Aboitiz Foundation, GCash team up to restore 1,200 hectares in Balamban

CEBU, Philippines — Aboitiz Foundation and GCash are teaming up for a five-year environmental project that will restore about 1,200 hectares of forest and coastal areas in Balamban, Cebu, and establish one million trees across the identified sites.

Five-year GForest partnership will help restore 1,200 hectares in Balamban as part of Aboitiz Foundation’s 40-year nature-based climate action commitment. From Left to Right: Aboitiz Foundation Impact Lead for Climate Action Fred Dalumpines, Aboitiz Foundation President Ginggay Hontiveros-Malvar, Mynt Head of Corporate Sustainability and Communications Michelle Fernandez, and Mynt Impact Innovations Product Manager Luis Arboleda, come together to strengthen their shared commitment to climate action in Cebu. (CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)

The CarbonPH x GForest Project brings together the Aboitiz Foundation’s long-term ecosystem restoration program and GCash’s digital environmental initiative, with the partnership focusing not only on tree planting but also on biodiversity, community livelihoods and climate resilience.

The project will introduce a combination of agroforestry, indigenous and native tree species, and mangrove rehabilitation depending on the needs of the areas covered.

For Aboitiz Foundation President Ginggay Hontiveros-Malvar, the initiative is part of a wider effort to restore Cebu’s natural landscapes.

“CarbonPH is about looking beyond the number of trees we plant. It is about restoring entire ecosystems and making sure they continue to provide value to people and communities for generations,” Hontiveros-Malvar said.

She said the partnership with GCash combines private-sector resources, technology and community participation to support the foundation’s long-term environmental goals.

The CarbonPH program represents the Aboitiz Foundation’s 40-year commitment to restoring and protecting forest landscapes in Cebu. Its broader ambition covers more than 40,000 to 71,000 hectares, primarily within the Central Cebu Protected Landscape and surrounding areas.

The Balamban project will add to the environmental efforts already being carried out through GCash’s GForest program.

GCash said GForest has so far resulted in 4.9 million actual trees being planted. The additional one million trees from the new partnership will bring the platform closer to its target of 10 million actual trees by 2030.

Through the GCash app, users can earn green energy points from their digital activities and use these to support tree-planting and ecosystem restoration efforts. The program connects digital participation with projects that also provide livelihood opportunities for communities involved in environmental work.

Mynt Head of Corporate Sustainability and Communications Michelle Fernandez said the initiative demonstrates how technology can help translate everyday digital activities into environmental action.

“We believe sustainability becomes more meaningful when it is made part of the everyday actions people already take, rather than something that requires them to change their routines,” Fernandez said.

Under the five-year project, agroforestry activities will seek to combine forest restoration with sustainable livelihood opportunities, while the planting of native and indigenous species will help rebuild forest habitats and support biodiversity.

Mangrove rehabilitation will also form part of the project in suitable coastal areas, helping improve coastal ecosystems and providing natural protection against climate-related risks.

Local communities are expected to play a major role in the initiative, including in planting, maintenance and protection of restored areas.

The partners said this community-based approach is intended to help sustain the restoration work beyond the initial planting activities and allow communities to benefit from healthier ecosystems.

The project is also expected to contribute to broader environmental goals such as improving water security, protecting biodiversity, capturing carbon and strengthening the ability of communities and ecosystems to withstand climate-related impacts.

For the Aboitiz Foundation, the one million trees planned for Balamban form part of a much larger effort to restore Cebu’s forests, watersheds and coastal ecosystems over the long term.

The partnership reflects an approach to environmental restoration that moves beyond simply counting trees planted, instead linking forest and coastal rehabilitation with biodiversity protection, community livelihoods and climate resilience.