Total Recyclables Collected: 327, 656 kilos
PZC-Eco Kolek Joins Puerto Princesa's Pista 'Y Ang Cagueban, Plants Trees for a Greener Future
Puerto Princesa City, Palawan — The Project Zacchaeus Marketing Cooperative (PZC) - Eco Kolek Program joined local government units, fellow organizations, and community volunteers in this year's Pista 'Y Ang Cagueban, held on June 27 in Barangay Montible, Puerto Princesa City. Representing PZC-Eco Kolek were its staff members alongside a delegation of Eco Warriors, who joined thousands of participants from various sectors in the city's annual environmental festival.
Mitchell Gimena
Puerto Princesa City, Palawan — The Project Zacchaeus Marketing Cooperative (PZC) - Eco Kolek Program joined local government units, fellow organizations, and community volunteers in this year's Pista 'Y Ang Cagueban, held on June 27 in Barangay Montible, Puerto Princesa City. Representing PZC-Eco Kolek were its staff members alongside a delegation of Eco Warriors, who joined thousands of participants from various sectors in the city's annual environmental festival.
Known as the Feast of the Forest, Pista 'Y Ang Cagueban takes its name from the Cuyonon word for "forest" and has served as Puerto Princesa's signature reforestation tradition since 1991. Held every June in celebration of Environment Month, the festival has, over more than three decades, mobilized thousands of volunteers annually and contributed to the planting of millions of trees across the city, helping preserve biodiversity, protect watersheds, and uphold Puerto Princesa's identity as a "City in a Forest."
This year's celebration saw approximately 10,000 seedlings representing 43 species of forest and fruit-bearing trees planted in designated reforestation areas, including Amugis, Banaba, Malakatmon, Matang Ulang, Mountain Agoho, Narra, Mulawin, Sampaloc, Santol, and Star Apple. The PZC-Eco Kolek delegation, together with Eco Warriors led by Mr. CastroNuevo, took part in the planting activity as part of the city's ongoing efforts to expand forest cover and safeguard its watersheds.
In his message to participants, Mayor Lucilo R. Bayron expressed his gratitude to everyone who took part in the tree-planting tradition, emphasizing that Pista 'Y Ang Cagueban is more than a yearly custom — it is a long-term investment in the environment and in future generations of Puerto Princesans.
For PZC-Eco Kolek, the celebration was an opportunity to reaffirm its solidarity with the broader movement for environmental conservation in Palawan. "Together, we plant not only trees but also hope for a greener, healthier, and more sustainable future," the organization noted in its participation in the event.
The activity was carried out through the cooperation of government agencies, private organizations, and community volunteers, with teamwork and coordination contributing to its smooth and successful implementation. Beyond the act of planting, the celebration strengthened community partnerships and reinforced public awareness of the shared responsibility to protect Palawan's forests, biodiversity, and water resources.
Through its continued participation in initiatives such as Pista 'Y Ang Cagueban, PZC-Eco Kolek reaffirms its commitment to environmental stewardship and its partnership with the City of Puerto Princesa in building a greener, more sustainable future for all.
