TUGUEGARAO CITY, Cagayan—Australian miner OceanaGold planted its one millionth tree in the Philippines in a wildlife rescue and reservation center here in its effort to fight climate change.
Through its local firm OceanaGold (Philippines) Inc., the Aussie mining firm planted a “mayapis” (Shorea palosapis) tree at RBB Nature Park and Wildlife Center, named in memory of dedicated forester Rogelio B. Baggayan, at the Cagayan Valley Regional Center here.
Regional Directors Wilfredo Malvar of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Mario Ancheta of the Mines and Geosciences Bureau, and Cesar Siador of the Environmental Management Bureau participated in the ceremony.
OGPI environment manager Jason Magdaong said the tree, which belongs to the Philippine mahogany group and is popular for making furniture, is one of the common dominant tree species found in OceanaGold’s Didipio Mine village in Kasibu town in Nueva Vizcaya.
“The one millionth tree is a milestone in our mining forest program, as we support the National Greening Program of the government,” Magdaong said.
He said this milestone would not have been possible without the support of the firm’s partners and stakeholders, not only in the industry but as environment stewards.
David Way, OGPI general manager, said they started their reforestation efforts since 2013. In the three years as an active partner of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, “we are now at this juncture.”
“Our target is to plant two million trees in a period of 10 years, which is still a lot to be accomplished,” Way said, adding that in just three years the firm exceeded its target by planting their one millionth tree.
“This means that we are ahead of our target and will be able to plant more than our two million target,” he added.
Way said planting a tree is not an easy feat, and it takes determination and dedication to be able to do the tremendous job at OceanaGold, which requires vigilance as responsible miners.
“We may not be able to stop or mitigate climate change overnight but the important thing is we are aware of what we need to do. Our little efforts taken collectively and combined will make a huge impact. Because we care, we care for the environment not only for the generation today but more so for the generations tomorrow,” Way said.