THE Provincial Enterprise Development and Investment Center (Pedic) of Negros Occidental lauded the proposed measure aimed to further strengthen the country’s bamboo industry, which is seen to complement the province’s development initiatives.
Pending before the House committee on agriculture and food, the Philippine Bamboo Industry Development Act of 2016 also known as House Bill 3357, aims to promote the rapid, steady, and continuous integrated development and growth of the industry.
Engineer Jose Maria Amugod, project development officer III, said Monday that bamboo is one of the province’s top priority commodities thus, measures to develop the sector are already being implemented.
Through the Provincial Bamboo Industry Development Program, Negros Occidental is currently in the process of establishing the bamboo innovation center at the Panaad Park and Stadium in Barangay Mansilingan here.
The Provincial Government has also established a bamboo nursery and treatment facility beside the Negros First Rice Processing Center in Barangay Tabunan, Bago City.
Amugod said the nursery houses 3,000 bamboo propagules targeted to produce about 12, 000 seedlings for distribution to local farmers next year.
“It is very timely that the national officials are also taking steps for the development of bamboo industry which the province has already started on its level,” Amugod said, adding that the legislation is seen to impact positively Negros Occidental by augmenting the provincial government’s initiatives.
Authored by Deputy Speaker Sharon Garin, representative of AAMBIS-OWA party-list, the bill aims to formulate a framework for development which will encompass site identification, scientific propagation and development, production support, and quality assurance for health and proper trading, among others.
It mandates the Department of Education to procure at least 25 percent of its annual school desk and armchair requirements for public elementary and secondary schools nationwide with the use of local bamboo.
For the Department of Labor and Employment, the bill also directs the implementation of bamboo livelihood programs.
“Despite its versatility, economic potentials, and environmental contributions, bamboo remains to be one of the underdeveloped industries in the country,” Garin said, adding that to fully harness its immense potential, the binding constraints to the industry’s growth and development need to be addressed.
Moreover, Pedic also expressed hopes that if the bill will be passed into law, the national government will recognize the potential as well as the need of Negros Occidental especially in terms of improving bamboo production.
To further develop the industry, Amugod said the province should still work on improving the availability of raw materials supply.
“We will continue to concentrate on supply production propagation, which will be paralleled to various product development interventions of other agencies,” he added. (EPN with reports from PNA)