Ricoh reveals beauty, biodiversity of Masungi Georeserve

MANILA, Philippines -  It was an opportunity for Ricoh Philippines to reveal some of the beauty and biodiversity of Philippine flora and fauna as it conducted an environmental initiative at Masungi Georeserve in Baras, Rizal.

Through the Ricoh Global Eco-Action 2017, Ricoh Philippines showcased the importance of nature from a different perspective while promoting the need to take care of Mother Earth on a tour on the discovery trail.

“Eco-Action is an annual global initiative where we hold corporate social responsibility programs with particular focus on the environment,” said Aida Ortega, performance excellence and sustainability officer at Ricoh Philippines.

“Sustainability is at the heart of the way we work. We want to give back to nature because the resources we used for our machines come from nature,” she said.

Preserved and managed by the Masungi Georeserve Foundation, the conservation park and rustic rock garden reminiscent of the formations in Palawan serves as a sanctuary rich in heritage and biodiversity that is just a few hours from Metro Manila.

Masungi takes three to four hours to explore and is perfect for nature lovers, adventure seekers, beginner, and regular hikers with its rope courses, hanging bridges and scenic destinations.

During their tour, Ricoh customers and staff visited Masungi’s most photographed attractions including Sapot, a web-style viewing platform that offers a spectacular view of Laguna de Bay; Yungib ni Ruben, an example of a cave formation that is part of a karst landscape; Tatay, the first and taller of two peaks and a natural sculpture composed of several rocks seemingly piled on top of one another; Nanay, the second peak that features five limestone rock peaks interconnected by bridges; and the Ditse, Patak at Duyan which contains an already existing cactus garden and an air house.

For lunch, participants headed to Silayan where they enjoyed native dishes such as Sinigang na Isda sa Prutas ng Katmon, Chicken Inato sa Dahon ng Batuan and red organic rice, among others.

Eric Sulit, president and CEO of Ricoh Philippines, led the ceremonial turnover of two Ricoh multifunction printers to Masungi Georeserve Foundation led by project manager Victor Rodriguez and operations manager Nicholas Matillano.

“We’d like to thank Masungi Georeserve for hosting us today. Activities such as these are important for the company as it is one of the ways we uphold environmental appreciation and conservation, while encouraging our customers to do the same,” said Sulit. “We’re happy to see the efforts of your foundation in restoring this forest since 1996 into what it is now – a lush and rich haven of flora and fauna that is so close to Metro Manila.” 

“It’s our first time to experience Masungi and we really enjoyed it. At work, I observed that Ricoh also diligently collects empty toners and cartridges,” said Laura Mallo, owner of Multimed Inc. “They don’t just dispose them. It’s good to know we share the same values as our supplier when it comes to taking care of the environment.”

“I hope Ricoh will continue these types of activities. It shows their effort to strengthen collaboration with clients for the cause of the environmental as well,” observed Gladys Mores, team leader for procurement and logistics at Emerson Philippines.