Employees of JG Summit Petrochemicals Group joined the observance of the World Wetlands Day on February 2, 2021, in a mangrove-planting activity organized by the Provincial Government Environmental and Natural Resources Office of Batangas, held in the municipality of San Luis in Batangas province.
Together with the Batangas PGENRO, a group of JGSPG employees joined residents of Barangay Bagong Tubig in San Luis in planting 150 seedlings of the mangrove specie Avicennia over a 250-square meter area along the barangay's coastal zones. The activity aimed to enhance the propagation of mangroves in the area and promote environmental sustainability.
World Wetlands Day is celebrated around the world annually on February 2. This year’s observance marks the 50th anniversary since the adoption of the Convention on Wetlands in 1971. The 2021 event's theme, “Wetlands and Water,” highlighted the contribution of wetlands to the quality and quantity of our planet's freshwater resources.
According to the Convention on Wetlands, an intergovernmental treaty that provides the framework for conserving and using wetlands, and adopted by almost 90% of United Nations member states including the Philippines, both fresh and saltwater wetlands play a crucial role in supporting social and economic development.
Wetlands filter pollutants, provide protection from floods and storms, and help regulate the climate by capturing vast amounts of carbon. Economic activity in wetland areas are likewise a source of income for millions of people around the world.
JGSPG recognizes the valuable contributions of wetlands. In 2019, JGSPG partnered with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to rehabilitate Wetland No. 8 in Barangay Manocmanoc in Boracay Island. Since the partnership’s launch in March 2019, JGSPG has undertaken various activities that included perimeter fencing, clean-up drives, information, education and communication campaigns for community residents and students, tree-planting, and the completion of a biodiversity center that now houses a tree nursery.
Care for the environment has always been one of JGSPG’s key advocacies in the area of sustainability and corporate social responsibility.
Another major JGSPG initiative for the environment is its One Million Trees Project. In 2020, the company donated 86,594 seedlings to different municipalities in Batangas and other civic organizations in the province. A total of 415,944 seedlings have been donated to various Batangas local government units and communities, government agencies, civic organizations, schools and employee volunteers since the project’s launch in 2016.
For more information on the JG Summit Petrochemicals Group, visit jgspetrochem.com
