GCash, RAFI continue reforestation initiatives in Cebu
With 1M mangroves and trees planted
Committed to support sustainable development and address climate change, the Philippines' leading mobile wallet GCash, together with the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI), are continuing their initiatives to increase forest coverage and enhance existing mangrove areas in Cebu.
Through GCash's GForest and RAFI's One to Tree Program, a total of 1,075,000 mangroves and upland trees have been planted since 2021. For the remainder of 2023, 75,000 more mangroves will be planted, completing the target of 1,150,000 trees spread across three projects in the province.
The two GForests cover the Luyang Watershed in the northern town of Carmen. One project has 375 hectares of farmland in the barangays of Caurasan, Upper Natimao-an, Liboron, Ipil, Cantumog, and Lower Natimao-an. Meanwhile, the other consists of 355 hectares of farmland with planting sites in the barangays of Upper Natimao-an, Corte, Ipil, Caurasan, Hagnaya, Lanipga, and Cantumog.
Among the 600,000 native trees planted in the two GForests are Avocado, Bangkal, Cacao, Cashew, Coffee, Guyabano, Jackfruit, Mamalis, Mangosteen, Molave, Nangka, Narra and Rambutan with a high survivability rate between 92 to 94% as of March 2023.
The Luyang Watershed is a significant ecological area in Cebu as it supplies at least twenty-four thousand cubic meters of surface fresh water. The enhancement of tree cover in the two GForests will improve rainwater percolation.
As a result, this increases the water table under the horizon that supplies springs that support surface water along rivers. The neighboring urban cities of Cebu, Mandaue, and Lapu-Lapu will benefit from this in terms of water supply.
The third project is GForest Mangroves which aims to plant 550,000 seedlings in Daanbantayan, San Remigio, and Medellin. The three municipalities are facing the Tañon Strait, the biggest marine protected area in the Philippines under the National Integrated Protected Areas System.
As of May 2023, about 47.5 hectares have been covered for enrichment planting with 475,000 seedlings of the Bakhaw Lalaki (Rhizopora apiculata), Bakhaw Babae (Rhizopora mucronata), Bakhaw Bato (Rhizopora stylosa), Bungalon (Aviccenia alba), Miapi (Aviccenia marina), Aviccenia officinallis, Aviccenia rumphiana, Pagatpat (Sonneratia alba), Pedada (Sonneratia caseolaris), and Sonneratia ovata species.
Aside from mitigating the risks of natural disasters and augmenting water supply, the partnership has also helped in the livelihood of local communities. GCash and RAFI have engaged 200 landowners, 687 individuals, and ten people’s organizations in the site preparation, tree-planting, and maintenance activities of the projects.
"GCash is steadfast in playing an active role in minimizing the effects of climate change. Through GForest, we encourage Filipinos to take part in our eco-friendly initiatives and be Green Heroes. With partner organizations like RAFI, we continue to plant the seeds for a better tomorrow,” said CJ Alegre, GCash Head for Sustainability.
"This partnership with GCash allows us to reach more people and enable them to take part in caring for our environment even in simple ways. Through this partnershxqip people can build GForests one tree at a time, and also help in community-building and income augmentation of locals. This is a win for the environment and a win for Cebuanos," said Amaya Aboitiz-Fansler, RAFI President and Chief Executive Officer.
GForest is an in-app feature rolled out in 2019 in line with GCash’s sustainability agenda. Users earn green energy for cashless transactions done in the app such as paying bills, buying load, and sending money. Green energy is collected and used to plant virtual trees.
GCash partners with international and local organizations in planting actual trees around the country. At present, they have planted 2.2 million trees and aim to plant a total of 5 million trees by 2025.
About Mynt
Mynt is the first and only $5 billion unicorn in the Philippines. It's a leader in mobile financial services focused on accelerating financial inclusion through mobile money, financial services, and technology. Mynt operates two fintech companies: GXI, the mobile wallet operator of GCash — the #1 Finance App in the Philippines, and Fuse Lending, a tech-based lending company that gives Filipinos access to microloans and business loans.
About GCash
GCash is the Philippines’ #1 Finance App and Largest Cashless Ecosystem. Through the GCash App, users can easily purchase prepaid airtime; pay bills via partner billers nationwide; send and receive money anywhere in the Philippines, even to other bank accounts; purchase from over 6 million partner merchants and social sellers; and get access to savings, credit, loans, insurance and invest money, and so much more, all at the convenience of their smartphones. GCash’s mobile wallet operations are handled by G-Xchange, Inc. (GXI), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Mynt, the first and only duacorn in the Philippines.
Mynt and GCash are staunch supporters of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly UN SDGs 5,8,10, and 13, which focus on safety & security, financial inclusion, diversity, equity, and inclusion as well as taking urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts, respectively.
For more information, please contact:
Bruce Rodriguez, Head of Business Communications
Corporate Communications
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