Use of bamboo furniture, products in gov’t offices pushed
TACLOBAN CITY—A lawmaker in Leyte is pushing for a bill that mandates the use of bamboo-made products in national and local government offices.
Rep. Anna Veloso-Tuazon of Leyte’s third district said House Bill No. 10263, which was overwhelmingly approved by the House of Representatives on its third and final reading on May 21, will require all government offices to allocate at least 25 percent of their budget for furniture and fixtures to buy products made of bamboo and other bamboo-based materials.
The implementation of this proposed law is aligned with the New Government Procurement Act which was recently approved by the Senate, Veloso-Tuazon said.
Veloso-Tuazon said the measure, which she coauthored, would aid in combating climate change by encouraging more land owners to devote more spaces for bamboo cultivation to meet the expected demand.
Bamboo is known for its various benefits, including inhibiting soil erosion. It requires no irrigation, grows rapidly and is ready for harvest in three to five years.
Eastern Visayas is rich in bamboo although data on the number of hectares of land devoted to it is not available.
Out of the 62 known bamboo species in the country, four major species are found in the region: “kawayan tinik,” giant bamboo, “bolo” and “buho.”
No imports
The proposed law requires all bamboo to be sourced in the country so local communities can benefit in the process.
“The measure is also explicit that all bamboo that is to be used should be locally sourced and not from China, for example,” Veloso-Tuazon stressed, adding, “Our farmers will benefit and this will prevent importation.”
China is considered to have the biggest bamboo forest in the world and a key importer of bamboo products.
