Iloilo City – Eighteen permit holders of Industrial Sand and Gravel (ISAG) and Mineral Processing Permit (MPP) committed to establishing a communal bamboo plantation in support of the call of the DENR Secretary Roy A. Cimatu for the mineral industry sector to contribute to the establishment and development of the bamboo industry throughout the country.
The participating ISAG and MPP permittees in Region 6, Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Region 6 through PENRO Aklan, Mines and Geosciences Bureau Regional Office 6 (MGB-6), and the Manika Upland Farmers Association (MUFA) signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) on March 15, 2021 for the establishment, protection, and maintenance of a communal 54-hectare bamboo plantation in Brgy. Manika, Libacao, Aklan.
The MOA is in effect for 3 years starting 2021, and a budget of P1,036,800.00 was committed for the bamboo plantation.
Meanwhile, five more MPP and ISAG permit holders opted to establish individual bamboo plantations to meet their commitment. The ISAG and MPP are permits issued by the MGB.
Last year, the Aklan Sand and Gravel and Quarry Operators Association in collaboration with the province of Aklan and DENR PENRO Aklan also entered into a MOA last year to establish a 50-hectare bamboo plantation in Brgy. Monlaque, Ibajay, Aklan.
On the part of large-scale mine tenement holders Philex Gold Philippines Inc. and Semirara Mining and Power Corporation have committed to establishing six hectares and 400 hectares respectively of bamboo plantation within their tenement areas.
DENR Secretary Roy A. Cimatu has long expressed his vision to make Region 6 the bamboo capital of the Philippines, bringing about environmental benefits, livelihood to the local people, and eventually contribute to the country’s economic recovery from COVID-19 pandemic.
MGB-6 Officer-in-Charge of the office of the Regional Director Raul A. Laput said that the project is a convergence of different sectors – government, private sector (mining permittees), and people’s organization – working towards achieving a common goal of environmental protection, shared responsibility, and helping communities meet their economic needs while becoming self-reliant. (MGB-6)
