The QBE Green SanQtuary Park is ready to welcome nature lovers and guests after its inauguration on April 16 at the La Mesa Watershed in Quezon City.
QBE officials from Australia, MTFI President and Executive Director Melandrew Velasco and MWSS Administrator Leonor Cleofas led the inaugural rites.
Velasco and Cleofas both cited QBE for its pursuit of a long-term sustainability program for the La Mesa watershed in support of the Annual Million Trees Challenge, an initiative of the MWSS.
The QBE Green SanQtuary Park is the maiden collaboration program between QBE of Australia and the Million Trees Foundation, Inc. in support of environment protection projects of MTFI, according to Velasco.
QBE’s Group Shared Services Center operates the park at a 1,600 sq. meter- lot that is within the MTFI project assigned by the MWSS.
The park broke ground on March 11, 2024, with the QBE Foundation initially contributing P3.7 million to support the different environment protection projects of MTFI.
Apart from the development of the green park, the QBE’s GSSC and MTFI partnership involves the establishment of greenhouses containing native and fruit-bearing seedlings, rebagging of saplings, and tree-planting activities in areas to be designated by MTFI, Velasco said.
The La Mesa watershed has been identified as one of the seven critical watersheds beneficiaries of the Annual Million Trees Challenge which started in 2017 to rehabilitate watersheds essential to the water supply of Metropolitan Manila and neighboring provinces.
It is composed of 2,700 hectares of forest and watershed area, the only forest area in the metropolis. Within the La Mesa compound is the La Mesa Dam and Reservoir which is part of the Angat-Ipo-La Mesa water system that supplies most of the water requirement of Metro Manila.
The QBE GSSC Sustainability Committee known as Team Verde is composed of volunteers from various towers across the organization committed to bolster a resilient workforce and support sustainable communities through various initiatives.