ILOILO City – Seeing the potential of Panay Island to grow healthy bamboos, Department of Environment and Natural Resources secretary Roy Cimatu proposed the possibility of making the island as the country’s bamboo capital.
“We will adopt the latest technology in producing lumber and timber out of bamboo stands. This can usher inclusive development in the island and provide income and livelihood not only to the marginal farmers, but also to promote Panay as the country’s bamboo capital,” Cimatu said during the National Convergence Iniative for Sustainable Rural Development here.
Cimatu opted to pursue bamboo plantation in which the National Greening Program (NGP) is being implemented.
He saw its potential of mitigating the impacts of climate change in which bamboo forests serve as carbon sink while producing oxygen as well.
Its environmental benefits include being a natural controller of soil erosion, regulate water levels in watersheds, conserve biodiversity and beautify the landscape.
DENR Region 6 director Francisco Milla Jr. conceptualized the following activities as an initiative in achieving this goal: conduct a region-wide validation for potential sites for Bamboo Plantation, establish pilot nurseries for bamboo, conduct capability building, including cross visit to expose the participants on bamboo industries existing plantations, and to identify potential sites for bamboo processing plant for engineered bamboo products.
Amid this, the region will host the 5-day 1st Association of Southeast Asian Nations Bamboo Congress for Climate Change Adaptation towards Environmental Sustainability and Economic Resiliency here on Aug. 12 to 16.
The activity aims to provide an international forum for the exchange of information and updates among researchers, academe, policy makers, private and public individuals on bamboo and sustainable environmental strategies within the ASEAN region.
DENR-Ecosystems Research and Development Bureau will spearhead the activity, expecting local, national and international participants.
“This Bamboo Congress is timely for the instruction of Secretary Cimatu to make the Panay Island the Bamboo Capital of the Philippines. This will help the people to further enhance and expand their knowledge on what are the benefits the bamboo will give us aside from being one of the oxygen-givers in this planet,” Milla said.
One of Cimatu’s ten-point agenda is the Enhanced NGP which not only focuses on the environment, but also generates livelihood programs for those involved, boosting the country’s economy by means of selling local products.(With a report from DENR6/PN)
