Globe Donates P1.4 Million To Hineleban Foundation For Reforestation Program Of Lumads

Globe, one of the country’s leading telecommunication firms, is set to donate P1.4 million to Hineleban Foundation as part of the company’s five-year reforestation program.

The firm has inked a memorandum of agreement Tuesday, December 6, with Hineleban together with Globe’s MyLifestyle iPhone 7 clients for collaboration in reforestation efforts over denuded forests in Mindanao.  

Through Globe’s MyLifestyle Plan which starts at P2,599, clients have the option to contribute in the reforestation of denuded forests, particularly in Bukidnon and Lanao del Sur provinces.

Hineleban Foundation Inc., is an organization in Bukidnon advocating for restoration of the environment and sustainable livelihood for the Lumads and the Bangsamoro through transformational business partnerships in the reforestation of the six mountain ranges of Mindanao.

Globe Corporation Communication Senior Vice President Yoly Crisanto said customers, who receive the new iPhone 7 under the Globe MyLifestyle plan, are able to participate in various cause-oriented programs including environment protection and conservation, through the Globe of Good bundle which allows the company to make a donation on their behalf.

“Our customers may offer to donate for a cause. One, they can donate for a school, help small and medium enterprises, and the other one, caring for the environment which is through the Hineleban foundation,” she said.

“We let our customers know that there is actually a future in reforestation, for indigenous peoples, for ourselves. It’s one thing for the government to do reforestation on their own but it’s another thing to do it the right way, with the way Hineleban did it here in Bukidnon,” Crisanto said.

“What we are trying to show you here is that, there is the right way to do it, and we mean a reforestation program that very much considers the benefit and plight of our indigenous peoples (IPs),” she added.

Globe Telecom’s partnership with Hineleban is part of its Climate Action Program, which advocates for the protection and preservation of the natural resources for succeeding operations.

Meanwhile, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Hineleban Foundation Urooj Malik said its organization exists to help conserve the ecosystem in partnership with the lumads.

“Our relationship with our IPs here is not like how a corporation works wherein he dictates his workers, we treat them as partners, they get to choose what livelihood they want here to run and in turn, we assist them in, for example the quality control of their livelihood,” Malik said.

In addition, Malik said they want to replicate the same program in the Bangsamoro region where thousands of hectares of denuded forests need rehabilitation.

“This partnership with Globe is in the spirit of combating madness of climate change. We already experienced Sendong, then Pablo, all manifestations of climate change, so we have to preserve our ecosystem,” he added.

Hineleban which means “the spirit of the gathering and giving Mother Tree of the Rainforest that sustains the cycle of all life,” is also specializing in Arabica coffee, with its sister company, the Uniffrutti Group of Companies based in Bukidnon.

Bukidnon, known as the “heart of Mindanao,” has some primary forests left but over 44,000 hectares of forest areas are already denuded.

Source: Sunstar