Tree planting activity at the Cebu City South Road Properties in October 2019. | CDN File Photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebu City is partnering with private landowners in upland barangays to jumpstart Mayor-elect Nestor Archival Sr.’s 250,000-tree planting program within his first 100 days in office.
The ambitious reforestation initiative, meant to honor the more than 256,000 voters who supported Archival in the May 2025 polls, will begin in privately owned lots in Sirao, Cambinocot, and Lusaran, where landowners have agreed to open their properties for planting.
“Dili gyud necessary nga city-owned ang yuta. Mao nga nangita gyud mi og partners nga private individuals nga naay dako nga lote sa upland barangays,” said Arlie Gesta, officer-in-charge of the Cebu City Agriculture Department (CAD).
(It is not necessary that the lot will be a city-owned one. That is why we looked for partners that are private individuals who have large lots in upland barangays.)
READ: Archival plan: Plant 250,000 trees in 3 years to honor voters
Gesta shared that in Sirao, a private landowner voluntarily offered portions of his five hectares of property to serve as a planting site for the city’s reforestation program.
The first leg of the program will kick off in the three identified barangays with a total of 15,000 seedlings, 5,000 for each site, set to be planted during the launching period.
The initiative aims to not only address climate and environmental challenges but also promote sustainability by turning idle lands into future sources of food and income.
“These areas are not city-owned, but the landowners are willing. This shows nga ang project is tinuod (the project is genuine) and already being implemented, not just talked about,” Gesta said.
Community-driven greening
The city is taking a community-first approach to greening efforts, enlisting the cooperation of both landowners and residents. According to Gesta, this decentralized model strengthens the project’s chances of survival and local ownership.
In total, the City Agriculture Department currently has 30,000 available seedlings, most of which are fruit-bearing trees like guyabano, jackfruit, and lemonsito. These will be complemented by native species such as tugas and narra.
“After five years, these trees can bear fruit and serve as an additional livelihood source if well-managed,” Gesta added.
READ: Learning from failed reforestation
Sustainable maintenance
To ensure the survival of the seedlings, especially during dry months, the city is introducing a low-cost irrigation technique using recycled materials, including one-foot PVC pipes or plastic bottles that channel water directly to the roots.
“Kay ang problema ani mao gyud ang pag-maintain. So among plano, butangan og one-foot pipe number 2 sa punuan aron didto ipaagi ang tubig,” Gesta said.
(Because the problem for this is how to maintain it. So our plan, we would put a one-foot pipe number 2 at the foot of the tree so that it will there that water would be coursed through.)
The city is appealing to the public for donations of used pipes or other recyclable containers to help build this grassroots watering system.
250,000 trees for 250,000 votes
Archival first unveiled the tree-planting goal during the city’s World Environment Day celebration on June 5, citing it as a personal commitment and a tribute to the voters who supported him.
“Planting of trees is very close to my heart,” Archival said. “I won because of my 256,000-plus supporters—that’s why my goal is to plant 250,000 trees from now until the end of my term.”
The mayor-elect said the program would be implemented in phases, with the larger rollout targeted for August, the start of the rainy season.
In addition to private lands, the city also has five hectares of government-owned property in Barangay Guba, which will serve as another reforestation site.
One hectare can accommodate around 9,000 seedlings, depending on the terrain and species.
The project will be supported by agencies such as the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Metro Cebu Water District (MCWD), and the Department of Agriculture (DA). Archival’s office is also in talks with barangay captains and farmers to finalize more planting sites.
Long-term
Archival also announced plans to transition Cebu City to organic farming, but he said this would be a slow and progressive shift given the city’s current reliance on chemical-based inputs.
“There’s no organic ordinance yet, but we are working on it,” he said, adding that the city spends around P30 million a year on synthetic farm inputs.
He said that it would be unfair to impose organic-only practices without first providing farmers with the tools and support to make the shift.
While the 250,000 tree planting program is a symbolic gesture, Archival said it would also be a foundational effort toward building a greener, more sustainable Cebu City.
“This is not just about planting trees—it’s about building a future that grows long after our term ends,” he said.