30 September 2017, Siniloan, Laguna.  When asked why they chose to wake up at 4 am to travel by 5am to plant trees 2 hours away from home on a Saturday through the muddy 1.2 km trail in the Sierra Madre mountains – each participant planting 10 trees despite the persistent rain, the 84 team strong crew at Puyat, Jacinto, Santos (PJS) Law unanimously agreed this activity was a more meaningful way to celebrate their 20 years in the industry – by giving back to the environment that helped nurture their growth.

PJS’s full legal services cover the areas of Banking, Finance, Capital Markets, Corporate and Commercial Law, Energy, Labor, Litigation, Immigration, Intellectual Property and Information Technology, Special Projects, and Taxation.  PJS are also the legal advisors of FEED on a case by case basis as needed. We recognize that all of us, whether clients, partners or friends, play a role in climate change and have a carbon footprint – at the corporate/business and individual levels. So we understand why PJS decided to both plant AND party as it can all be done in a day!

Slide Show: PJS Law Planting 1000 Philippine Native Forest Trees, 30 September 2017

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THANK YOU PJS LAW!!!

So 84 PJS staff (Partners, Associates and Non Legal Staff) planted 1,000 Philippine indigenous native trees, including: batino, malasantol, malaruhat and white lauan, at the first ridge of the Laguna Quezon Land Grant site in Siniloan, Laguna – managed by FEED’s Living Legacy partner the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB), represented by Forester Reynaldo Lorida, a long time planter with FEED.

PARTNERS	NON-LEGAL STAFF
1 Bugayong, Ramil E.	1 Buentipo, Mary Francis C.	38 San Diego, Salvador B.
2 Cabali, Pearl Grace G.	2 Bagunu, Joel A.	39 Sanchez, Michael A.
3 Castillo, Joseph Omar A.	3 Beltran, Carlo R.	40 Sta. Ana, Melanie S.
4 Chavez,  Maria Raquel S.	4 Benitez, Ian Carlo D.	41 Tejada, Maribel T.
5 Diaz, Rachelle M.	5 Bonayog, Edalyn F	42 Tuboro, Marilou G.
6 Dimalanta, Monalisa C.	6 Castro, Clarissa O.	43 Tuboro, Marilou G.
7 Estrella, Najha Katrina J.	7 Chua, Pamela W.	44 Valde, Greg B.
8 Jacinto-Barrientos, Regina Stella	8 Cordero, Khrisna I.	45 Valenzuela, Nestorio E.
9 Paraiso, Joshua Gilbert F.	9 Crespo, Grace E.	46 Viceral, Ellen P.
10 Salonga, Rowena Fatima M.	10 Cruzat, Rhea S.	47 Villamor, Evelyn T.
11 Santos, Roy Enrico C.	11 Dalangin, Connie D.	48 Villanueva, Ella Mae J.
12 Valeros, Jr., Fidel T.	12 Dela Rosa, Sheila S.	49 Yanag, Ronnie L.
13 Velasquez-Viray, Shirley G.	13 Dematawaran, Irene A.
14 Viray, Virginia B.	14 Dimasu-ay, Pauline Nina G.
	15 Elvina, Mark Joseph E.
ASSOCIATES	16 Fereras, Andrei V.
1 Aquino, Andrei Laurence V.	17 Florendo, Arnold M.
2 Balot, Sheryl F.	18 Flores, Julita Carmen Q.
3 Bautista, Pearl D.	19 Gonzales, Mark Lester B.
4 Canete, Edan Marri R.	20 Gonzales, Rafhael V
5 Carino, Marianne M.	21 Gumboc, Regine B.
6 Concepcion-Santos, Carmela	22 Javier, Josephine J.
7 Esteves, Lara Victoria O.	23 Ladrica,Renato C.
8 Galon, Jeric Angelo B.	24 Lubaton, Inocencio, Jr., T.
9 Go, Anna Marie T.	25 Lubaton, Roscent T.
10 Hipolito, Kathleen Kirby P.	26 Martinez, Larieza S.
11 Laceda, Elaine Marie G.	27 Masinas, Rey P.
12 Lim-Magtanggol, Rachelle	28 Mateo, Karen Joyce P.
13 Magat, Kristianne S.	29 Palcon, Arnel L.
14 Pacificador,Zann Paolo L.	30 Pascual, Michelle S.
15 Pineda, Glorie Anne B.	31 Perez de Tagle, Rodolfo P.
16 Pinlac, Sergio Ildefonso Felipe O.	32 Pineda, Maritess R.
17 Ramiro, Roberto Miguel D.	33 Rapadas, Marilou I.
18 Ramiro, Roberto Miguel D.	34 Reyes, Felomina B.
19 Ramos, Jan Aldrin C.	35 Romero, Emerita C.
20 Superable, Nonalyn S.	36 Roque, Emmanuel R.
21 Zareno, Jewlynn Gay B.	37 Saligumba, Raniel A.

On the same day, UPLB was celebrating the annual “Save Sierra Madre Day”, usually commemorated on September 26 of every year pursuant to Presidential Proclamation Nos. 413 (s. 2012) and 233 (s. 2011).

PJS was joined by FEED’s Students and Volunteers for the Environment (SAVE), the latter planting 240 trees; and an additional 100 Tree Gift Certificate from FEED’s VP Operations Diane Penales and Director of Partnerships, Anne-Marie Mananquil Bakker to celebrate the birthday of FEED Patron Maria B.K. Parsons.

Together 1,340 trees were restored to the forests of the Sierra Madres, the country’s longest mountain range in the Philippines. Running in the north-south direction from the provinces of Cagayan to the north and Quezon to the south, the mountains form the eastern backbone of Luzon Island, the largest island of the Philippine archipelago. It is bordered by the Pacific Ocean to the east. The Pacific coast of Luzon along the Sierra Madre is less developed as the lofty and continuous mountains forms a bold and an almost inaccessible shore, exposed to the full force of the northeast monsoon and the waves of the Pacific Ocean. Some of communities east of the mountain range and along the coast are so remote they are only accessible by plane or boat.

PJS Law GPS Coordinates

According to Conservation International (2016), the Sierra Madre contains the largest remaining tract of old-growth tropical rainforest in the Philippines…, is also known as the “backbone” of Luzon, and contains 1.4 million hectares of forest, representing 40 percent of the Philippines’ forest cover.

FEED continues to reforest these areas to counter illegal logging activities, acknowledging poverty as the main driver for the continued pillaging of the forest. According to many on the ground sources, workers in illegal logging are often forced into the industry out of survival – in order to feed their families, even if they only earn meagre amounts; some accept these jobs offered by backers and financiers in other parts in and around the Sierra Madre areas.

The mountain range serves as a typhoon barrier, attenuating incoming typhoons from the Pacific Ocean before reaching the central mainland.^[3]The sierra madre covers from Aurora, Bulacan, Cagayan, Isabela, Nueva Ecija, Nueva Vizcaya, Quezon, Quirino and Rizal province.

Climate change is a threat – and an opportunity – for the private sector

January 13, 2016

When world leaders met at the 21st Session of the Conference of the Parties to United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP21) in Paris last December 2015 to hammer out a deal that would prevent global warming, one thing became clear: the private sector, with its financial clout and penchant for innovation, must play a leading role in the struggle for a greener future.

The private sector was more visible and active in COP 21 than in any of the previous COPs:  CEOs from industries as far ranging as cement, to technology and renewables stepped up their efforts to address climate change, making pledges to decrease their carbon footprint, buy more renewable energy and engage in sustainable resource management. Global financial institutions pledged to make hundreds of billions of new investment over the next 15 years in clean energy and energy efficiency…

But why should businesses, whose main responsibility is to their shareholders, care about climate change?

The answer is simple. A growing number of studies are showing that it could be disastrous for the bottom lines of companies around the world. If global temperatures jump four degrees by 2100 – the path we’re on now – they could spark droughts, flooding and ferocious storms, sowing financial chaos and upending small shops and international conglomerates alike.

Source: http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/opinion/2016/01/13/climate-change-is-a-threat—and-an-opportunity—for-the-private-sector

Source: https://germanwatch.org/de/download/16411.pdf

Ridge to Reef

Here’s to planting more, from Ridge to Reef, including REEForestation! FEED conducts science- and practical based studies with its academic and other implementation partners to determine optimal planting interventions in critical areas, whether it’s mangrove walls in Bulacan, Pampanga and La Union for flood and fluvial protection; nutrition based gardens in Public Elementary Schools tackling nutrition; agro-forestry interventions in upland ridges – all with a central element of community-based livelihood.  We are now also seeking partners in coral REEForestation, the ocean being a high carbon sequestration solution.

Contact FEED

Donate via PayPal Directly to FEED or Organize your Own CSR/Volunteer Program for Education & the Environment. Thank you for your support! Please reach out to FEED for any further queries or to organize your event with our partners: info@feed.org.ph or call/text +63 (0)917 552 4722.

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