The government is embarking on a flagship multi-billion-peso “Bamboo Villages” program that seeks to uplift the poor and indigenous people (IP) still residing in ancestral lands while generating foreign exchange from the global bamboo market that could grow to a $90 billion industry by 2030.
“The program will use bamboo as a climate change mitigation tool. President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. himself cited during the United Nations General Assembly that the climate challenge is a major policy goal of his administration,” said newly-appointed Department of Agriculture Undersecretary Deogracias Victor B. Savellano.
Meanwhile, President Marcos and the Private Sector Advisory Council’s (PSAC) Job Sector Group have discussed several initiatives aimed at generating more than 2 million direct jobs by 2028.
In a fourth meeting convened by Marcos at the Palace on Thursday, the PSAC – Job Sector Group presented its proposed actions and recommendations that could help create more employment opportunities for Filipinos.
The “Buong Bansa Magtanim (BBM) ng Kawayan” program aims to create livelihoods in the countryside.
Savellano has been leading consultations on the concept of Bamboo
Villages, which he has been pushing for as an inclusive, community-based approach to job creation and agricultural development.
“With bamboo growing abundantly in the Philippines, we can tap a rich economic resource if we only have a national program to develop it as an industry as what our neighbors have already invested in,” Savellano said.
A week ago, the DA undersecretary led a consultation in Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon on proposed legislation allocating 5 percent of the budget of various government agencies for bamboo propagation.
He noted that an institutionalized bamboo program will be needed to consolidate different government programs on bamboo that are now scattered across agencies.
“We need to harmonize our programs that are now uncoordinated. We need to obtain the cooperation of each individual and harness all economic resources to attract private sector investment in bamboo,” Savellano said.
Bamboo bills filed in Congress, primarily Senate Bill 605 and House Bill 7941, have provided for a P100 million budget for the institutionalization of the Philippine Bamboo Industry Development Program.
While P100 million yearly may be a heavy yearly budget for the government, Senator Nancy Binay said the legislature should review the huge economic potential offered by bamboo as against costs.
With bamboo’s “strong like steel, tough like concrete, beautiful as hardwood,” bamboo should be included as a certified material in the Building Code, Savellano said.
He noted that bamboo has become a raw material for a wide range of products including lumber as an alternative to hardwood for beams, engineered wood and tiles, textiles, carbon composites for windmill turbine blades, large-diameter water pipes and sewage mains, and bamboo pellets to replace coal in power generation.
A local miner said bamboo can generate $3.5 billion in revenue per year, equivalent to the revenue from the Philippine mining sector “The Philippines has 3.75 million hectares of idle land waiting to be developed. If only 400,000 hectares are developed for bamboo which is equivalent to 10 percent of China’s 4.2 million hectares, the Philippines can earn $3.5 billion yearly,” he said.
Mr. Marcos, during the PSAC meeting, was briefed about the proposed roadmap of PSAC and the IT and Business Process Association Philippines (IBPAP) to transform the Philippines into “a global leader in the digital domain.”
Under the proposed roadmap, the targeted approach is envisioned to open 1 million additional Information Technology and Business Process Management (IT-BPM) jobs by 2028 and a total of 2.5 million employment opportunities, the PSAC said in a news release.
“These positions will, in turn, stimulate the generation of at least 550,000 new IT-BPM jobs in the countryside and 6.3 million indirect job opportunities across various industries, such as food, logistics, real estate, retail, and transportation. The ripple effect of this initiative is expected to significantly contribute to the nation’s economic development,” PSAC said.
Citing IBPAP figures, PSAC lead convenor and Aboitiz Group president and chief executive officer Sabin Aboitiz said the proposed roadmap is projected to contribute P169 billion in annual personal income tax and inject 8.9-percent growth into the Philippines’ gross domestic product.
Mr. Marcos and the PSAC-Job Sector Group also discussed the priority sectors that would play a vital role in making the Philippines a “significant global player,” while also retaining, upscaling, and creating more jobs.
The council proposed the allocation of direct scholarship funds towards IT-BPM training and upskilling, with support from the Office of the Presidential Assistant on Investment and Economic Affairs and the Private Sector Jobs and Skills Corp. PSAC said the goal is to train about 500,000 individuals annually with a budget of P4 billion.
The council’s proposal includes extending Senior High School immersion from 80 hours to 640 hours, promoting higher education internships, and fostering apprenticeships.
The PSAC-Job Sector Group emphasized the need to focus on industries that could boost job creation and shape the Philippines as a “future-ready” nation where cutting-edge technology, workforce empowerment, and economic growth converge.
PSAC noted that synergies between the private sector and the Department of Agriculture would play a crucial role in bringing development to the agriculture sector.
“The ongoing study to help develop the habal-habal and motorcycle taxi program could generate one million jobs. The recommendation also incorporates private sector participation in which it aims to connect an estimated 200,000 agri MSMEs (micro, small and medium enterprises) and can generate over 400,000 additional jobs,” it said.
The council also proposed the improvement of the Philippines’ Shipping Registry through the passage of a law that could enable a robust administrative framework to facilitate maritime trade. It also backed the reinstatement of the Philippine Economic Zone Authority’s one-stop shop role to provide streamlined services to foreign companies in economic zones.
Also on Friday, the Civil Service Commission on Friday announced 204,054 vacant positions in the entire government bureaucracy. At the weekly media forum organized by the Philippine Information Agency in Quezon City, CSC chairperson Karlo Alexei Nograles said: “There are 204,054 job vacancies in the entire agencies, in all government-owned and controlled corporations, local water utilities, including the local government units.” — With Rio N. Araja