Mindanao farmers poised to improve livelihood with gift of 9,500 coconut seedlings
GENERAL SANTOS CITY, Philippines — The good thing about living in a naturally rich land is that if you learn to till the earth and fill it with crops, the land will eventually provide growth and sustenance.
This has been the case among coconut farmers within barangays Lutay, Malungon and San Jose in General Santos City, South Cotabato who have been living off of coconut farming for generations.
But as coconut farming goes, there are times when the trees start to age and go senile—prompting the need to plant new ones. It sounds so simple, but for smallholder coconut farmers, this could be very challenging. Their primary source of living could be halted for a long time as they look for financial resources to replant new coconut trees.
Thankfully, there are those who are willing to lend a hand and spread much-needed positivity.
Seeds of hope
Palmolive, in its first-ever partnership with an impact organization, HOPE, has supported farmers through Palmolive Seeds HOPE, a coconut tree planting project, where 9,500 seedlings were distributed.
Actress and host Bianca Umali, one of the celebrities who participated in the project alongside Vivoree and Angelina Cruz, shared how meaningful the project was for everyone involved.
“Napatunayan natin na ang isang Palmolive girl ay hindi lang tungkol sa pagkakaroon ng magandang buhok o magandang kutis. Ang isang tunay na Palmolive girl—mahalaga sa kanya ang kalikasan, ang kabutihan ng mga tao, at ang kinabukasan ng mga tao sa paligid niya,” she said.
This initiative was part of the Colgate-Palmolive 95th-year celebration in the Philippines, whose success was only made possible by the participants in the Palmolive Gandang Natural, Gandang Panalo Promo, which ran from May 1 to July 31 this year. All entries served as contributions to the tree planting project that is now helping secure a brighter tomorrow for several communities in GenSan.
“Kami sa Palmolive ay umaasa na ito ay simula lamang ng mas marami pang pagkakataon na kami, tayo, tayong lahat ay makapamahagi ng positivity at hope hindi lang dito sa General Santos City, kung hindi sa bawat sulok ng Pilipinas nating mahal,” said Palmolive Associate Marketing Director for Personal Care Products Coleen Niguidula-Ducusin.
Through this project, Palmolive aims to uplift the lives of the farmers, giving them a renewed source of livelihood.
Farmer beneficiary Alfrio Bantal thanked both Palmolive and HOPE for the support they have been given, feeling even more hopeful for his children’s bright future.
“Salamat sa grupo ng Palmolive sa pagdayo niyo rito sa General Santos City. Malaking bagay ang inyong tree-planting event para makatulong sa aming hanapbuhay at sa kinabukasan ng aming pamilya,” he shared.
Abel Sague, purok chairman of Bagong Silang, also expressed his gratitude. “Naiyak ako kasi ngayon lang nangyari ito. Ang masasabi ko lang sa Palmolive ay maraming maraming salamat sa inyo sa pagbigay ng ganitong kabutihan sa mga susunod na henerasyon.”
Apart from spreading positivity and inspiring hope among farmers, the project also serves as a way to enrich the environment with more trees that sequester carbon from the atmosphere.
Long-term livelihood
HOPE has been working with the smallholder farmers of GenSan for over eight years, striving to provide them with a way to earn income with a 60-year end goal in mind.
The impact organization also ensures they do a proper follow-through after every seed planting activity through data collection and regular monitoring and evaluation so that the trees thrive and are able to produce the impact they are intended for.
“Providing seedlings is a way to support not only farmers but also the environment. HOPE has planted close to a million trees, provided access to markets and trained farmers to guarantee better income for people who need the most,” says Ilu Farias, Friends of HOPE's Managing Director.
“We plan to continue working together with the farmers to make sure they have more income opportunities for themselves, for future generations and for the environment,” she added.
Moving forward, Palmolive plans to continue working with HOPE and make the partnership bigger and more meaningful in the years to come.
For more information, visit the Palmolive website at https://www.facebook.com/PalmoliveNaturals and check out HOPE: Business for Good on their official Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/generationhope.ph.
