A new Binhi Arboretum marker was inaugurated and unveiled by the Energy Development Corporation (EDC) through the Center for Tropical Conservation Studies (CENTROP) recently in Palinpinon, Valencia, Negros Oriental.
The ceremony gathered EDC officials, together with the SU Biology Department, the SU CENTROP staff and researchers, the Angelo King Center for Research and Environmental Management (SUAKCREM) members, and the student-led SU Biology Society.
The endeavor highlighted the significance of the Binhi Arboretum in the “wellbeing of society and environment.” It is in its very own nature as an institution to be concerned about the environment.
Maria Nancy Ibuna, EDC’s Corporate Relations and Communications Division (CRCD) head, pointed out that the company has currently 179 partners among the 218 for their Binhi project, EDC’s environmental banner program. Binhi is the largest, private sector-led restoration initiative in the country.
The initiative was started in October 2020 with the signing of a memorandum of agreement via Zoom as it happened at the height of the CoViD-19 pandemic. In 2022, efforts for a tree planting activity commenced, with more than a hundred trees planted. Prior to this, more than 200 trees have initially been planted at the arboretum.
“Today we are now finally launching the Arboretum. We already have 41 arboreta so far all over the country. The CENTROP is one of those, so we are happy for the institution to be part of this partnership with EDC,” Ibuna said in her message.
EDC intends to plant a total of 60 of the endemic and threatened Visayan tree species, one of which is the red lauan (Shorea negrosensis). EDC’s initiative focuses on planting native and threatened tree species and continuing efforts in forest restoration.
According to Ibuna, this partnership also extends to other initiatives, such as the biodiversity conservation and monitoring programs, where the CENTROP has been very helpful in monitoring the different flora and fauna within the area.
The EDC Arboretum in Negros Oriental is the 17th arboretum set up in the country, according to Ariel Dela Cruz, EDC Negros’ watershed management officer, who shared a quick background of the project.
The SU CENTROP in Palinpinon has 19 hectares with the whole area divided into two: the flora, which is the arboretum, and the fauna, the conservation area for the animals. “Integration or collaboration is part of the biodiversity conservation [management],” Dela Cruz said, illustrating the partnership.
He likewise celebrated partnerships with the local community, particularly the forest patrollers working on the site as well as the maintenance group of the arboretum who are from the community in Apulong, Valencia.
Leandro Cabrera, CENTROP coordinator, also thanked EDC’s partnership with them. “In caring for God’s creation through this partnership, we not only nurture the environment, but also embody the values of stewardship, community, and love that is fair not just for humans, but also for plants,” Cabrera said in his closing message.
The ceremony concluded with a ceremonial planting of the red lauan headed by Dr. Betty McCann and Ibuna.
Those in attendance were Dr. Dennis McCann; Dr. Margaret Helen Alvarez, interim vice president for academic affairs and research; Dr. Mae Brigitt Bernadel Villordon, interim assistant vice president for academic affairs and concurrent College of Arts and Sciences dean; Dr. Robert Guino-o, SUAKCREM director; Dr. Theresa Guino-o, College of Nursing dean; Asst. Prof. Michael Lawton Alcala, SU Biology Department chair; Glynnis Jean Casiño, Strategic Partnership and Enterprise Development officer-in-charge; the CENTROP staff and researchers; the SUAKCREM staff; the Biology Department; and, Biology Society students.
Ibuna and Dela Cruz were joined by Myrissa Tabao, EDC Negros Corporate Social Responsibility head; Aubrey Bangaysiso, watershed management officer-Negros; Mary Grace Tito, community partner-Negros; Carl Vincent Dipaling, geochemist, flowtest, and sampling; Ernesto Calumpit, Negros internal security officer; Renato Bonto, Security Negros and Mt. Apo head; Noel Regalado, Negros administration support; and, John Winston Macayan, site maintenance engineer. | NWI
