Every morning, 59-year old Celso Bilog takes a short hike around his small farm. He checks his fruit-bearing trees, prunes overgrown branches, and pulls out weeds around young saplings. In his small tree paradise, one can find banana, atis (sweetsop), ponkan (tangerine), and lanzones trees.
He has spent many years tending his patch in the mountainside of Barangay Limao, Laguna. A true blue fruit farmer, he has devoted his whole life to taking care of his one-hectare land as its master gardener.
It is befitting that Celso was chosen to be one of the hosts of the A-Park program, a nationwide reforestation initiative of Aboitiz Group. A-Park program is the Group’s contribution to the government’s greening efforts in partnership with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. Celso is the partner-beneficiary of 250 lanzones seedlings, which were planted by Aboitiz team members in his farm.
“Malaking tulong po talaga ang nagawa ng Aboitiz. Mayroong walong napiling landowners dito sa amin, at natutuwa akong isa ako sa mga napili. (Aboitiz really helped us a lot. There’s eight landowners here in our area who were selected, and I’m happy I was chosen as one of them).”
-Celso Bilog
Growing fruit trees has many benefits. They generate additional income and help people become connected to the growing process while also providing a nutritious food source. Lanzones season comes in October, and each lanzones tree, once fully grown, can produce as much as 20 kilograms of fruit, which the farmers can sell for up to PHP50 per kilogram.
Planting fruit trees also has many helpful environmental benefits, from cleaner air to reduced energy costs. According to research, half a hectare of mature fruit trees will absorb as much carbon equivalent to driving a gasoline-fueled car for 26,000 miles. This way, the A-park program both helps in the sequestration of greenhouse gases and offers livelihood opportunities for partner communities.
In Aboitiz, sustainability is at the heart of the tree-growing program. Our partner landowners are regularly engaged to make sure that the survival rate would be high. Even before host communities are chosen, careful thought is placed in planning which trees would be planted.
“Several years ago, we decided to go with fruit-bearing trees. We believe that choosing those trees would motivate our partners to grow them well and make sure the seedlings survive. We create shared value between us, and at the bigger picture, we take care of our environment,” said Judyann Torres, Environment and Safety Supervisor for AP Renewables Inc.
By mid-afternoon, you can find Celso taking break in his nipa shed beside the tree patch. He is joined by other farmers, who like him, have made the mountainside their home. For Celso and his farmer friends, the trees mean more than just fruits to be sold, they are symbols of the community’s helping hands.