Six hundred employee volunteers from The Ayala Group of Companies converged at the 1,700-hectare NUVALI in Laguna to plant 3,000 trees as its first major environmental engagement for 2010. The activity came at the heels of the conglomerate’s first Sustainability Summit held last November where the triple-bottom line approach to sustainability was underscored. This approach has given the Ayala companies a stronger resolve to synergize on actionable goals that promote the three vital components of sustainability - social development, environment protection and economic growth.
 The 1st Ayala Group Tree-Planting engaged employees from Ayala Corporation, Globe, Bank of the Philippine Island (BPI), Integrated Microelectronics Inc. (IMI), Manila Water, Ayala Automotive and Ayala Land, with each employee planting three to five tree saplings. The activity kicked off NUVALI’s Corporate Tree-Planting program which aims to plant a total 200,000 trees along a 17 kilometer stretch of open area. The event also jumpstarts a slew of volunteer and social development programs that the various Ayala companies will engage in as one group.
 Ten plant species were planted in the area. These were Molave, Kalumpit, Pagsahingin, Igyo, Kusebeng, Palawan Cherry, Mango, Palo Maria, Harpullia and Balitbitan. The tree species were carefully chosen as these are best-suited for the area. The chosen trees are sturdy and hardwood types that are ideal for urban forestry. The Molave, in particular, is known for its resilience being one of the hardest woods among tree species. The Palawan Cherry, on the other hand, takes on an ornamental character especially when its flowers are in full bloom. The trees were planted in a 7-hectare area of NUVALI which is Ayala Land’s largest eco-friendly community in South of Metro Manila. The area will add to the numerous patches of greens within the project and will hopefully become another bird sanctuary. NUVALI, in fact, has recently been frequented by bird watchers.
Before the volunteers were transported to the tree-planting site, Ayala Land CEO Antonino Aquino welcomed everyone to the event.
“This is a great opportunity for our companies to follow through our commitment in improving the lives of more people. We have to continue to be pro-active in initiating these activities so that more people will be involved in protecting the environment. NUVALI is Ayala Land’s biggest effort in sustainable development. We hope to continue to be the preferred place for activities such as these,” said Mr. Aquino.
 Afterward, a briefing on the proper way to plant trees was conducted by a NUVALI resident horticulturist. This was followed by a ceremonial tree planting by representatives from the participating Ayala companies. The first six saplings were planted by representatives from the Ayala Group of Companies, including (from left to right) Ben Chng, Senior Managing Director (Singapore) of IMI, Cy Shong, Managing Director (China) of IMI, Ronald Goseco, Head of Logistics and Administration Group of Globe, Toti Barcelon, COO and Senior Managing Director for Global Operations and Baby Nuesa , CFO and Senior Managing Director for Corporate Resources of IMI, John Philip Orbeta, Director for Human Resources of Ayala Corporation, Ruel Maranan, Group Director- Operations and Project Delivery and Frank Beaumont, Group Director - Operations and Project Delivery of Manila Water, and Antonino T. Aquino, President and CEO of Ayala Land Inc.
 On the way to the tree planting site, Ayala Land employees were happy to see that many of the trees they planted in previous years have grown bigger. This year, with the involvement of other Ayala companies’ and with more hands plowing the ground, a greater number of trees will grow and a greener neighborhood will be nurtured.
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