A celebration of trees, nature & education on Oct. 7

MANILA, Philippines - Artists, florists, designers, businesspeople, and Manila society’s well-known personalities and their families will once again come together for the fundraising event, the 14th Festival of Trees, on Oct. 7, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., at the Manila Polo Club.

Themed “Celebrations,” the 2009 Festival of Trees promises to be an exciting and enthralling event featuring a floral fashion show with models wearing clothes accentuated with beautiful flowers that reflect the different celebrations of the year — from the Santacruzan to Mother’s Day, Earth Day, Valentine’s Day, and Christmas. The show is made possible with the support of florists, designers, and the artists of Repertory Philippines, whose members have provided assistance in the artistic execution and by lending the gowns for the event.

In addition to the fashion show, the program will include an inspirational message by Manny Pangilinan, PLDT boss, Festival of Trees honorary chair and Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP) chairman. There will also be a dinner and an oral auction of a painting by Edgar Doctor, one of the country’s renowned visual artists.

Festival of Trees started in 1995, owing its conception to then Makati Garden Club (MGC) president Mindy Perez-Rubio, who had the idea of holding a formal dinner-cum-auction of beautifully designed Christmas trees and paintings. The concept was brought to the attention of her mother-in-law, Ma. Luisa Perez Rubio, then chair of MGC and president of PBSP.

This has turned into PBSP’s biggest and longest fundraising event dedicated to forwarding education, providing financial aid to the country’s less fortunate and advancing socio-economic growth and environmental protection in the areas that need it most.

The event featured two major components: first, the year’s selected beneficiary; and second, the auction that was held during a black-tie gala, complete with the trademark Christmas trees, donated and spruced up by local designers, florists, and artists.

Festival of Trees has raised millions of pesos for a number of beneficiaries through the years, the latest of which were the survivors of the 2006 Southern Leyte landslide through PBSP’s Southern Leyte Rehabilitation Program. Other past endeavors include rehabilitation assistance to families hit by Typhoon Reming in Bicol and the rehabilitation and regeneration of depleted marine and upland resources of 14 municipalities in Maqueda Bay, Western Samar.

Over the years, FOT has implemented poverty reduction programs; funds have been used to help poor coastal and upland families in Mindanao, Marinduque, Antique, Olango Island in Cebu and Ragay Gulf in Quezon.         

This year’s Festival of Trees will focus on promoting the value of caring for the environment and education for disadvantaged children in Mindanao, uniting the advocacies of the Philippine Business for Social Progress and Makati Garden Club. PBSP has long been committed to poverty reduction by designing programs that improve the quality of life of the poor, while MGC is dedicated to the greening of Makati and its surrounding areas.

Funds will be raised for Project Escuelas, an endeavor to aid schools in Basilan and Maguindanao, two of the country’s most deprived and war-torn provinces, by making quality education more accessible. Through FOT, sponsors have the opportunity to help build a new classroom, provide new textbooks for the students, fund the purchase of desks and chairs, or donate school supplies.

For more information, call the Festival of Trees secretariat at 527-7741 to 48, e-mail pbsp@pbsp.org.ph, or log on to www.pbsp.org.ph.