The Philippines ranks 6th among the largest exporters of bamboo in the world. Export volume is 66 metric tons per year. The total area of bamboo stands ranges from 39,000-53,000 hectares, growing mainly in sporadic patches in farmlands, riverbanks, forest lands and some private lands and rarely in pure commercial stands. The potential production from these areas of bamboo stands has been estimated at an average of 36 million culms per year. Actual production is estimated at 940.5K poles per year. The top producers are Pangasinan, Tarlac and Bukidnon.
Bamboo belongs to the family of grasses, Gramineae or Poaceae. It is a high-value crop given its many uses as material for construction, furniture, handicraft, food, musical instruments, farm, and fishing implements, pulp and paper, and fuel for cooking and heating. Furthermore, bamboo has various economic and ecological benefits with its ability to mitigate floods and soil erosion.
There are gaps and issues in the bamboo industry that need to be overcome and addressed. These include reliable and updated data on supply and location; inadequate supply of bamboo raw materials and quality planting materials; low survival rate for bamboo macro-propagation (in nursery and plantation); preventive and control against pest and diseases; low quality of poles and high cost of processed products; need to develop new products (charcoal; fiber for textile, nano crystalline cellulose; processed food products from shoots, essential oils); limited technology for shoot production; absence of consolidated policies on bamboo harvesting, transport, exportation, and importation; limited marketing strategies; and weak transfer of technology strategies
Reference: Phil. Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (DOST- PICAARRD), Industry Strategic Science & Technology Program (ISP)… https://ispweb.pcaarrd.dost.gov.ph/bamboo/
About Bula
The town of Bula, Camarines Sur has historically been associated with bamboo. Noted Bicol historian Danilo Madrid Gerona wrote about the origin of the name Bula in his book, Bula: A View of the Past Through the Bamboo Trail (written upon the encouragement of Bula Councilor Glenn Genio):
The town of Bula received its name from the ancient people of the riverine district of Bicol who located its settlement on a trail thickly planted with bamboo. Although bamboos were ubiquitous, their towering presence in Bula must have been so conspicuous which earned for this plant the singular privilege of being the distinctive landmark and the perpetual basis for the toponym of the locality.
Among the Filipinos, the bamboo conjures the image of majestic heights and towering greatness, but also resilient submission even to unwelcome changes. Hence, to most people, the bamboo represents the admirable character of a pliant, adjustable, and docile person, who accepts the buffeting of life without rancor and with resignation. This character epitomized by bamboo was similarly embodied by those of the residents of Bula.
Long before geodetic measurements served as a major feature of geographic identity, natural and human spaces were marked out by their names, the toponyms. The entrance of a locality in history generally comes with a name and this was true with Bula. The name of this town, just as in most municipalities in the country, is traced to a number of origins. One of the most popular roots of the name was bala, bamboo splits used either as firewood, fish traps, and other homemade crafts taken from the resilient bamboos growing ubiquitously along riverbanks, creeks, and streams. A tale handed down through generations claims that the early Spaniards who came to the place found the natives busy splitting bamboos. Wanting to know the place’ name, the Spaniards approached the menfolk who were laboriously splitting bamboos and asked them. The natives, however, not understanding the query in Spanish language and, thinking that the foreigners were interested in what they were working on answered “bala” (split bamboo). Since then, bala was changed to Bula as the name of the place.
The town of Bula is one of the first four mission towns of Camarines Sur founded by the Spanish conquistadores when they set foot on the Bicol soil in 1576. The other towns were Naga, Quipayo (a barrio of Calabanga) and Nabua. Census figures in 2020 show a population of 73,143 with a poverty incidence of 23%. (reference: Wikipedia)
Shared Bamboo Production Facility in Bula
In July 2021, the LGU of Bula, together with the DOST, PCW, DTI, and DOLE, built a Shared Service Facility (SSF) with an area of 1.26 hectares located in Barangay Pawili. The SSF aims to promote and support Bula’s One Town, One Product (OTOP) program with bamboo furniture as its flagship product. This facility will enable the people of Bula to master the technology of bamboo engineering, develop ways to strengthen the bamboo and come up with beautiful and classic designs. The SSF intends to bring livelihood, art, and culture together by supporting Bula Masarig, an active organization of bamboo crafts producers. Funding for the SSF machinery and equipment, worth P4.1 million, was provided by the DTI under its MSME Development Program. which aims to improve the competitiveness of MSMEs by providing capital equipment and technology training under a shared system.
The machinery and hand tools in the SSF as see in the LGU Bula FB page indicate basic capability to split, flatten, cut, glue up, assemble and clamp bamboo slats to produce, sand and plane laminated furniture components in various useful widths and lengths. Evidently, the SSF is intended for small scale fabrication work only, to be shared among artisan furniture, home décor and handicraft producers. Recent videos shared in social media show only limited use of the SSF capacity, perhaps due to lack of bamboo supply – but to others, a clear indication of opportunity.
Finding Ways to Make a Difference
This writer learned about the enterprising husband and wife team, Sam and Regina (Reign) Dignadice, from GIBO and HAKA Naga founder Ronald (Bong) Rodriguez through his presentation made during the Fr. James O’Brien Annual Memorial Lecture series. Bong spoke about the Bicol Rural Economy: The Challenges of Agriculture, Entrepreneurship, and Social Development (September 2023). In his lecture, he enjoined Bicol farmers to propagate bamboo and cited the launch by Rotary International of Bamboo Initiative Grants for the Philippines (BIG.ph), a philanthropy funded project, as one of many impetuses.
Sam and Reign started planting bamboo, the bambusa sp. longinternode variety, in a 10-hectare family land in Bula amid the pandemic in 2020. They planted 8000 seedlings with roots grown from seeds and sourced from a reputable bamboo nursery in Davao province owned by a German scientist. Although much more expensive than cuttings available from Bukidnon nurseries, this method ensured better growth. Then in 2021, they planted giant bamboo, the dendrocalamus asper variety, on the same 10-hectare property. During the same year, they established their own nursery in a half-hectare land to have their own source of seedlings, from seeds not cuttings, to achieve life expectancy of more than 50 years. The nursery will produce 40,000 seedlings for planting in 2022. They will plant 15,000 in another 10-hectare property in 2023. They have been able to demonstrate that bamboo can thrive even the cogon land within the area. They are gearing up the nursery to produce 100,000 seedlings which will be ready late in 2023. Their decision to plant in a sequential manner has enabled them to gain knowledge about bamboo growing “one pole at a time.” Especially since Bicol is a typhoon-prone area, they deemed it best to be conservative in their planning. The farm operations does business as Bula Bamboo Plantation Corporation.
From 1990 to 2020
Reign Dignadice (nee Hallare) is from Bula. Her parents, Gerry and Eleanor Hallare, and their family are long-time residents, their ancestors having lived in this historical town since the 1800’s. She graduated from Unibersidad de Sta. Isabel, College of Nursing.
Sam Dignadice is from San Pablo, Laguna. He was among the last enrollees of Ateneo de San Pablo before the high school closed its doors. He graduated from UP Los Banos with a degree in agricultural engineering, a career path he quickly abandoned as he did not see a bright future in agriculture. He shifted wisely to the nascent field of information technology and trained in Camp Aguinaldo in 1986-87.
The period of the mid-1980’s when the Philippines was transitioning from the authoritative Marcos regime to the uneasy term of the Cory Aquino administration, amid global economic changes, was a tough time to be in the Philippines. Decent job opportunities were scarce. Sam was among the brave few to leverage their computer technology skills to find opportunities abroad. He knew he had to leave for his personal growth. He saw this as a chance to re-program himself. Being in a new country, one is a nobody until you prove oneself, regardless of your family background or where you come from. In the 1990’s he joined a telecommunication company in New Zealand and in his mid-twenties was among the early kabayans to migrate to Auckland. He would soon develop expertise and reputation in software development, mostly in systems integration, in the growing telecommunications industry. Sam completed his post graduate studies from the University of Auckland, Executive MBA program.
Many discerning and observant Filipinos who have lived in first world countries, like the US and New Zealand, learn about building materials manufactured from sustainable forests, such as long span laminated floor joists or roof trusses, oriented strand boards for exterior walls and roofing underlayment. All these come from lush timber stands that date 25-50 years in age. Many are dismayed when they read about forest depletion in the Philippines due to illegal logging, about failed reforestation programs due to government corruption, about the need to import lumber as this is easier than going into legitimate reforestation. This solution requires time and capital, common sense and will power – resources the Philippines sorely lack. Many Filipino “returnees” choose complacency and prefer to just stand back. But a few like Sam and Reign Dignadice have decided to step up and make a difference.
Sam did extensive research before committing to the bamboo business. He says,
There is so much idle land in the country. My research shows 1.7 million hectares need to be reforested. Through the years we have been cutting down logs but there are no replanting programs. There is no continuity from replanting to harvesting in terms of responsibility. There is a significant disincentive to reforest. We therefore have a crisis in nature. 70% of wood for construction is imported.” He thinks this is a disaster in the making. The depletion of wood is a global phenomenon because of unsustainable practices.
Sam thinks the answer to the issue of reforestation is bamboo propagation. Bamboo grows fast and matures in 5-6 years and can be harvested every year. It has a lifetime of 100 years and is good for the environment. Bamboo has also been identified as an acceptable sustainable material. In an impassioned appeal to his fellow alumni from UP Los Banos (January 26, 2022), he seeks their help and support:
I will keep planting giant bamboo until I see 1,000 hectares of bamboo in the Camarines Sur, Quezon and Laguna area. Why dream of that scale? Because only guaranteed plentiful supply of bamboo can create a mechanized bamboo industry in the Philippines. With an abundant supply of bamboo, others can invest in processing and exporting bamboo to the rest of the world.
This vision is too big for one person. I need everyone’s help. Plant giant bamboo in your area. Let me supply you with seedlings. Once the seedling is planted, one can start harvesting after 4-5 years. After 5 years bamboo poles can be harvested every year for the next 70-100 years. Let’s create the bamboo industry of the Philippines. It doesn’t take a lot if we all work together. Let’s plant today and reap a century of benefits.
Sam and Reign divide their time between Auckland and Bula, traveling back twice or thrice a year. Their income from their New Zealand jobs (Reign is in the airline industry) currently funds the cost of farming. However, they hope that in the future their advocacy and personal commitment to their bamboo farm will become financially sustainable and enable them to provide more livelihood opportunities in Bula. They see the trends in the bamboo industry as favorable and the long-term prospects as bright.
The Bamboo Varieties
These are the giant bamboo species cited in this article: first, dendrocalamus asper, the most popular bamboo species in Asia, traditionally used timber bamboo for buildings and heavy construction as its culms (stems) are large in diameter and very straight. It grows 15-30 meters in height and 8-20 cm in diameter. Its young shoots can be consumed as a vegetable. The other is bambusa sp. longinternode, a medium sized bamboo, that has long internodes (spaces between the culm nodes and has nearly solid culm at the bottom. It grows 15-20 meters in height and 6-12 cm in diameter. The thick culm walls thus yield more bamboo slat material for furniture making, construction, and charcoal.
— JVDJ
Learn more about Bula Bamboo Plantation Corporation
Bula Bamboo Plantation produces high quality bamboo seedlings grown from seeds. These are packed in biodegradable seedling bags and crated for transport. Orders can be delivered by provincial buses from Bula direct to the terminal nearest the customer for pick up. The minimum buy pack is two dozen (see inset photo). Interested parties can also arrange to visit to learn about bamboo farming. To contact the farm for seedling orders or for directions, click the link: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100077253462793
Bula. Bamboo Plantation has recently been featured by Agribusiness How it Works. Watch the YouTube channel content creator Buddy Gancenia interview Sam and Reign Dignadice. Click the link to view the first of four YouTube videos. Navigate the YouTube channel for view the other videos. Link: https://youtu.be/gc1QroI_PKw?si=q-NyKgCegAC4ylTV
About the Bula LGU and their Shared Service Facility for bamboo processing. Link: https://www.facebook.com/LGUBulaOfficialPage
Learn more about the bamboo industry
There is inadequate reliable and updated data on supply and location of bamboo plantations and manufacturers. However, there are private entrepreneurs and institutions that have recognized the potential of growing bamboo and have sprinted ahead to demonstrate the viability of the business. Food for thought for returning Filipino retirees, expats and OFW’s who are looking for investment opportunities in farm production. This list shown in no particular order is by no means complete:
About the Bamboo Initiative Grants for the Philippines (BIG.ph) as launched in Bicol by Marhay na Gibo. Link: https://www.facebook.com/MarhayNaGIBO
About the CS First Green Agri Industrial Development Inc., the bamboo plantation in Bayambang, Pangasinan. Link: https://www.facebook.com/csfirstgreen/
About Bukidnon Giant Bamboo Resources Corporation (BGB). The company works with Indigenous Peoples of Bukidnon to propagate and nurture Giant Bamboos. Link: https://bgb.ph/
About Rizome Philippines in Cagayan de Oro City, the first company in the country to produce bamboo building products, such as slats, veneers, panels, laminate veneer lumber and laminated strand lumber. Link: https://rizomephilippines.com/
About Nestle Philippines’ initiative to plant 3.5 million native bamboo clumps and trees in Mindanao where they source their coffee supply. Link: https://www.nestle.com/media/news/nestle-plants-native-bamboo-philippines