KBP, partners sustain Baguio reforestation drive

BAGUIO CITY — The Baguio-Benguet chapter of the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP) brought together broadcasters, government agencies and private-sector partners for its annual tree-planting activity, extending a local environmental initiative that has run for 16 years.

About 45 to 50 participants gathered at the Tam-awan vicinity on Aug. 29 and planted pine and alnos saplings as part of the nationwide Broadcastreeing program, according to a news release issued by SM Supermalls.

The activity, originally scheduled for Aug. 15, was postponed because of bad weather.

Broadcastreeing was launched by KBP National with its regional chapters to encourage members of the broadcast industry, communities and partner organizations to participate in tree planting.

KBP said the nationwide program has helped plant about 150,000 trees since its launch.

In Baguio and Benguet, the annual activity involves the chapter’s 14 member radio and television stations, the release said.

The Tam-awan activity was held in partnership with Tam-awan Village, with support from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, 911 group, Philippine Red Cross, National Grid Corporation of the Philippines, Benguet Electric Cooperative and SM City Baguio.

“Every year we have different partners, and we are very thankful that one of our longest-standing partners here in Baguio is SM City Baguio. Kapag humihingi kami ng suporta for causes that help care for the environment, nandiyan po ang SM City Baguio,” said Erickson Ferrer, KBP Baguio-Benguet Chapter Ex Officio Chairman.

(“Every year we have different partners, and we are very thankful that one of our longest-standing partners here in Baguio is SM City Baguio. Whenever we ask for support for causes that help care for the environment, SM City Baguio is there.”)

KBP Baguio-Benguet Chapter Chairman Rene Sales said the activity reflects the chapter’s effort to maintain its environmental advocacy amid concerns over climate change.

“This is a nationwide activity of the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas, which is why we are taking care and nurturing Mother Nature,” Sales said. “With global warming and climate change, that is why we really decided to continue this every year.”

Sales also stressed the importance of caring for trees after planting, saying the measure of the program’s success includes whether the saplings survive and grow.

SM City Baguio has partnered with KBP Baguio-Benguet in the annual Broadcastreeing activity for eight years.

The partnership complements the mall’s broader tree-planting efforts, which had reached 596,055 trees planted and donated as of June 2026.

SM City Baguio also provides a three-year monitoring and maintenance period for trees planted through its own initiatives.

The latest activity underscores the role of partnerships in sustaining community-based environmental programs, particularly in a city whose natural landscape is closely tied to its identity.

The KBP chapter and its partners said the trees planted at Tam-awan form part of a continuing effort to help protect Baguio’s environment and preserve its green character.

For Broadcastreeing, the longer-term challenge extends beyond a single planting day: ensuring that newly planted trees survive, take root and become established over time.