The personnel of the Office of the Press Secretary (OPS) have participated in the annual tree-planting program organized by water concessionaire Maynilad Water Services Inc. (Maynilad).

In a Facebook post, the OPS shared several photos of the tree-planting activity on Oct. 28 at the Ipo Watershed in Norzagaray, Bulacan.

“Nakibahagi ang Office of the Press Secretary (OPS) sa ‘Plant for Life’ tree-planting project ng Maynilad Water Services, Inc., na may layuning magtanim ng isang milyong puno sa Ipo Dam sa Norzagaray, Bulacan bago matapos ang taong 2022 (The Office of the Press Secretary took part in the ‘Plant for Life’ tree-planting project of Maynilad Water Services, Inc. which aims to plant one million trees at Ipo Dam in Norzagaray, Bulacan),” it said.

OPS Undersecretary Marlon Purificacion was among those who joined the activity.

The OPS said the participation of its officials and employees was in line with the directive of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. for the government to take the necessary steps to mitigate the impact of climate change on the country.

Planting trees, the OPS said, would also help augment water and power supply.

“Ang pakikilahok ng OPS sa proyekto ay parte ng pagsunod nito sa direktiba ni Pangulong Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. na bigyang-solusyon ang kakulangan sa suplay ng kuryente at tubig at bawasan ang pinsalang dala ng pagbabago ng klima (The OPS’ participation is in accordance with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive to provide solution to lack of power and water supply and reduce the negative consequences of climate change),” it said.

On Tuesday, Marcos emphasized the need to include tree-planting activities in flood control projects, as he acknowledged that deforestation and the effects of climate change triggered the Maguindanao floods and landslides during the onslaught of Severe Tropical Storm Paeng.

The flagship environmental conservation program of Maynilad dubbed as “Plant for Life” aims to recover denuded watersheds and protect the water supply of millions of consumers.

The tree-planting activity rallies volunteers from government agencies, private companies, and other organizations to help recover forestlands through the annual planting of trees.

In July 2022, Maynilad kicked off the annual undertaking and sought to plant a total of one million trees within the year.

Since the program’s inception in 2007, Maynilad has planted over 975,000 indigenous trees and mangroves covering a land area of around 704 hectares.

In a briefer about Maynilad’s project, planting trees in the watersheds helps to prevent soil erosion, protecting the quality of water stored in the dams that supply water for millions of consumers.

The activity also helps with carbon sequestration, which is essential to reducing the greenhouse gases that lead to global warming.

The program has so far helped reduce carbon emissions by around 25,000 tons per year. (PNA)