On May 16, 2026, 19 members of the Asian Institute of Management’s iMBA 2026 cohort traded their classrooms for a carbon forest and came back with dirt on their hands and something harder to wash off: perspective.
In partnership with Earth Recovery Action Inc. (ERA) and the Karahume Dumagat indigenous community, the cohort spent the day at the SJDM Carbon Forest in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan. By the end of it, 200 native tree seedlings had been planted, each one a small but deliberate act of care for the land and the communities who depend on it.
A Day of Purposeful Work
From the moment the cohort arrived, the energy was hard to miss. Armed with tools and guided by members of the Karahume Dumagat community, the volunteers got straight to work: mulching, watering, and nurturing seedlings under the morning sun. These were tasks that were new to most of them, but no one held back. There were no spectators. Everyone worked.
The Dumagat community served not just as guides but as teachers, sharing knowledge of the land that goes far deeper than anything a business school curriculum could offer. For many in the cohort, this was the part of the day that stayed with them. Sustainability stopped being a concept and became something real: a specific forest, a specific community, and a responsibility that does not wait for graduation.
Leadership Beyond the Boardroom
The activity was organized entirely by the cohort. The cohort personally took on the work of securing sponsorships to fund the event, with no institutional budget to fall back on. Just the belief that business leaders should start leading now, not later.
The support extended by the Alumni Association of the Asian Institute of Management made the day possible, and the cohort felt it. Beyond the funding, it was a gesture that told 19 students out in a forest that the broader AIM community was paying attention and that it cared.
200 Seedlings. One Clear Message.
Two hundred seedlings is a modest number in the larger fight for environmental restoration. But it is also 200 reasons to come back, 200 small commitments made by people who are still students but already thinking like leaders. Each one planted with the understanding that good management does not only create value. It protects it.
The iMBA 2026 cohort extends its sincerest gratitude to the AIM Alumni Association, Earth Recovery Action Inc., and the Karahume Dumagat community for making this day possible. The forest will grow. So will we.
“As we move towards becoming the industry leaders that will shape our respective countries, our cohort remembers to contribute to greater causes outside of the classroom setting. I’m proud to say that everyone in our cohort shares the same values and qualities that represent the ideal AIM alumni. I know that we will all continue to do good work beyond our time as students and I look forward to hearing the individual successes that every one of us will achieve in the near future.”
Cris Robert Raymundo, iMBA 2026 Cohort President
