Yokohama PH protects environment, combats malnutrition

• Source: http://www.sunstar.com.ph/pampanga/local-news/2017/12/09/yokohama-ph-protects-environment-combats-malnutrition-579004
• Sunday, December 10, 2017

By Astrud Q. Aguinaldo

ANGELES CITY – In an effort to combat malnutrition among children, employee-volunteers of a tire manufacturer in Clark Freeport implemented a 60-day feeding program in an Aeta Community here.

Serving healthy meal to 60 malnourished students of Sitio Target Extension School in Barangay Sapang Bato, in this city, the program started last September 7 according to Reynante Legion, manager environmental section of Yokohama Tire Philippines Inc. (YTPI).

Chicken soup, plantain and a glass of milk were served to elementary school undernourished students in Sitio Target here. Weekly monitoring of weight of the beneficiaries was done to ensure the effectiveness of the said program.

Undernourished children according to the City Nutrition Office are those who are small in built for their actual height, thus, needs proper nourishment for proper development.

To date, Sitio Target Extension School is the sixth school benefitted from YTPI’s feeding program that has started since 2012.

On the same day after the feeding program, YTPI employee-volunteers on have inspected the 500 seedlings that were planted here last November 3. It was the company’s first ever expansion of Yokohama Forever Forest (FF) Project.

Launched in 2007, the FF Project aims to place half million seedlings at the company’s 18 facilities worldwide.

YTPI in cooperation with Task Force One Million Trees Project Head and City Environment and Natural Resources Office (Cenro) representative Ederlinda Valencia planted fruit bearing trees in Sitio Target.

“This is one way to promote sustainable development in clean water, climate action and life on land,” said Legion.

Last year, the company has completed the FF Project inside YTPI’s perimeter that lasted for nine years.

Since its inception in 2007, YTPI has been able to plant over 40,000 trees from more than 40 native tree varieties like Narra, Balacat, Antipolo, Kalumpit, Molave, Kamantog, Kupang, Alibangbang, among others.