Thai oil firm partners with DENR to plant trees

PTT Philippines Corp. (PTTPC), a subsidiary of Thailand’s national oil company PTT, is stepping up its commitment to protect the environment with its new “Gas Up for a Tree” project.
PTT is partnering with the Department of Natural Resources (DENR) to plant at least 10,000 seedlings of fruit bearing trees, dipteracarps, lawaan, apitong, narra, and other hardwood species in some 50 hectares of denuded land in Sitio Kanawan, Morong, Bataan.
More than 100 Aeta families belonging to the Magbukun tribe would benefit from the greening project.
The two organizations, along with other project partners, including PTT’s corporate social responsibility arm, PTT Philippines Foundation Inc. (PTTPFI), are set to sign a memorandum of agreement (MOA) this month.
PTT believes that business organizations can contribute in saving the environment by initiating programs that create environmental awareness and a call to action.
“In PTT, we strongly believe in social responsibility. It has been a priority area of our parent company PTT Thailand and we are carrying the same commitment in the Philippines,” said Korawat Sungmongkol, corporate communications manager PTT Philippines, adding “The Gas Up for a Tree project demonstrates our vow in nurturing and sustaining our biodiversity.”
“Every contribution and program such as ‘Gas Up for a Tree’ is a welcome development for us. We hope that more organizations will follow suit,” said DENR Regional Executive Director Maximo O. Dichoso.
The “Gas Up for a Tree” project will initially reforest 20 hectares of land and hopes to add 30 more hectares after the first phase.
The local Aetas would be provided livelihood in managing the nursery of the seedlings to be planted and in taking care of the rehabilitation and maintenance of the reforestation site.
Under the program, every purchase of P1,000 (US$24) worth of PTT gasoline and diesel products commits PTT to plant one tree. The project aims to plant 10,000 trees in the next six months.
PTT said it hopes to generate support and participation from the consumers with the growing need to save the environment. Consumers who support the program would be invited to join the actual tree planting activity.
The “Gas up a Tree” project is one of the environmentally focused projects that PTT has initiated in the past years.
PTTPC supplies and distributes various petroleum and lubricant products in the Philippine domestic market and has various retail gasoline stations in Metro Manila, Central Luzon and Cebu.
(April 21, 2013)