In a place that recently commemorated the strongest typhoon, Yolanda, (Haiyan) that ever hit Philippine nine years ago soil killing tens of thousands and rendering thousands more homeless, any flood mitigating or restraining measure is most welcome.
And bamboo, which summit was held in Tacloban City last week, is also being promoted as an environmental protection tool climate changed worsened floods, against soil erosion and in strengthening riverbanks. Its deeply entrenched roots serve as water barrier and a defensive component for their crops and villages from washing ceaselessly.
Bamboo, known as the tree of life for its thousands of uses, reduces pollution, releasing 35 percent more oxygen compared to an equivalent stand of trees and helps reduce your carbon footprint to fight global warming.
It takes only five to seven years for a bamboo tree to mature. Bamboo can grow up to a meter in a single day. In harvest time, bamboo does not have to be uprooted. The remaining shoots will develop into new trees.
Bamboo Summit
The municipality of Palo, Leyte hosted the first Bamboo Summit last November 16 that showcased the plant's versatility and potentials for both commercial, industrial and environmental uses, attended by neighboring towns especially those who are already planting bamboo, that is actually a grass.
The opening trade fair displayed beautiful and practical uses of bamboo for homes and offices, most of them still not available in the market of the province.
“It’s not as easy as you think doing these engineered bamboos. We cannot produce these engineered products without enough bamboo and technology but it would really take time,” said Martina de Reyna owner and administrator of La Granja de Reyna Farm school in Tacloban.
De Reyna added that they are attending the event with hopes that they would learn more about the propagation of bamboo in their farms rather than exploring the idea of producing products to be released in local markets in the near future.
Stronger Than Wood
But in 2017, despite previous efforts to propagate bamboo in the region, information on the many benefits and importance of the plant is limited. For bamboo farmers, its major use is for construction and furniture.
Concerned government offices also lack the follow up activities and projects that would allow the initial campaigns to continue and thrive.
Uses of the lightweight bamboo should not be underestimated. It is two to three times stronger and sturdier than wood. While the maple tree wood is considered one of the hardest and strongest hardwoods in the planet, bamboo could compete with it.
Bamboo is even stronger than steel in tensile strength at 28,000 pounds per square inch versus steel's 23,000 pounds.
Lacking Supply
National Security Adviser Clarita Carlos, the summit's guest speaker, challenged the private sector to raise information about bamboos. “We want people to be informed since this is the bedrock of any policy. "
"If given the time and priority, the provincial government of Leyte could potentially be hitting three birds with one stone: addressing the environmental issue of the province, boosting the local economy and even tourism as (Palo) Mayor (Ann) Petilla also shared the plan to create a bamboo farm and bamboo park in Palo to also boost local tourism in the municipality."
However, as Leyte Governor Carlos Jericho Petilla said, there is an existing market but a lack of supply.
Prior to promoting potential marketable products and bamboo technology from other regions, the local government should first educate the public and provide support to start up plantations in order to achieve their desired goal in terms of commercialization.