Green Philippines! Cotabato Town Adopts Giant Bamboo Program

At 10 a.m. today, I will turn over 5,000 Giant Bamboo planting materials to the town mayor of Alamada, Jesus N. Sacdalan, to mark the launching of the first LGU-led Giant Bamboo Development Program in the Philippines.
Alamada, with a total land area of 78,750 hectares, is a critical watershed where the headwater of Libungan River is located and flows down to the agricultural towns of Libungan, Pigcawayan and Midsayap.
The plan to turn Alamada into a model for an LGU-led Giant Bamboo Program was finalized yesterday after a conversation with Mayor Sacdalan, who served as my Vice Governor from 1998 to 2007 and later Governor and Congressman.
Being a farmer himself, Mayor Sacdalan did not need a lot of convincing for him to embrace the idea of planting Giant Bamboos and other fruit trees in the highlands of Alamada.
With another six years left as Mayor of the town, the timing is just perfect because if Alamada starts planting Giant Bamboos in 1,000 hectares today, the first production is expected on the 4th and the 5th year.
Mayor Sacdalan supported my proposal for the Alamada LGU to establish an Economic Enterprise Office which would handle the Giant Bamboo Program which would include the establishment of a P150-M processing facility to produce engineered bamboo.
In this project, I hope to be able to work with the incoming Secretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in making Alamada as the model for a hybrid re-greening program where the emphasis is not just on planting bamboos and trees but also to create livelihood opportunities to make it sustainable.
#KungGustoMaramingParaan!
#GovernanceIsCommonSense!