Hedcor, residents plant 1000 trees in Tawantawan

The villagers of Brgy. Tawantawan, Baguio District in Davao City – residents, Philippine National Police, 84th Infantry Battalion, Barangay officials, and Hedcor, Inc, covered 3 hectares of land area from yesterday’s tree planting of 1000 fruit-bearing trees. The site is declared by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources as protected area under the Talomo Watershed.
“Kining gipaningkamotan nako’g tanom karon kay para sa kaayohan sa akong mga anak sa umaabot nga mga tuig. (These trees I am planting now is for my children’s future),” a 38-year old resident Bal Nacilla said. “Paglabay og napulo o kinse ka tuig, pwede na ma-harvest sa akong mga anak ang mga bunga ani (After 10 or 15 years, my kids can harvest the fruit),” he added.
By planting fruit-bearing trees, residents will be able to harvest and sell the produce to a nearby market, thereby augmenting their income. Through reforestation and in partnership with the community, Hedcor supports the sustainable development of the community by elevating their host communities’ economic condition and at the same time for the preservation of the environment.
Hedcor believes that each single tree planted will help protect the watershed considering that a tree can hold or absorb water, consequently preventing flash floods and increasing riverbank stability.
“The water retained by the trees will infiltrate to the ground and will provide water to the aquifer and to the rivers,” Hedcor vice president for Business Development Engr. Boy Jabonillo said.
The tree planting activity is one of the many actions undertaken through the company’s Watershed Management Program to safeguard a healthy watershed. On July 21, another 11 hectares of land area in Talomo will be planted with 2,000 seedlings.
Hedcor, which operates five run-of-river hydropower plants along the Talomo River, is committed to protect and preserve the environment in the areas where their generating facilities are. For this, Hedcor was awarded with the Philippine Environment Partnership Program Seal of Approval in 2011 by DENR for going beyond compliance.