Thinking of what to give your graduates this March 2015? Give your graduating loved ones a legacy—a tree named after them.

With only Php25 and with the help of the Miarayon-Lapok-Lirongan-Tinaytayan Tribal Association (MILALITTRA) in Talakag, Bukidnon, your graduates can be proud to have a tree named after them.

At Valuing Ecosystem Services Together (VEST), a seedling only costs Php25 or for 5 seedlings you only need to pay Php100.

The tree-planting component of this green project of Xavier University with various partners has been declared by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to have a 96% survival rate since it started in July 2014.

Here’s how to give:

Deposit payment to the VEST Fund for Mt Kalatungan through 
Xavier Science Foundation
BPI Account #2043-4099-67

Email the scanned deposit slip to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and there you go, aside from helping in the restoration of our forest in the highlands of Bukidnon, you now have a tree named after you. 

VEST is a social marketing arm of the Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) project of XU through the McKeough Marine Center (MMC), Research and Social Outreach (RSO) and Xavier Science Foundation (XSF) as the fund manager.

In Northern Mindanao, the project has been piloted within the ancestral domain of the MILALITTRA, one of the 12 lumad communities in the protected area of Talakag, Bukidnon where Mt Kalatungan stands. The 5-year community development master plan of MILALITTRA aims to reforest 832 hectares, while 816 hectares will be allotted for agroforestry.

Part of this green endeavor is to mainstream the principles of VEST through a slew of activities to encourage Kagay-anons to participate in the fund drive to rehabilitate Mt Kalatungan and reward the efforts of the indigenous people community as the forest managers.

 

 

For more information, inquire through email via This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and/or send a message to the Valuing Ecosystem Services Together - VEST Facebook page.