MORE THAN A FANDOM: BTS ARMY Members Plant 1,500 Seedlings In Nueva Ecija

Filipino fans of the South Korean pop group BTS reached another milestone in celebration of their fandom after taking a dare from a random Twitter user, who wanted them to contribute in the global fight against climate change.

It started out as a simple weekend hike and tree planting activity among three friends and proud members of the ARMY (the official club name of BTS stans) that eventually led to the foundation of a tree park dedicated to their beloved Bangtan boys.

Elyssa Marie Reguyal Uy, 26, blazed the trail along with her friends – Krystine Nocum and Alyanna Andrea Sebastian – when they planted 10 banaba seedlings on Mount 387 in Carranglan, Nueva Ecija on June 26.

They called the area “BTS Tree Park” and posted about it on social media. Soon their initiative gained overwhelming support from their fellow ARMY online that, in just one week, around 1,500 tree seedlings were planted on the same hiking spot.

“I thought I would just be planting 10 trees with my friends Chin (Krystine) and Andie (Alyanna)—and just maybe around 10 to 20 trees with my other friends—but my post blew up like crazy. A thousand shares after three days. It felt so surreal," Uy told The Philippine STAR / OneNews.PH in an interview on June 30.

Assembling the ARMY to plant trees

Uy said she decided to embark on this project together with her friends on June 19 when some netizens started throwing homophobic slurs against the K-pop group over the rollout of the limited edition “BTS Meal” from McDonald’s on June 18.

One particular tweet caught her attention, which said: “If BTS sincerely asked their fans to plant trees, they could probably end global warming.” This made Uy wear her environmentalist hat and organize her fellow fans so they could take up the challenge.

Uy and her friends encouraged other Pinoy ARMY online to donate money for seedlings and for the maintenance of the BTS Tree Park. A seedling donation costs P5 while donors who wish to adopt a tree and name it after them or their favorite BTS member may pledge P200.

Days after the project was launched, she said they collected a total of P100,000, which was then used to buy seedlings and starter plants of banaba, narra, molave, and other Philippine native tree species.

Donations came from BTS stans in the country as well as other Filipinos based in Singapore, Canada and Dubai in United Arab Emirates. "Our long-term goal is to take care of the seedlings so the effort and the donations won't be put to waste," Uy said.

 But while others were supportive of what they achieved, Uy admitted they received negative feedback from some contrarians as well. She said there were people who quickly belittled their efforts and kept expressing hate for their favorite band, which she did not understand.

“It’s just sad na nakita lang na BTS, nakita lang na ARMY, nagagalit na agad sila (that just because it involved BTS and the ARMY, they get mad). May mga comment pa na ‘hala mamamatay din ‘yan puno na ‘yan. ‘Di naman agad tutubo ‘yan…’ (There were even comments that the trees will not grow and just die),” Uy revealed. 

“Ang sakit lang kasi ang hirap i-organize ’non na umakyat ka ng bundok, kukulitin mo mga tao (It hurts because it was not easy to organize that, to climb a mountain, and to goad others into action) to answer people’s questions,” she added.

 Long-term environmental project

According to the Haribon Foundation, a non-profit organization based in Quezon City that advocates biodiversity conservation, tree planting activities are integral to the process of forest restoration.

 Thaddeus Martinez, head of the Natural Resources Management Division of Haribon Foundation, said engaging communities in such projects not only brings people closer together, but also helps in sustaining natural resources for future use.

 “The aggressive chase for economic growth aggravated by rapid increase in population led to the massive exploitation of forest resources to meet the increasing demand for development, larger areas for agriculture, and urbanization,” Martinez said.

 He noted that if people do not support ongoing efforts to restore and protect our forests, experiences in dealing with environmental hazards such as floods, landslides, soil erosion, air pollution, and other calamities might only worsen.

 Uy is aware that maintaining the BTS Tree Park is a challenging task, since it normally takes a long time before this type of project can be brought to fruition. But she said they in the ARMY are willing to keep doing the work until they see it flourish.

 "Planting is like 20 percent of the job, and 80 percent is the nurturing, and waiting for the trees to grow. So I was, like, 'Why did I do this in the first place? It's so hard.' It's a long-term, five-to-seven-year project before it will bloom," Uy said.

 The fangirls intended to collaborate with more BTS stans in the country, so they could expand the project, but the COVID-19 pandemic kept their movements limited. They encouraged other fans to make their own groups instead and coordinate with them if they plan to visit Mount 387.

 Suitable seedlings for reforestation

 The BTS Tree Park founders credited Roy Manuzon, president of the hiking community at Mount 387 (also known as Mount Batong-Amat) for helping them find the perfect spot to plant their saplings.

Manuzon assisted the group in purchasing plant supplies and guided them in choosing which seedlings to cultivate. Uy said Manuzon advised them to not only plant banaba trees, but include other species for the reforestation effort, too.

Banaba is like the Philippines’ counterpart to the cherry blossoms of Japan. It blooms with vibrant purple flowers. Purple is the color symbolizing the bond shared between BTS and its ARMY. Dried banaba leaves are also used as an alternative medicine to treat diabetes.

“According to Sir Roy, the one who’s managing Mount 387, we should not plant monoculture or monospecies because it is not OK with the reforestation. We need to make it diverse or we should promote biodiversity in the area,” Uy said.

Haribon Foundation also recommends the planting of other native trees such as narra, kamagong, tibig, tipolo, malapapaya, and white lauan. Tree planting activities are highly encouraged during the onset of the wet season as seedlings rely on heavy rains to grow well.

“The suitable native species of trees can be identified at the specified location directly adjacent to the restoration sites. These are then grown in respective tree nurseries of the local communities until they reach the planting size and maturity,” Martinez said.

Meanwhile, all other forest restoration activities, including nursery seedling production, maintenance and protection of the previously planted trees, and continuous community coordination and organizing are done all throughout the year.

Reigniting domestic tourism in a post-pandemic world

With the BTS Tree Park, Uy and her friends are hopeful it can help gradually recover some tourism-related jobs on Mount 387 that were lost because of the ongoing pandemic. She said the area is not supported by public funds.

Manuzon and other residents living in Carranglan, who made the hiking route, were relying mostly on tourist donations to protect its environment. Since outdoor activities were prohibited during the height of tight coronavirus lockdowns, they had trouble managing the territory.

"Our project [is not only] for the beautification of the park, [but] to [help] increase tourism in the area [as well]… It will help the community and the people living here also, so it's not just [about] the trees and the environment, but the community as a whole," Uy said.

The group plans to conduct its second tree planting activity on the BTS Tree Park on July 18. Uy and her friends maintain an active Facebook page for this project where they post updates on their activities. Donation drives are also still progress to support this cause.

In a July 1 Facebook post, the group said its planting activities are legal by virtue of a 15-year memorandum of agreement between the Mount 387 management, the Department of Environment of Natural Resources, and the Protected Area Management Board-Talavera Watershed Board.