At least 500 Lopez Group employees, family members and friends attended the HR Council-Lopez Lifelong Wellness Walk the Talk (WTT) held at Makiling Botanic Gardens (MBG) within the University of the Philippines Los Baños campus on April 22.

​

MBG was built in September 1965 to support professional instruction and research related to forestry and plant sciences. It serves the needs of ecotourism as well as the educational and recreational needs of the general public. It is part of the Mt. Makiling Forest Reserve (MMFR), which is an ASEAN Heritage Park.

​

Sponsored by Energy Development Corporation (EDC), Lopez Holdings Corporation and OML Center, the WTT began with EDC’s JP Tiglao delivering the invocation.  Jun Dumlao of EDC led the recitation of the Lopez Credo and Values, while OML Center executive director Marianne Quebral welcomed the participants to the event.

 

Dr. Rogelio Andrada, head of MBG and deputy director of Makiling Center for Mountain Ecosystem or MCME, offered an introduction of MBG and MMFR. This was followed by a report on different ecotourism sites courtesy of ABS-CBN Lingkod Kapamilya Foundation Inc.’s Pirkko Alcantara.

​

First Balfour’s Anchel Cruz discussed the usage of ecobricks, plastic bottles that are filled with nonbiological waste to create reusable building blocks. The birthday celebrants for the month of April were then recognized.

​

Serving as the day’s emcee was OML Center’s Marianna Vargas.

 

To warm up the participants, Trini Trinidad of the Rockwell Club took them through a stretching and exercise routine.

​

Before tackling the four-kilometer trail, everyone listened to the safety briefing given by August Villalon from the EDC Emergency Preparedness Disaster Response Unit.