The Senate has strongly supported the passage of the “Kawayan Act,” with bamboo as having the potential to contribute $3.5 billion to the economy and strengthen the country’s pollution control under its Sustainable Development Goal commitments.
The Senate bill, or an “Act Institutionalizing the Bamboo Industry in the Philippines and Appropriating Funds Therefor” has been broadly supported in the Senate.
An official legislative statement indicated Senator Mark A. Villar’s speech has been “overwhelmingly supported by the Senate having been co-sponsored by multiple senators, including Senate President Migz Zubiri who is one of the co-authors and co-sponsors of the bill.
Villar, chairman of the Senate Committee for Trade, Commerce and Entrepreneurship. led sponsorship of the bill.
Villar cited multiple economic potentials and environmental values of the bamboo industry including its global trade value that is expected to reach $88.43 billion by 2030 among others.
The bamboo industry is also expected to contribute $3.5 billion to the Philippine economy. He also stressed the efficient pollution control capacity of bamboo as it releases 38 percent more oxygen than trees and sequesters 12 to 17 tons of carbon dioxide per hectare.
The Kawayan Act seeks to institutionalize the Philippine Bamboo Industry Development Council (PBIDC), which was created by Executive Order 879, to serve as the central body for overall policy and program direction for all bamboo stakeholders. The council is also mandated to formulate and implement the Philippine Bamboo Industry Development Roadmap.