BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya—A bamboo propagation project by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the International River Foundation, and OceanaGold Philippines Inc. is expected to rejuvenate the province’s rivers and tributaries.
The Bamboo Propagation Project, which is initially focused in Barangay Didipio in Kasibu town, is expected to improve the quality of rivers and creeks from erosion and siltation brought about by human activities, said Abdula Bansuan, IRF-Philippines senior advisor.
He said the project has been piloted in Didipio, being the coverage area of OceanaGold, which will provide the needed bamboo seedlings.
Bansuan said the partnership agreement between the groups is being implemented from 2016 to 2017.
Under the agreement, OGPI supplies the planting materials, IRF markets the produce, and the DENR provides technical assistance and supervises the project implementation.
“We will be involved in identifying areas to be planted with ‘Bayug’ bamboo species, so there will be a series of consultations with the affected villagers,” said Constante Espiritu, acting provincial environment and natural resources officer.
He said villagers near rivers and creeks in Didipio will be encouraged to plant bamboos along the riverbanks in a bid to protect their waterways.
Espiritu said the local government unit of Kasibu has been tapped as one of their partners to strengthen the villagers’ support of the project.
The project is envisioned to help the villagers’ livelihood, since they will be tapped to produce more bamboo for national and international markets.
The demand for quality bamboo products is strong in the United States, Japan, and China, among others. Bamboo is used as floor tiles and other decorative household items.
“We lack factories and plantations in our country. If this project becomes successful in its first stage, we will be expanding the project to other areas,” Espiritu said.
Villagers will earn from the project because of the huge demand for bamboo, and its potential as quality raw material for fixtures and other household items, he said. The villagers will be organized by the barangays concerned, so that their marketing of bamboo products “will be systematic and orderly.”
The BPP’s introduction came as a perceived treatment for the rivers and creeks in Nueva Vizcaya, which contribute to the Addalam River that provides water for irrigation to farmers in Quirino and Isabela provinces.
But Bansuan said IRF-Philippines noted the rivers and creeks in Didipio are classified as a Class D, or not suitable for bathing and for domestic purposes. This was the result of an examination conducted by the DENR-Environment Management Bureau in 2010.
The villagers’ involvement in the massive planting of bamboo near creeks and rivers is only one of the solutions to the problem.
Espiritu said they will also tap secondary schools in eastern Nueva Vizcaya to be taught with water science.
“In this way, they will become responsible citizens on river protection, management and use especially because Nueva Vizcaya serves as the watershed of Cagayan Valley,” he added.
