American Express (AMEX), a banking industry for more than a hundred years, partnered with ABS-CBN Lingkod Kapamilya Foundation’s Bantay Kalikasan. More than 50 employees from their office based in the Philippines planted 400 seedlings of Bignay-Kalabaw trees at the La Mesa Watershed’s Forest.

Philip John Pañes, one of AMEX’s Team Leaders shared, “We planted inside the forest and it’s not easy but it’s giving back to the community. The fact that we locals planted in a local forest is really excellent.”

Another participant, Velmurugan Panneerselvam, AMEX’s Infrastructure Engineer said that his experience in the employee engagement activity is very helpful for him when he comes back to India. “From a farming background of mine, I don’t have much exposure on these kinds of things before. I’ll take this kind of experience back to my place because I have some future plans which are like this. Handling the seedling and how to plant it, these kinds of things are very new to me which I learned today.”

An American Express employee shows off the seedling he is about to plant during their employee engagement activity with Bantay Kalikasan in La Mesa Watershed.

Bignay trees are endemic in the Philippines and are commonly used to make vinegar, wine, and brandy.

Tree-planting at the La Mesa Watershed is one of the pursuits of ABS-CBN Lingkod Kapamilya’s employee engagement activity. Organizations, such as AMEX, are encouraged to take part to mobilize their employees to participate in these worthy causes.

To know more about Bantay Kalikasan, visit www.abs-cbnfoundation.com.