In a workshop initiated by the Laguna Provincial Office of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), the local governments of Siniloan, Nagcarlan, Lumban, Rizal, Famy, Magdalena, Calauan, and entrepreneurs, representatives of national government agencies and experts met to assess the province’s bamboo industry.
Marilou Quinco-Toledo, DTI Calabarzon Regional Director, provided background information and motivated participants to actively share their part in the development of the bamboo industry as it is hoped to significantly contribute to the economy by providing livelihood and employment to many sectors including local governments.
The province of Laguna is identified by the DTI to be the pilot area in Calabarzon for the bamboo development project.
The Philippine Bamboo Industry Development Council (PBIDC), as discussed by DTI Central Luzon regional director Blesila Blantayona, is created under Executive Order No. 879 which provides to promote the bamboo industry development project and direct the use of bamboo for at least 25 percent of the desk and other furniture requirements of public elementary and secondary schools. PBIDC is also mandated to promote the use of bamboo in furniture, fixtures and other construction requirements of government facilities.
Need for massive planting
Currently, there are only 40,000 hectares of land planted with bamboo in the country out of the estimated 200,000 hectares of bamboo plantation required to meet local demand.
“The industry is in the very scarce level of supply thus there is need for massive planting of bamboo, and even public lands are eyed to be tapped for planting”, added Director Lantayona of DTI Central Luzon.
The DENR on its part is tasked to reforest at least 500,000 hectares with bamboo which is the Philippines’ commitment of contribution to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) commitment of 20 million hectares of new forest by 2020.
The bamboo, with its myriads of uses, is in high demand yet supply is very low.
“Farmers and entrepreneurs must be shown and encouraged that bamboo and other bamboo-based products are selling and making money, thus they would be motivated to produce bamboo. Today’s cost of bamboo is very high; it’s a seller’s market”, said Myrna Bituin of Betis Crafts, as she emphasized the bamboo supply and replenishment concept.
“Under EO 879, the Department of Education (DepEd) will procure the equivalent of at least 25 percent of the annual school desks and armchairs requirements of all public elementary and secondary schools nationwide which are made of bamboo.
“The bamboo industry already has its demand waiting to be served, referring to the DepEd, an institutional market procuring bamboo-made desks and armchairs equivalent to 25% of the amount total desk requirements which is in several millions of pesos annually”, declared Director Lantayona.
Frank Bonoan, executive director of the Cottage Industrial Technology Center of the DTI, showed prototypes of desks and archairs and elaborated on the advantages of engineered bamboo ? or the’e-bamboo’ – in furniture-making and as basic construction components such as planks, pillars and floor tiles/parquet.
“Therefore, aside from the DepEd, the Department of Public Works and Highways would be another big institutional market requiring’engineered bamboo’ for the construction of public schools and other government facilities”, added Director Bonoan.
Business development model
The bamboo development framework has three components: propagation, business development and disaster risk management/mitigation.
Propagation involves the production of planting materials, nurseries and growing plantations which could be a big business opportunity.
Business development entails the establishment of nodes and hubs in which nodes will be the initial processors of bamboo into slats and hubs as production or manufacturing centers in which bamboo materials are made into its intended final product.
Bamboo on disaster risk mitigation
As a center of economic and industrial development, Calabarzon’s environment is prone to deterioration and degradation.
“There is now heavy sedimentation in Laguna de Bay due to erosion”, stressed Jose Cariño of the Laguna Lake Development Authority when he spoke of the need to reforest the 3,600-sq. km watershed around the Laguna Lake with bamboo.
“In China, bamboo proved effective in protecting watersheds, riverbanks and hill slopes against soil erosion. Moreover, a hectare of bamboo plantation, if properly managed, will sequester 12 tons of carbon monoxide in a year”, added Cariño.
Prompted by the his experience during typhoon Ondoy, Mayor Aurelio of the municipality of Rizal made said that there is an immediate need to reforest the highland municipality with bamboo. The flooding of the lowland municipalities was due to the lack of forest cover in the highlands that were supposed to arrest the flooding.
“As an incentive, we will give out quantities of rice for every bamboo planted; on the other hand, we immediately need the right quantity of bamboo seedlings for our reforestation project”, declared Mayor Aurelio.
Cariño also cited bamboo for landscaping as showcased in posh Nuvali and Eton City, both high-end residential, business and commercial communities in Laguna.
Advocacy
The PBIF advocates on cooperation and working together of stakeholders for the advancement of the bamboo industry. It is also grants training on bamboo culture and production and echoes the utilization of bamboo as a sustainable environmental protection.
“The Chinese bamboo industry is far way advanced such that they have already found success in using bamboo into garments, towels, soap and cosmetics”, said Romualdo Sta. Ana, president of the Philippine Bamboo Industry Foundation (PBIF).
Dr. Celso Lantican of the Bamboo Network of the Philippines (BambooPhil) – an organization composed of Filipino bamboo scientists, advocates and entrepreneurs – visions a strong and cohesive network working actively for livelihood generation, environmental protection and industrial development using bamboo.
He introduced bamboo carpentry in support of the bamboo industry and as a craft for livelihood as well.
Action plan
At the latter part, DTI Laguna provincial director Susan Palo led the workshop to draft action plans and roles of the respective stakeholders.
It was decided that an assessment and survey of existing plantations and supply of bamboo be made throughout the province including in adjacent areas then identify processing nodes and manufacturing hubs.
Among those identified as hubs are the ABS-CBN Bayan Foundation – Bayan ni Juan resettlement center in Calauan, Laguna; and an existing yet unoperational bamboo processing facility also in Calauan.
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