Amid Historic Flooding, ASSIST and Corporate Partners Push Forward on Watershed and Wetland Conservation Across Luzon

 

As severe flooding hit Metro Manila, and Northern Luzon, corporate volunteers spent the month working at three sites tied to the region's flood defenses: a wetland sanctuary, a dam-adjacent nursery, and a watershed reforestation site, in partnership with ASSIST.

As Typhoon Inday, Tropical Storm Maymay, and the southwest monsoon brought some of the year's most severe flooding to the Philippines this July, displacing tens of thousands across Mindanao and inundating major roads across Metro Manila and Northern Luzon — three companies spent the month running employee volunteer activities at sites that play a direct role in the country's flood defenses: a protected wetland sanctuary, a dam-adjacent tree nursery, and a watershed reforestation site.

In partnership with the Asia Society for Social Improvement and Sustainable Transformation (ASSIST), the three activities engaged volunteers in conservation work at sites tied to Metro Manila's water supply and flood management infrastructure during a month when that infrastructure was under unusual strain.

Across three sites in Luzon, the work looked different but pointed the same direction.

On July 3, 200 volunteers from Wells Fargo took part in a coastal clean-up at the Las Piñas-Parañaque Wetland Park, a 181.63-hectare protected sanctuary that shelters migratory birds and local plant species and serves as a flood mitigation buffer for nearby communities. After a briefing on the site's biodiversity, volunteers cleared and sorted debris across five categories: single-use plastics, styrofoam, rubber, PET bottles, and glass to support proper waste disposal. 

On July 25, 100 volunteers from IBM Philippines planted 1,000 native trees, including narra and malabulak, at Million Trees, a nursery and eco-learning center in La Mesa, Quezon City, run in partnership with the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) under its Annual Million Trees Challenge. The trees are expected to help protect water quality at the La Mesa Dam reservoir and regulate water flow in the surrounding area. 

A third initiative took the effort further into the Sierra Madre. On July 3, 200 volunteers from KMC Solutions planted 6,000 saplings at Gabriel's Sanctuary in Antipolo, Rizal, a DENR-accredited reforestation site within the Upper Marikina River Basin Protected Landscape. The planting supports the restoration of the Upper Marikina Watershed, part of the Sierra Madre range that regulates water flow into Metro Manila.

All three sites are part of the infrastructure that helps manage flooding and water flow into Metro Manila. The volunteering activities gave employees a direct role in that work, along with a shared sense of purpose that is valued in corporate CSR programs. "We've got people from all departments across our organization, all coming together, knowing that they're giving back to the community and the environment," said Tom Craig, Senior Vice President for Global Sales at KMC Solutions. "It's been really impactful — not just in how we support these local communities, but in bringing the team together."

For Macky, one of the volunteers, it was his first time planting a tree - an experience that left him thinking about what the Sierra Madre could look like decades from now. His appeal to future volunteers: "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."

ASSIST collaborates with corporations on CSR initiatives that turn employee volunteer days into measurable contributions to communities and the country's environmental resilience. For partnership opportunities, visit https://bit.ly/PartnerForProgress.

About Asia Society for Social Improvement and Sustainable Transformation (ASSIST)

ASSIST (Asia Society for Social Improvement and Sustainable Transformation) is a self-sustaining pan-Asian NGO working at the intersection of social impact and sustainable transformation. True to its role as a Partner for Progress, ASSIST collaborates with corporate and institutional funders to deliver co-created initiatives as well as award-winning flagship programs that convert social investments into lasting local capacity. Explore our work and partner with us: www.assistasia.org