27/08/2026
MASSIVE TREE-PLANTING EXPANDS PROJECT LANGIT-LANGIT TO PROTECT MT. APO HEADWATERS, PHILIPPINE EAGLE HABITAT
MANOBO, MAGPET, Cotabato — In a major push for biodiversity conservation and ancestral domain protection, the Mount Apo Foundation, Inc. (MAFI), in partnership with DENR-CENRO Matalam, First Gen’s Energy Development Corporation (EDC) / First Gen Renewables Geothermal, the Manobo Barangay Local Government Unit (BLGU), and the Ancestral Domain Management Office (ADMO), successfully spearheaded a massive simultaneous tree-planting activity dubbed "Project Langit-Langit" on Tuesday, August 25, 2026.
Located in Sitio Linaysing, Barangay Manobo, Magpet, Cotabato, Project Langit-Langit is a collaborative ecological restoration initiative. The project covers a 5-hectare high-altitude corridor where 5,000 native Mount Apo seedlings are being planted. This effort aims to restore the dense forest canopy and critical aerial territory essential for the survival, nesting, and hunting of the endemic and critically endangered Philippine Eagle.
Beyond wildlife protection, this massive reforestation effort secures critical watershed tributaries feeding downstream agricultural communities across Cotabato, safeguarding Mount Apo’s crucial headwaters to ensure clean water resources for future generations.
Ground mobilization was reinforced through active collaboration with the Magpet Municipal Environment and Natural Resources Office (MENRO), the 72nd Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army (Alpha Company–Manobo Detachment), DENR-MANP-PAMO Cotabato, the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) Cotabato, and youth volunteers from the Manobo Mountaineering Group and Manobo High School.
Together, this effort underscores the vital role of indigenous governance, military cooperation, and local community action in safeguarding the sacred ancestral domain of Mount Apo.
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Acknowledgments & Special Thanks:
DENR- CENRO Matalam
- Forester Abdulnagib T. Ringia, CENRO
- Forester Gabriel M. Baute, Deputy CERNO
-and the rest of the team
First Gen's Energy Development Corporation (EDC) or First Gen Renewables Geothermal
- Maria Nancy P. Ibuna, Head, Corporate Relations and Communications
- Karen Kay A. Abarrientos, CPA, Head, Corporate Relations Department, Mount Apo Geothermal Project
- Marisol Pedregosa & Roberto Sambilawan, Watershed Management Officers
-and the rest of the team
Manobo BLGU headed by:
- Hon. Ruth Pelonio Federe
Manobo Ancestral Domain Management Office headed by:
- Datu Roldan P. Pelonio
Mount Apo Foundation, Inc. (MAFI)
- Maria Nancy P. Ibuna, President
- Matanam Jaime M. Odo, Sr., Executive Director
- and the rest of the team
*To our dear partners and volunteers:
DENR-MANP-PAMPO Cotabato
MAGPET -MENRO
MANOBO HIGH SCHOOL
MANOBO MOUNTAINEERING GROUP
