Globe Cordillera Challenge 4 raises P1 M for seedling nursery

MANILA, Philippines - Sixty-five grueling kilome- ters of hairpin curves, uphill and downhill rides, narrow and rough roads – this was the sce- nario faced by almost 500 bik- ers when they joined the biggest Globe Cordillera Challenge ever held recently in Benguet.

The Globe Cordillera Chal- lenge is an environmental cam- paign spearheaded by telecom- munications provider Globe Telecom to elevate the public’s awareness about the importance of the Cordillera region, long considered a vital catch basin for rain water and important wa- ter channel for most of Luzon’s major rivers that provides the water needs of people in low-lying areas.

But though this year’s trail the bikers down to some of the deep- est valleys and through the ridges that comprise the Cordillera moun- tain range, those who were able to complete the loop were rewarded with scenic views of lush vegetable gardens, towering pine trees, majes- tic mountains, and the picturesque dams of Binga and Ambuklao which dotted the Benguet landscape.

Seventeen-year- old Xy James Da-cayanan emerged as the fastest biker, having completed the trail in three hours and 44 minutes.

James also placed second overall in the Globe Cordil- lera Challenge last year, his first attempt in join- ing such a biking event.

An environ- mental advocate, James voluntarily joins tree-planting activities and even participated in the protest against the controversial cut- ting of trees in his hometown Baguio City.

Now on its fourth year, Globe Cordillera Chal- lenge raised an un- paralleled amount of P1 million for its partner organization Cordil- lera Conservation Trust (CCT), with P300,000 more in pledges.

The funds will be used for the building of 30 seedling nurseries under CCT’s Roots and Shoots program.

Creating the nurseries not only allows for the expansion of forest building practices to the youth and the communities but also provides on-site production areas for forest building.

Aside from producing seed- lings for forest building, Roots and Shoots also serves as a ven- ue for educating the young on the importance of the forests by having them play an active role in the rebuilding efforts. Even- tually, Roots and Shoots expects to create protected mother for- ests around the community from which they could obtain seeds to propagate the next generation of forests.

The seedling nurseries are also part of the Community of Practice being implemented in the Cordilleras by Globe through Globe Bridging Communities.