CARD Mutually Reinforcing Institutions (CARD MRI) planted 750 mangrove trees in Brgy. Baruyan, Calapan City, Oriental Mindoro on October 7, 2023 as an initiative to reduce the carbon footprint and counteract oil spill in the area.
As part of the restoration effort, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) recommended planting the said kind of tree as the area suffered from oil spill recently.
The said activity also signifies CARD MRI’s commitment to the realization of the Sustainable Development Goals globally. As shared by CARD MRI Managing Director Aristeo A. Dequito, “While we undertake various initiatives to promote the well-being and prosperity of both people and the planet, the tree planting activity plays an important role in advancing the 17 SDGs.” He also added that the banking institutions of CARD MRI has been one with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas in promoting sustainable financing through compliance to BSP Circular No. 1805 Series of 2020.
About 150 staff from institutions under CARD MRI participated in the tree-planting activity, namely, CARD, Inc. (A Microfinance NGO), CARD Bank, and CARD MBA.
“It was challenging yet enjoyable. Aside from saving the earth, we also had an opportunity to bond with each other, enabling us to strengthen our connection,” CARD Bank Regional Director Venancia Salazar said during an interview.
Meanwhile, CARD-Business Development Service Foundation Inc. (CARD-BDSFI), a member institution of CARD MRI that focuses on agricultural and fisheries development, signed a memorandum of agreement with DENR for these environmentally sustainable activities. This agreement outlines DENR’s quarterly visits to the mangroves and mandates the institutions provide replacements for any dead plants.
“We cannot fully eradicate poverty without caring for our common home, our planet Earth. With the climate crisis continuously intensifying, this activity is a good approach to help boost ecosystem resilience and combat climate change,” CARD MRI Founder and Chairman Emeritus Dr. Jaime Aristotle Alip concluded. With a holistic approach to development, CARD MRI aspires to continuously achieve sustainability through its institutions specializing not only in financial services, but also in health, education, and other community development programs.
