Insider Spotlight
The CarbonPH x GForest Project will combine Aboitiz Foundation’s nature-based climate program with GCash’s digital environmental platform, targeting ecosystem restoration, biodiversity protection, community livelihoods and stronger climate resilience, according to a joint company release.
Why it matters
The project links the companies’ longer-term environmental commitments. CarbonPH represents Aboitiz Foundation’s 40-year commitment to protect and restore Cebu forest landscapes, with a long-term ambition covering more than 40,000 to 71,000 hectares, primarily within the Central Cebu Protected Landscape and surrounding areas.
GCash, meanwhile, said 4.9 million actual trees have already been planted through GForest. The additional one million trees from the partnership will move it closer to its target of 10 million actual trees by 2030.
The bigger picture
“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,” Aboitiz Foundation president Ginggay Hontiveros-Malvar said.
“Our partnership with GCash GForest brings together the strengths of the private sector, technology, and communities to turn this long-term commitment into action. One million trees in Balamban is an important step toward our larger ambition of restoring Cebu’s forests, watersheds, and biodiversity.”
The project will establish agroforestry areas and plant indigenous and native trees and mangroves. Local communities will participate in planting, maintenance and long-term protection, while agroforestry activities are expected to provide sustainable livelihood opportunities.
How it works
GCash users earn green energy points through eligible digital activities and can use those points to support tree-planting projects. Mynt head of corporate sustainability and communications Michelle Fernandez said this model connects routine digital behavior with 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.
GForest puts this principle into practice by transforming the green energy points earned by GCash users into tangible environmental outcomes through tree planting and ecosystem restoration with Aboitiz Foundation, she stressed.
"In this way, technology becomes more than an enabler of convenience. It becomes a bridge between everyday behavior, collective action, and long-term environmental stewardship,” Fernandez explained.
The companies said the Balamban initiative is designed to deliver benefits beyond tree planting, including improved water security, biodiversity protection, carbon capture, climate resilience and sustainable livelihoods. —Princess Daisy C. Ominga | Ed: Corrie S. Narisma
