Toyota Motor Corp. is investing an additional P78 million for the second phase of the Philippine Peñablanca Sustainable Reforestation Project, a tree-plant project in the Cagayan province, bringing the Japanese carmaker’s investments in its reforestation campaign in the country to P182-million.

The investment was sealed during the signing of a memorandum of agreement on Friday. Signing the agreement were Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Ramon Paje, TMC senior managing director Nobuyori Kodaira, Conservation International vice-president of Asian Policies Dr. Yayushi Hibi, and Penablanca, Cagayan Mayor Marilyn J. Taguinod.

Phase 2 of the PPSRP, which will run until July 2013, Toyota and its partners plan to reforest an additional 728 hectares to complete the envisioned 2,500 hectares. During this period, the parties aim to establish a sustainable system that the local community can implement to continue reforestation activities by themselves even after the project term.

Simultaneously, the PPSRP is targeting to engage around 400 households in agroforestry to further improve the living standards of the community by providing livelihood that does not involve the traditional harvesting of fuel wood and slash-and-burn.

A portion of the land has been set aside and residents will be taught how to cultivate fruit trees, vegetables, and other produce, thus, creating a system that will provide the community with a profit source. Phase 1 of the PPRSP, which ran from September 2007 to July 2010 with TMP contribution of P104 million, was highly successful, with 1,772 hectares reforested and planted with approximately 1.36 million trees.

Peñablanca Project coordinator Ryota Okazaki from TMC’s Biotechnology & Afforestation Business Division said, however, that their focus is not just on the reforestation target but also on livelihood for communities.