Ang Pahayagan

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT — The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA), together with employees from 106 business locators and investors, planted fruit-bearing trees in Pastolan Village on June 23 as part of the celebration of Philippine Arbor Day.

A total of 592 participants composed of SBMA employees and workers from various Freeport companies trekked nearly 1.5 kilometers to the Mulawin Bayakan Reforestation Site, where they planted saplings of jackfruit, cashew, soursop, and lipote trees within the ancestral domain of the Aeta Indigenous Peoples in the Subic Bay Freeport Zone.

The activity, dubbed “Magtanum Kitamo: Subic Bay’s Arbor Day and Forest Bounty Showcase,” carried the theme “Our Forest, Our Craft, Our Bounty” and aimed to support forest restoration, biodiversity conservation, and climate resilience efforts in the Freeport.

According to SBMA, the fruit-bearing trees are expected to contribute to ecological balance while providing future food and livelihood opportunities for local communities.

SBMA Ecology Center Officer-in-Charge Rossell L. Abuyo said the annual Arbor Day celebration highlights the shared responsibility of government agencies, private sector partners, and communities in protecting the environment.

“Every tree we plant today is a step toward a greener and healthier Subic Bay,” Abuyo said, thanking locators and employees for supporting the agency’s environmental programs.

SBMA Officer-in-Charge Senior Deputy Administrator for the Regulatory Group and Deputy Administrator for Public Health Amethya P. Dela Llana also commended participants for taking part in the environmental initiative.

She said the tree-planting activity would help preserve forest ecosystems, protect watersheds, and contribute to a greener future for the Subic Bay Freeport and nearby communities.

The activity forms part of SBMA’s continuing reforestation and environmental conservation programs aimed at preserving the ecological integrity of the Freeport and strengthening partnerships with stakeholders in promoting sustainable development.

Philippine Arbor Day is observed every June 25 under Republic Act No. 10176, also known as the Arbor Day Act of 2012, which promotes tree planting and environmental conservation nationwide.

📸 Ang Pahayagan