A Women’s Month message from the San Cristobal Farmers Association

This Women’s Month for March 2026, we highlight the leaders at the forefront of forest restoration. 

The San Cristobal Farmers Association (SCFA) has long been a partner in the effort to restore forests on Mts. Banahaw-San Cristobal. The mountains sit within the boundaries of Quezon and Laguna provinces, and are also part of a Protected Area called the Mts. Banahaw-San Cristobal Protected Landscape or MBSCPL.

The SCFA are more than just farmers of food. They manage tree nurseries, monitor planted trees, and act as guardians of these vital forest watersheds. 

Today, they share a message in Filipino, led by their president, Maricar A. Urriza:

“Nagdiriwang kami ngayong Buwan ng Kababaihan sapagkat sa mahabang panahon ng paglalakbay, pagmumulat at pagharap sa iba’t ibang uri ng hamon at pagtugon, ang mga kababaihang magsasaka ay mas lalong nagiging matatag at mapagbantay para sa proteksyon ng aming bundok San Cristobal-Banahaw.

Pagdiriwang sapagkat nabigyan kami ng pagkakataon na maging bahagi ng Forests for Life ng Haribon Foundation upang mas mapangalagaan ang kabundukan.

At dahil nga ang aming mga buhay, pamilya at kabuhayan ay nakaugat sa lupa, nakadepende kami sa malinis na bukal ng tubig para sa aming inumin at patak ng ulan para sa aming mga tanim sa sikat ng araw at sariwang hangin.

Kaalinsabay ng pagdiriwang na ito kami ay nananawagan sa ating mga leaders para sa seryosong implementasyon ng batas para sa tunay na pangangalaga ng ating kalikasan.”

Translation:

“We celebrate this Women’s Month because throughout our long journey of awareness and responding to different challenges, we women farmers have become stronger and more vigilant regarding the protection of our Mts. San Cristobal-Banahaw.

We also celebrate because of our part in the Forests For Life Movement of Haribon, so we can further protect the mountains. And because our lives, families, and livelihoods are rooted in the earth, we depend on clean springs of water for our drinking and rain for our plants in the sunlight and fresh air.

In conjunction with this celebration, we call on our leaders for proper implementation of law, for actual protection of our environment.”

A sacred site and volcano

Mts. Banahaw-San Cristobal is also a pilgrimage site, and home to endemic species such as the Red-crested Malkoha Dasylophus superciliosus. Mt. Banahaw itself is an active volcano that rises more than 2,000 meters.

Protecting this area involves rainforestation, which focuses on using native tree species rather than exotic ones to restore the natural ecosystem.

Haribon works with the SCFA in the Forests for Life Movement. The Movement is our flagship forest restoration initiative, bringing together people from all walks of life to restore the country’s forests.

When the mountain’s forests are healthy, the springs remain clean and the local climate stays balanced for their crops.

Support the Forests For Life Movement

Beyond the work of rainforestation, the SCFA is vocal about environmental governance. Their message serves as a reminder that conservation is not just about planting – it is about the sustained implementation of environmental laws to protect communities who live and work in and around forest watersheds in the country.

JOIN THE MOVEMENT