A Bulacan congressman champions the propagation of bamboo particularly in his province to help protect the Ipo Dam watershed.
Bulacan Rep. Salvador Pleyto spearheaded the holding of a multi-sector Bamboo Summit right within the Ipo Dam complex in Norzagaray town early this week which served as the launch pad of his bamboo greening program.
Pleyto, a retired undersecretary of the Department of Public Works and Highways, said stakeholders from the private and public sector, along with non-government representatives, specifically the Philippine Bamboo Foundation, attended the conference.
Pleyto, in a statement, said the convention was the first step towards his initiative to plant bamboo inside the watershed of Ipo Dam “to sustain the water capacity of the dam and, at the same time, a response to the challenge of climate change.”
He stressed the need to promote the propagation of bamboo, as well as its environmental benefits.
“By planting bamboo, we can create income opportunities and provide livelihood to the residents, especially to the minorities in Norzagaray, Bulacan. We can help and support the residents in our district through the planting of bamboo trees and patronage of the products made from them),’’ Pleyto said.
He added that bamboo propagation is in addition to the call of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to plant trees in the mountainous areas as deterrent to landslides or soil erosion and flooding at the lowlands due to overflowing of waterways and runoff water during heavy downpour.
He also said that the indigenous peoples (IPs) residing in the area would be tapped to manage the bamboo farms which would subsequently provide them with additional source of livelihood through the production of bamboo craft.
“We will teach them how to do the planting and growing of bamboo and to produce bamboo craft like furniture, placemats, coasters, toys, wind chimes, lamps and others,” said Pleyto.
Eventually, he added that when the bamboos would be fully developed, the area would then be developed in coordination with the Department of Tourism and the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA), a government agency mandated to developed areas with potentials as tourist destination.
Local bamboo growing enthusiasts will also visit and learn the technology in bamboo production, Pleyto said.
Ed Manda, president of the Philippine Bamboo Foundation, expressed full support to Pleyto’s initiative.
During the summit, Manda met with the IPs and discussed with them bamboo forest management, as well as the livelihood opportunities that would result from bamboo growing.
The Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System, the Bulacan provincial government, and concerned government agencies also expressed for Pleyto’s greening program utilizing bamboo as a sustainable alternative to trees in the
reforestation program of the government.