13 November 2020, Barangay Magsaysay, Siniloan, Laguna – Sierra Madre Mountain Range.  In commemoration of the 7th SEC-PSE Corporate Governance Forum under the theme “Business Resiliency and Innovation in a New Normal Era” to be held on 19 November 2020 via Zoom, hosted by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in partnership with The Philippine Stock Exchange, Inc. (PSE) and the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), tokens of appreciation by way of 192 trees were planted in the Sierra Madre mountains for 16 key  speakers, panelists and moderators, which will be presented during the forum amidst the anticipated 900 attendees.

16 key  speakers, panelists and moderators gifted with forest trees

1	Mr. Ramon S. Monzon	9	Dr. Allinnettes Go-Adigue
2	Atty. Emilio B. Aquino	10	Mr. Tim Daniels
3	Mr. Karl Kendrick T. Chua	11	Ms. Mabel Wong
4	Atty. Jocelyn C. Villar-Altamira	12	Engr. Edgar Sabidong
5	Mr. Ricardo Nicanor N. Jacinto	13	Mr. Matthias Gelber
6	Ms. Ma. Aurora “Boots” D. Geotina-Garcia	14	Atty. Kelvin Lester K. Lee
7	Dr. Donald Patrick Lim	15	Atty. Ephyro Luis B. Amatong
8	Atty. Rosario Carmela Gonzalez-Austria	16	Mr. John G. Garcia

Each individual will be gifted with a Certificate issued by FEED commemorating 12 native Philippine agroforestry trees per person planted in their respective name, in accordance with Presidential Decree 1153 (1977) “requiring the planting of one tree every month for five consecutive years by every citizen of the Philippines”.  Additionally, a partial scholarship amount will be committed in their names, which will form part of a thesis research grant to a deserving Filipino scholar pursuing studies in agriculture, environmental science, farming, forestry or sustainability studies.

The 192 trees planted were collected, propagated and nurtured by a 10-manned team out of 25 permanent forest guards (including women from the community) at the over 9,000 hectare Laguna Quezon Land Grant protect forest reserve in Siniloan, Laguna. They planted the following native trees on 10 November 2020 in anticipation of the coming sustainability forum:  Palosanto (100 trees), Guyabano (40), White Lauan (40) and Bani (12).

Thank you to GRI, SEC and PSE for caring for the livelihoods and sustainable development of our protected rainforest in the Sierra Madres mountains (forming part of the Sierra Madre Biodiversity Corridor or SMBC), which not only protects us from severe typhoons, retains freshwater rains and soils, but also provides nourishment to many communities living in and around this important watershed source.  FEED’s Climate Change Action Programs are community-based planting interventions ranging from:

• Source: upland agroforestry sites (protected rainforests managed by Bantay Gubat/Forest Guardians/AFP Jungle Warriors), to
• Mid-land food forests (for and by public schools and remote areas far from market-access roads); and
• Sea: Lowland mangrove and coral plantings (in coastal areas with trained Bantay Dagat/Fisheries Cooperatives).

These Ridge to Reef programs endorse the management of waters from source to sea; “healthy and well-managed river basins and coastal areas where people and nature thrive, is the vision behind theInternational Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) initiative”.

“Healthy ecosystems are ecological life-support systems. Lands and waters that function to provide goods and services that are vital to human health and livelihood are natural assets that are increasingly referred to as ecosystem services. These services can include clear air, high quality water, carbon sequestration benefits, and habitats that support a range of economically and ecologically valuable resources.” (Source: US Land Trust Alliance)

Based on climate resiliency, this Business Resiliency and Innovation in a New Normal Era Forum aims to be a platform for the government and the private sectors to discuss the challenges faced by both sectors brought about by the Covid-19 crisis and their impact to businesses and the economy as a whole. It is also an avenue for both sectors to share and discuss their respective response strategies and recovery approach to combat the significant and adverse effects of the pandemic and on how they can work together to help hasten the country’s recovery. The topics to be covered include “Corporate Governance in the New Normal“, “Promoting Resilience and Sustainability Amidst Uncertain Times” and “SEC Regulatory Updates”.

The reforestation support is an immediate and lasting incentive to the following Bantay Gubat who manage multiple nurseries, site preparations, plantings, species collection and propagation, GPS capture, monitoring and maintenance. They are the only reason FEED can continue to plant throughout the year, regardless of weather conditions or exterior threats, we owe big heartfelt thanks to those who protect our biodiversity, sustainability and ecosystem for everyone’s benefit:

1	Reynaldo E. Lorida	6	Larry G. Rizaldo
2	Renato Q. Dagumboy	7	Bryan C. Bacasen
3	Teotimo B. Argete	8	Randy c. Velina
4	Anselmo M. Ella	9	Maria C. Salipot
5	Leody A. Avenido	10	Shirley B. Matin-ao

“Tropical forests have a valuable role in relation to climate change, being a source and sink of carbon…Carbon density ranges widely from less than 5 t/ha to more than 200 t/ha in the following order: old growth forests > secondary forest > mossy forest > mangrove forest > pine forest > tree plantation > agroforestry farm > brushlands > grasslands. Carbon sequestration ranges from less than 1 t/ha/yr in natural forests to more than 15 t/ha/yr in some tree plantations. Land-use change and forestry make an important contribution in the national emissions and sinks. It is estimated that Philippine forest lands are a net sink of greenhouse gasses (GHG) absorbing 107 Mt CO2 equivalent in 1998, about equal to the total Philippine GHG emissions.” (Source: Lasco, R.D. & Pulhin. F.B. (2013). Philippine Forest Ecosystems and Climate Change: Carbon stocks, Rate of Sequestration and the Kyoto Protocol, Annals of Tropical Research 25(2): 37-51)

The average number of trees per hectare (in agroforestry and/or industrial plantations) ranges from under 500 to over 2,000 depending on species and site. In this instance, with spacing of 1 square meter between each Philippine indigenous tree, according to Forester Rey Lorida, field supervisor of the Laguna Quezon Land Grant, this tropical tree plantation can sequester an average of 10 tons of carbon per hectare per year.

May the Forest Be With You GRI, SEC & PSE Earth Keepers!

Congratulations to all those involved in the Forum and especially those who enabled this much-needed community-based support. As CSR Patrons of Education and the Environment, we thank the GRI, SEC and PSE team and hope that your support also inspires others to continue remembering our environment and the protection of our critical natural ecosystems, with special thanks to those who made this partnership tree-planting, community and scholarship support possible:

• Dr. Allinnettes Go Adigue
• SEC Chairperson Emilio B. Aquino
• SEC Commissioner Kelvin Lester K. Lee
• Rachel Esther J. Gumtang-Remalante
• Miracle Anne D. Rodriguez
• Shiena Angela D. Aquino
• Sheila Mae S. Panares
• Mara Louise A. Ruiz

On behalf of our forest guardians, thank you everyone at GRI, SEC and PSE for your outstanding support especially during this challenging Covid-19 pandemic, a critical moment in our history that compounds the seemingly insurmountable hurdles the world faces with climate change.

Your CSR contribution provides much needed livelihood our forest communities need to ensure full survival of species planted, also enabling them to expand their own fruit and vegetable gardens for their own sustenance, as part of the master plan development of our protected forest.

Photo Gallery – Community-Based Tree-Planting, 10 November 2020 @ Laguna Quezon Land Grant protected forest site

GPS Coordinates of GRI, SEC & PSE Planting Site, Sierra Madres

Use any GPS (Global Positioning System) software / applications to input the latitude and longitude coordinates to be able to remotely see the location of your trees planted. Some examples include:

About the Sierra Madre Mountain Range – Longest in the Philippines

The Sierra Madre a 540 km (340 mi) is the longest mountain range in the Philippines. Through the north–south direction from Santa Ana in the province of Cagayan to the north and Quezon province to the south, the mountains form the eastern backbone of Luzon Island, the largest island of the 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 form a bold and 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.

Endemic Flora
The Sierra Madres is home to native Philippine dipterocarp trees of the Hopea and Shorea family, orchids such as Dendrobium aclinia, the leguminous tree, Milletia longipes and a member of the citrus family, Swinglea glutinosa.

Endemic Fauna
The forests are home to endemic lizard species such as the monitor lizard – Varanus bitatawa (common name: Butikaw), which the Aeta and Ilongot indigenous peoples use as a food source. The monitor lizard is one of the three frugivorous lizards in the Varanidae family along with V. olivaceus and V. mabitang. All of the three frugivorous lizards are found only in the Philippines.

Endemic mammals in Sierra Madre are the Sierra Madre shrew mouse and Sierra Madre forest mouse.

Non-Endemic Flora Species
Narra, the national tree of the Philippines, Almaciga, and Kamagong can be found in the Sierra Madre range.

Non-Endemic Fauna Species
Isabela oriole, Philippine Eagle, and Philippine Crocodile are critically endangered species that can be found in fragmented locations.

It is important to note that lower portions of the Sierra Madre mountains still experience frequent and sporadic habitat damage and other forest-losses (flora and fauna) due to anthropogenic activities, such as logging and charcoal-making, often funded by outside “investors”.

Some outside informal settlers living at the lower portions of the slopes generally are supported by work in these logging and charcoal-making activities without permits. Some portions of the forest cover are already secondary growth forests, i.e. forests or woodland areas which have re-grown after a timber harvest, until a long enough period has passed so that the effects of the disturbance are no longer evident; whereas primary forests refers to untouched, pristine forest that exists in their original condition. It is estimated that forest degradation of at least 1,400 hectares per year is caused by illegal tree-cutting, slash and burn farming, fuel-wood collection, illegal hunting, and residential expansion – which if tackled sustainably and with the community can be averted, minimized and even optimized towards healthy and productive, sustainable social forestry practices. (Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sierra_Madre_(Philippines))

Long term survival is as critical as tree-planting is to sustainable reforestation programs, which is why all FEED plantings aim to achieve and have so far sustained survival rates of at least 85 percent of all species planted, making sure they thrive for future generations too.

The Laguna-Quezon Land Grant covers a 6,765-hectare property acquired by the the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) – FEED’s first and longest Living Legacy partner –  by virtue of Republic Act 3608 of 1930, forming the larger part adjacent to the Laguna Land Grant in Paete, Laguna. Reforestation and biodiversity conservation remain the core focus of both land grants 90 years after its establishment, since majority of the remaining forest cover of the Sierra Madre Mountain Range is home to a last bastion for many species that have become endangered in other parts of the country.

Social forestry (SF) can be a part of a sustainable forest management (SFM) strategy to achieve environmental, economic and social objectives. “SF and SFM can be compatible because both recognize the importance of community participation in achieving sustainable use of forest resources. However, there is a gap in translating the SF concept to activities within the SFM approach and a lack of continuity. To strengthen the role of local communities in SFM through SF, there is a need for a platform enabling open discussion among relevant stakeholders, increasing awareness about the benefits of SF and securing adequate funding to conduct SF activities.” (Source: https://www.cifor.org/knowledge/publication/7647)

These are the holistic approaches FEED and partners adopt as a science-based, proven method towards enhancing community participation in all planting programs, whether from ridge to reef, up to and including nursery and forest establishment, protection, maintenance, (GPS) monitoring and reporting to ensure at least 85% survival of all species planted, as well as community empowerment in the conservation of our natural resources.

Thank you again to all eco-warriors at GRI, SEC and PSE!

About GRI, SEC and PSE

Global Reporting Initiative

Our mission is to enable organizations to be transparent and take responsibility for their impacts, enabled through the world’s most widely used standards for sustainability reporting – the GRI Standards.

So, take a deep dive into the Standards today, which cover topics ranging from anti-corruption to water, biodiversity to occupational health and safety, tax to emissions. And explore our services while learning about how we collaborate to secure a more sustainable future for all.

For more details, visit: https://www.globalreporting.org/

Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) or the Commission is the national government regulatory agency charged with supervision over the corporate sector, the capital market participants, and the securities and investment instruments market, and the protection of the investing public. Created on October 26, 1936 by Commonwealth Act (CA) 83 also known as The Securities Act, the Commission was tasked to regulate the sale and registration of securities, exchanges, brokers, dealers and salesmen. Subsequent laws were enacted to encourage investments and more active public participation in the affairs of private corporations and enterprises, and to broaden the Commission’s mandates. Recently enacted laws gave greater focus on the Commission’s role to develop and regulate the corporate and capital market toward good corporate governance, protection of investors, widest participation of ownership and democratization of wealth.

SEC is the registrar and overseer of the Philippine corporate sector; it supervises more than 600,000 active corporations and evaluates the financial statements (FS) filed by all corporations registered with it. SEC also develops and regulates the capital market, a crucial component of the Philippine financial system and economy. As it carries out its mandate, SEC contributes significantly to government revenues.

With the growing number of corporations and other forms of associations that SEC supervises and monitors, and given the evolving nature of transactions where the corporate vehicle is being used to defraud the investing public, as well as the ever dynamic character of the capital market, SEC must progressively perform its critical role as the prudent registrar and supervisor of the corporate sector and the independent guardian of the capital market.

For details, visit: https://www.sec.gov.ph/

Philippine Stock Exchange

The Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) is the only stock exchange in the Philippines. It is one of the oldest stock exchanges in Asia, having been in continuous operation since the establishment of the Manila Stock Exchange in 1927. It currently maintains a trading floor at the PSE Tower in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City. The PSE is composed of a 15-man Board of Directors with Jose T. Pardo as Chairman.

The main index for PSE is the PSEi, which is composed of a fixed basket of thirty (30) listed companies. The PSEi measures the relative changes in the free float-adjusted market capitalization of the 30 largest and most active common stocks listed at the PSE. The selection of companies in the PSEi is based on a specific set of public float, liquidity and market capitalization criteria. There are also six sector-based indices as well as a broader all shares index.

Trading in the PSE is a continuous session from 9:30AM to 3:30PM daily with a recess from 12:00PM to 1:30PM.

For more details, visit: https://www.pse.com.ph/

NATURE IS SPEAKING (Narrated by Julia Roberts)

What can I do to stop climate change?

“As the world warms, extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and intense, sea levels are rising, prolonged droughts are putting pressure on food crops, and many animal and plant species are being driven to extinction. It’s hard to imagine what we as individuals can do to resolve a problem of this scale and severity.

The good news: We are not alone. People, communities, cities, businesses, schools, faith groups and other organizations are taking action. We’re fighting like our lives depend on it — because they do.

In a world of more than seven billion people, each of us is a drop in the bucket. But with enough drops, we can fill any bucket.” –  David Suzuki

Check out some of the ways you can take more climate change action.

For example, Climate Action groups are the local solution to a global crisis. Right now people just like you are coming together to develop practical, local solutions and make their towns and cities more climate-friendly. Are you ready to join them? Find out what’s happening near you.

More here: https://friendsoftheearth.uk/climate-change/what-can-I-do-to-stop-climate-change

Contact FEED

In 2015, the Philippine government submitted to the United Nations the country’s commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The country committed to reduce its carbon emissions by 70 percent by 2030. The carbon dioxide reductions will come from the sectors of energy, transport, waste, forestry and industry.  Join us!  Help us reverse the Earth’s “hothouse climate” tipping point.

Tree-Planting with FEED

Contact us at FEED for more details, to join our regular activities or to design your own tree-nurturing event: info@feed.org.ph or call/text +63 (0)917 552 4722.

© Fostering Education & Environment for Development, Inc.