmental awareness.
Because at the end of the day, a million trees is not just a target.
It is a shared commitment—rooted in partnership, sustained by trust, and growing toward a future our children can inherit.
(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.)
