Subic Bay Freeport – The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Ecology Center led the celebration of the Subic Bay Arbor Day 2026 at this premier Freeport, which kicked off on June 22.
Ecology Center Officer-In-Charge (OIC) Rossell L. Abuyo said that the annual Subic Bay Arbor Day, aiming to celebrate the forests, showcase local crafts and bounty, and strengthen the Subic Freeport community’s commitment to environmental sustainability, will end on July 10, 2026, featuring various environmental conservation efforts, including community lectures, exhibits, and tree-planting drives.
Themed “Our Forest, Our Craft, Our Bounty,” the celebration also includes a series of activities, such as Tree-Via Hunt: a three-week digital flash mob scavenger hunt in the Central Business District.
On June 23, around 592 individuals, consisting of SBMA employees, as well as employees from 106 SBFZ investors and companies, planted 834 saplings of various fruit-bearing trees like jackfruit, cashew, soursop, and lipote at the Mulawin Bayakan Reforestation Site of the Pastolan Village, an ancestral Aeta indigenous community in the SBFZ.
The tree-planting activity, called “Magtanum Kitamo: Subic Bay’s Arbor Day and Forest Bounty Showcase,” was attended by companies such as Subic Bay International Terminal Corporation, Philippine Coastal Storage & Pipeline Corporation, Subic Enerzone, and MSK Group Work Incorporated.
During her welcome remarks before the tree-planting activity, Abuyo said, “Isipin natin na ang punong ating itatanim ay isang pagasa para sa susunod na henerasyon.”
Other activities are the June 2026 Cleanup Club, an SBFZ-wide cleanup, as well as the Tiawon Talks: A Forest Products Webinar via Google Meet.
Meanwhile, SBMA OIC-Senior Deputy Administrator for Regulatory Group and Deputy Administrator for Public Health, Amethya P. Dela Llana said, “Naging bahagi ako ng pagpapayaman ng watershed!” adding that those who participated in the Arbor Day celebration should be proud of being a part of the environmental protection in Subic Bay Freeport. Philippine Arbor Day is officially observed nationwide on June 25, according to Republic Act 10176 (Arbor Day Act), which emphasizes the need for citizens to plant trees. Communities, LGUs, and government agencies—such as the DENR—are rolling out massive tree-growing and nurturing initiatives to strengthen climate action.
