Two hundred employees from KMC Solutions hiked into the foothills of the Sierra Madre in July, carrying shovels and saplings, for a day of tree planting organized as part of KMC’s Corporate Social Responsibility program in partnership with ASSIST. By the end of the day, they’d planted 6,000 saplings across the sanctuary grounds.
The site, Gabriel’s Sanctuary, is a DENR and Upper Marikina River Basin Protected Landscape-accredited reforestation area, part of the larger effort to restore the Upper Marikina Watershed. That watershed does real work for millions of people downstream — filtering water, absorbing rainfall, buffering against the flash floods that have become familiar across the region.
The volunteers came from departments across KMC — people who don’t normally cross paths at the office, spending the day hiking, digging, and planting across the sanctuary grounds together.
“We’ve got people from all departments across KMC, all coming together, knowing that they’re giving back to the community and the environment,” said Tom, one of the volunteers. “It’s been really impactful — not just in how we support these local communities, but in bringing the team together.”
For Irish, another volunteer, the day was a reminder of what small, unpaid effort adds up to.
“Knowing that in a very little way, we’re able to help not just people but the environment too — I think that’s more than enough reason to make this a habit,” she said. “Even just once a year.”
For Macky, it was his first time planting a tree, and it left him thinking about what the forest could look like decades from now if days like this one add up.
“Help us to save nature,” he said, “because in 2090, we might not see Sierra Madre — and we know that Sierra Madre is our savior from the typhoons.”
Behind the day itself was a fair amount of groundwork that never makes it into a photo: sourcing 6,000 saplings, scheduling volunteer shifts, mapping which zones of the sanctuary needed planting. ASSIST worked alongside KMC to handle that planning ensuring that volunteers weren’t just spending a day outdoors but were putting in work toward a cause their community will feel the impact of for years to come.
The trees are in the ground, and the volunteers are hopeful the saplings will take root and the forest will slowly fill back in. Two hundred people showed up for one day. Six thousand saplings now have years ahead of them to reshape not just Sierra Madre but also the communities downstream.
ASSIST partners with corporations to turn employee volunteer days into measurable contributions to communities and the country’s environmental resilience. For partnership opportunities, fill out ourt Partnerships Form or visit assistasia.org to know more.
