BAGUIO CITY – The City Council approved a resolution authorizing the City Mayor to enter into a tripartite agreement with the Philippine Bamboo Foundation and other corporate partners for the conversion of a portion of the former Irisan open dumpsite to an eco-park through the planting of bamboo in the said area.
Under the proposed tripartite agreement, the foundation will be the one to implement the propagation of the bamboo verities with the cooperation of the interested barangays and plant the same in the former Irisan dumpsite for the conversion of the area into an eco-park. The corporate partners will purchase the bamboo produce of the barangays to serve as their sources of livelihood.
City Environment and Parks Management Office (CEPMO) head Cordelia Lacsamana said the local government supports the proposal of the Philippine Bamboo Foundation because the project will be at no expense on the part of the city.
PBF president Edgardo L. Manda said the conversion of the area to an eco-park through the planting of bamboo species within a 3-hectare portion of the former Irisan dumpsite is achievable, provided that the variety to be planted will be the phylostakis aurea which has a root system that can immediately radiate into the soil and spread to as long as several kilometres.
The local legislative body stated that after the finalization of the tripartite agreement, the same shall be returned to the council for confirmation before the commencement of the project.
Based on the timetable adopted by the foundation, the propagation of the bamboo materials will be done from January to May while the plating of the materials will be done during the rainy season wherein the said bamboo variety is expected to thrive at its best.
Aside from the propagation of the planting materials and the planting of the species in the former Irisan dumpsite, Manda said that the foundation will also provide interested barangay residents with the appropriate handicraft training for them to maximize the presence of the bamboo materials for mass production of products for the growing markets in both local and international scenes.
According to him, the foundation said there is a growing demand for bamboo in various parts of the country primarily for handicraft purposes. That is why the foundation has continuously embarked on the mass propagation of bamboo materials in the region to be able to meet the demand for the materials that will boost the bamboo handicraft industry growth.
He added that the foundation is not yet making the handicraft portion of the industry a full-blown aspect of the trade because of the absence of the sufficient supply of bamboo materials. Such materials could be used for the growth of the industry in the region and will be an added source of income for the beneficiaries of the project.
Manda assured the local legislators that the conversion of the former Irisan dumpsite into an eco-park will be an additional tourist destination of the city once the plantations have been put in place through the support of the local government and the private sector of the city.
By Dexter A. See
