By Memphis Raines T. Alcain

Volunteers during the “Bunga ng Kinabukasan” Tree-Planting Activity pose for a photo opportunity with barangay officials and local residents from Leganes.

On August 8, 2026, the organization Pugad Agila from the Senior High School Department, along with the SHS Peer Facilitators as volunteers, successfully conducted a tree-planting activity at the Leganes Daycare Center, Brgy. Poblacion, Leganes, Iloilo.

The project was first planned during a courtesy call with Venturer Scout Memphis Raines T. Alcain, Outfit Adviser of Outfit 346 – Christine Joyce A. Lacson, and Poblacion’s Punong Barangay, Honorable Paul Jaen Krafft, after two Centralian Scouts were recognized as awardees of the Bugal Sang Confesor – Ten Outstanding Senior Scouts of Iloilo Confesor.

Furthermore, after the discussion between Poblacion and Pugad Agila, they concluded to initiate a tree-planting activity involving Jackfruit (Langka) at the nearby Leganes Daycare Center, which would then provide fruit after 3-5 years of growth, reduce flooding and soil erosion around the area, and among other benefits, provide for the community.

The activity included registration and orientation of procedures before moving on to the proper planting session, where the volunteers, along with the locals, planted around the daycare center, and ended with a short discussion on Leganes’ geography and the significance of these kinds of initiatives for the community, the seedlings planted will then be taken care of by the locals of Barangay Poblacion and will be monitored from time to time to ensure their growth, progress, and that they are growing properly.

Projects such as this are common, yet they are one of those initiatives that not only empower the youth through community engagement but also serve as a vital contribution to our environment, especially in these times of calamities and weather; they prevent flooding and soil erosion, provide shade from the heat, or become a source of income as it provides nutritious, marketable resources.

The success of this project was made possible through the support of our Barangay Poblacion and Punong Barangay, Honorable Paul Jaen Krafft, for their utmost cooperation and for providing us with the tools and seedlings for the activity; our advisers present to supervise our safety; and our participants who volunteered to take steps in becoming agents of change.