Tuesday, December 18, 2007 Pampanga Bamboo Council to be created next year
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO -- The Pampanga Agricultural College (PAC) is set to house the five centers of excellence for the bamboo program in the province while the first Pampanga Bamboo Council (PBC) will be organized on January 2008.
Renato Tayag Jr., president of the Advocacy for the Development of Central Luzon (ADCL), said the council will be composed of Provincial Board's committee chairs on environment and agriculture, Vice Governor Joseller Guiao, provincial agriculturist Mar Mangiliman, representatives of the Bamboo Foundation of the Philippines (BFP), ADCL, Rotary Clubs of Metro Clark and Magalang, the PAC led by Honorio Soriano and other local government units (LGUs).
Tayag said with the concerted efforts of the local government, PAC and the non-government organizations, the council will draw a comprehensive plan for the propagation, manufacturing and marketing of bamboo in Pampanga.
Last September, the ADCL and the BFP conducted a joint presentation at the Provincial Board on the importance and benefits of bamboo as evident in the experience of China.
Bamboo advocate Ed Manda said China has been earning billions of dollars by exporting bamboo shoots and other bamboo products to United States and other parts of the world.
Aside from its importance as the number one "sequestrator" of carbon dioxide to fight global warming and natural protection against soil erosion, bamboo is also a very good source of food and commercial products such as lumber, floor tiles, paper, garment, beverages, cosmetics, novelty items, artworks and food supplements or extenders.
Tayag said Soriano already drafted a proposed organizational structure of the PBC, which will be approved on January after the necessary deliberations.
Soriano adopted the structure recommended by the BFP with few additions. The council will have five centers of excellence that will directly manage and oversee the bamboo program.
These are the Bamboo Plantation Development and Management Center, Bamboo Technology and Livelihood Development Center, Bamboo Trading and Distribution Center, Bamboo Development Fund, and the Promotional Information System and Documentation Center.
Both the public and private sectors will have specific tasks in conceptualizing, monitoring and evaluating the programs as well as the performances of these centers of excellence.
Tayag said the bamboo program is expected to directly benefit many Kapampangans because of its feasibility.
"We have thousands of hectares of land available for bamboo propagation. Bamboo is easy to plant and culture. It is also beneficial to environmental protection while the market for bamboo products is available and wide. We foresee a very good future for the program. With the help of the national government, our local leaders and the non government organizations, we can build a stronger bamboo industry that would generate income and employment for our people," Tayag said. (MHD)
