By: Delaila Irma T. Calindas, Project Technical Staff II

The Commission on Higher Education – Cordillera Administrative Region (CHED-CAR), through its UniFAST Unit, participated in the Project SAGIP implementation of the University of the Cordilleras (UC) for Academic Year 2025-2026 on June 17–18, 2026, at the Busol Watershed in Baguio City.

The two-day tree-planting activity gathered 74 participants, including 56 beneficiaries of the Tertiary Education Subsidy (TES) and the Tulong-Dunong Program (TDP), who successfully planted 150 Benguet Pine seedlings in support of environmental conservation and sustainable development efforts in the region.

Organized by the Student Affairs Services – Student Development and Welfare Center of UC, the initiative was also attended by UniFAST Unit Regional Coordinators Ana Grace Salibad, Vanessa Langpaoen, Danielle Galong, and Lemuel Refuerzo.

Project SAGIP (Scholars and Grant-in-Aid Beneficiaries Action in Greening Initiative Program) is a regional flagship initiative designed to cultivate environmental awareness, responsibility, and active community engagement among scholarship and grant recipients. Through the program, every student-grantee is encouraged to plant at least one indigenous or fruit-bearing tree annually throughout the duration of their scholarship or grant.

More than a tree-planting activity, Project SAGIP highlights the vital role of student-grantees as partners in nation-building. It reinforces the idea that beneficiaries of government educational assistance are not only recipients of support but also active contributors to environmental protection and community development.

Since its launch in 2022, UAQTEA grantees across the Cordillera Administrative Region have planted a total of 18,161 seedlings, demonstrating the growing impact of the program in promoting ecological sustainability and collective action.

Through collaborative initiatives such as Project SAGIP, CHED-CAR and the University of the Cordilleras continue to nurture future professionals who are not only academically competent but also socially conscious, environmentally responsible, and committed to creating a greener and more sustainable future for generations to come.