In these environmentally challenging times, art can help spread awareness by being a tool of information, education, and community engagement. This is the concept behind the PLDT-Smart Gabay Kalikasan “SmART for Nature” mural showcased throughout the exterior of PLDT’s Makati General Office.
Renowned muralist AG Saño led the team of employee volunteers from the publicly listed digital services company and its subsidiaries to paint over 3,000 square feet of plant species and animal life throughout the headquarter’s Legazpi frontage, Dela Rosa walkway, and Gallardo back entrance.
An artist and environmentalist, Saño designed the mural after having been exposed to field research and community empowerment through environment education and arts for almost two decades. “Having seen firsthand the degradation of different ecosystems and witnessing the rise of problems involving climate change, I’ve realized that the creatures that comprise nature have become extremely vulnerable,” he said.
“Since their natural defense mechanisms are not enough to protect them from the dangers that humans that created, the armors that cover the animals throughout the ‘SmART for Nature’ mural symbolize the need for more protection,” Saño explained.
Representing the environmental stewardship pillar of PLDT-Smart’s newly established Sustainability Office, Gabay Kalikasan upholds the concept behind Saño’s creation and encourages the public to make better choices for tomorrow. As sustainability is synonymous to survival, including conforming with nature and understanding its limits, better environmental practices are crucial to sustain the services that nature provides us.
The mural also features the statements #SaveOurHome, #SmartPlanet, and #SustainableEnterprise — referring to PLDT Group’s various business units.
“PLDT and Smart go beyond business,” said PLDT-Smart chief sustainability officer Chaye Cabal-Revilla, who is also PLDT’s SVP and controller and Smart’s chief financial officer. “Caring for our environment is as equally important as taking care of our people and hitting our profit targets.”
“The impact of climate change affects everyone pervasively. This includes our safety, our health, our existence, hence the need to raise environmental awareness through the mural,” Cabal-Revilla added.
