On any given Sunday, life typically brings few adrenaline-driving moments amid the rest and time away from the madding crowd, but perfect weather on this late-summer day with the Right People and reason had instantly made it different for the ECLARO team in the Philippines visiting Tanay—a municipality in Rizal filled with natural wonders, bordered by the Sierra Madre Mountains in the northeast and the Laguna Bay in the south.
The excitement among the team members was palpable, as this was not the first time this year that ECLARO had visited. Four months ago, our ECLARO Project E-Care team had distributed school supplies to this municipality’s most underprivileged children. Now it was tree-planting time, and with seedlings and adventure awaiting, our company volunteers were as committed as ever to supporting our communities and making a real, positive impact where we live and work.
“The journey alone makes it extra memorable for me,” says Jhoana Fragada, ECLARO Events and Client Services Specialist, who was thrilled at hopping on a packed 4x4 jeep when it was time to visit Brgy. Mamuyao, where the planting site was located. The ride was the last leg of a two-hour commute starting from Manila, a rickety trek by the stunning Tanay River punctuated by intermittent ravines. “But there’s another hour of walk from the ‘meet-up station’ to the site, and we didn’t mind,” adds Fragada. “Everyone is elated—everybody’s in a good mood from start to finish.”
At the meet-up station, our team was greeted with smiles from the community members. Over a sumptuous breakfast of sweet plantain and boiled native chicken egg prepared by the host, Mario de Guzman, President of Upland Farmers Association of Brgy Mamuyao Inc., graced the makeshift stage to share his appreciation for the team’s presence. Among his main goals is to educate and encourage his community to protect and nurture the seedlings, as it would, in turn, substantially augment their way of life in the future.
De Guzman also did not hesitate to thank as well the student representatives from ECLARO Academy, comprising 20 class presidents from various Grade 12 sections, reiterating that investing in youth accelerates innovation, creativity and technological advancement that can address emerging challenges facing the environment.
READ MORE ABOUT ECLARO ACADEMY HERE
The event would also not have been possible without the help of Violeta Imperial, social responsibility specialist at Nature Awareness and Conservation Club, Inc., a nonprofit organization focused on pursuing continued ecological preservation through the help of educators, student leaders and young professionals.
“The people in Tanay, Rizal, are very inspiring and welcoming,” recounts ECLARO Academy student Alexa Peroy. “Their genuine love for nature is a thing I learn with.”
Divided by Five, United as One
At 10 o’clock, the sun surprisingly remained low on the horizon, boding a more tolerable noontime. Not hiding their excitement were the students who had already formed a strong bond with the local community members their age, ready to plant the bag of seedlings handed to them by the community leaders.
The tree-planting site—a two-hectare site donated by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)—was guarded by a thicket of soaring native bamboo from all corners, ensuring the protection of the 500 narra and guyabano seedlings bought by ECLARO from the farmer’s association.
“I've learned a lot from those associates who kept checking on us, giving us information on how and what to do, what tree-planting does and [its positive impact on] our environment,” says ECLARO Academy student Samuel Adorna Maravillas.
Creating a collaborative environment, the community participants and ECLARO representatives were divided into five groups, each with a community tour guide acting as leader, a few community volunteers, four ECLARO Academy students, and a representative from ECLARO. Strategically spread through the site, the planting began, going on until a little over past noon, just in time for the lunchtime announcement.
For Johnny Chua, ECLARO’s Facilities and Logistics Supervisor, the communal spirit of the day—the overall sense of being part of a group coming from different walks of life but united by a common purpose—was perfectly captured as everyone dined together.
“Food, as a love language, allows us to celebrate each other—our successes, or to simply have fun, which we both experienced in Tanay,” Chua says. “For lunch, it was native chicken adobo and calabasa in coconut milk prepared by our new friends here—reminds me of home, really. What a perfect way to cap our visit.”
Grade 12 student Ashley Sanchez noted her appreciation for the experience afforded young people like her to connect with the local community and its way of life. “I encountered people who heavily rely on their environment for their livelihood, and it was enlightening to learn how tree-planting directly supports their survival, leaving me with a greater awareness of its positive impact on nature and local communities.”
Eastward home, rain finally washed the whole of Tanay. The jeep threaded silently through the mountains and lakes that had greeted the team earlier. At dusk, the birds buzzed above when the transfer bus reached Manila. If one listened for the sounds of the city, none could be heard, everything still muffled by still-unbridled enthusiasm brought about by a rather extraordinary Sunday.