IBM marks anniversary with mangrove planting

As part of its 75th anniversary celebration, IBM Philippines held a mangrove planting in barangay Poblacion, Aloguinsan, southwest Cebu in collaboration with the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI).

Last June 16, IBM employees joined the activity that aimed to create a healthier mangrove forest that will boost the town’s main source of livelihood.

Aloguinsan has more than 5,000 households that depend on fishing for a living.

It is said that 75 percent of all tropical fish pass through mangroves, which serve as their nursery grounds, shelter and source of food.

“Planting and maintaining mangrove forests greatly contribute not only in ensuring the balance in our ecosystem and the protection of our natural resources and people. It also helps in bringing back biodiversity, in developing eco-tourism, and sustaining socio-economic development in our country. Thus, community-based initiatives are crucial in the preservation and nurturance of the environment,” RAFI president Roberto E. Aboitiz said.

“On July 20, IBM will mark a diamond milestone – 75 years of operations and service in the Philippines, unmatched in the local technology industry, said Mariels Almeda Winhoffer, president and country general manager of IBM Philippines.

“This year will not simply be a milestone. Rather, it will be an opportunity to heighten IBM’s commitment to the country. We have been in Cebu for five decades now and we will continue to engage in partnership with Cebu to seize the opportunities and the promise of Cebu today and the years beyond,” she added.

IBM and RAFI are committed to work towards a ‘greener’ Cebu.

Last year, IBM Philippines employees and the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP) Visayas worked on a mangrove reforestration project in Olango Island.