1. Directions for Bamboo Development
in PHL – an NGO View
Celso B. Lantican, D.Phil.
Retired Professor & Former Dean, UPLB
CFNR
Sr. Adviser & Founding President,
BambooPhil

2. What is BambooPhil?
Non-profit registered with SEC that promotes
bamboo for:
Reforestation
Livelihood
Scientists Advocates
generation
Environmental
enhancement
Power generation Entrepreneurs LGU Officials
Industrial
development Offices: LB Laguna & Makati City

3. Why Strengthen the Bamboo Sector?
 Wood supply critically short; substitute
needed
 Fast growing plants necessary to address
several environmental problems
 Bamboo can help generate livelihood
 Disaster mitigation

4. How much bamboo do we have?
Source: Bamboo Master Plan 1997
Estimated area (hectares)
Type Conservative Optimistic
Natural 20,500 34,000
Govt. plantations 2,236 2,236
Private plantations 3,040 3,040
Sporadic stands 13,435 13,435
Total 39,211 52,711

5. About Natural Stands
 Not a major source of poles anymore
 Widely scattered
 Unmanaged and poorly protected
 Poor quality poles
 Getting smaller in area
Puser
Bayog
Bayog Laak
Laak Anos
Anos Buho
Buho

6. Bamboo-Rich Provinces (>= 1K has)
Mt. Prov, Abra
Mt. Prov, Abra Ceb, Boh, Neg O
Ceb, Boh, Neg O
Buho, Anos, Tinik
Buho, Anos, Tinik Various
Various
Pang, Ilocos Sur
Pang, Ilocos Sur Iloilo
Iloilo
Tinik, Bayog
Tinik, Bayog Tinik, Bolo, Kiling
Tinik, Bolo, Kiling
Isabela
Isabela Bukidnon
Bukidnon
Tinik, Bayog, Buho
Tinik, Bayog, Buho Giant
Giant
Sorsogon
Sorsogon Davao Or
Davao Or
Various
Various Laak
Laak

7. Most Cultivated Species
Species Area (H) Species Area (H)
K. tinik 4,268 K. kiling 369
Laak 3,516 Bolo 146
G. bamboo 1,161 Kayali 113
Bayog 976 Mixed 15,302
Buho 544 Grand 26,395
Total
Source: Virtucio, 2008

8. Industries Using Bamboo in PHL
Furniture &
Furniture & Construction
Construction
handicrafts
handicrafts
Engineered
Engineered Packaging
Packaging
products
products
Fish pens
Fish pens Fruit farms
Fruit farms

9. A Reminder for Bamboo Planners
To whom it
may concern:
“I shot an arrow “It fell to earth, I
into the air ” knew not where ...”

10. Major Problems of Industries
Pole supply grossly
inadequate
Low outputs
Substandard quality of products
Low quality of raw materials
Lack of appropriate machinery
Lack of highly skilled technicians
Poor product designs

11. Development Strategies
ENHANCED SUSTAINABLE
Existing
ENVIRONMENT SUPPLY OF
Industries
QUALITY RAW
MATERIALS TI & EQ
E-bamboo
Watersheds
Selected
Riverbanks Pulp &
Species
CBFM sites Paper
& Genotypes
NGP sites
Power
plants
REFORESTATION NEW PLANTATIONS

12. Reforestation
Lead Agency:
Lead Agency: DENR
Critical watersheds
Priority Areas:
Priority Areas: Riverbanks/landslide-prone areas
Areas designated for NGP
Small- to medium sized
Species:
Species:
 Suited to the planting site
Proposed Area:
Proposed Area: At least 150,000 hectares

13. Plantation Development
Considerations
Sites should be as close as possible to
processing centers
Choose species to plant carefully
Species selection procedure
long list
long list (1) Product suitability choose most
choose most
of species
of species (2) Site suitability productive
productive
decide on
decide on screen each
screen each short list
short list
end product
end product species
species

14. Minimum Area – Traditional Products
Traditional Uses: Furniture; handicrafts;
Traditional Uses:
construction; fish pens;
Excludes engineered crates; and the like
products
Current annual demand
Current annual demand 60,000,000 poles
Annual harvest/ha
Annual harvest/ha 1,000 poles
Area = annual demand / annual harvest
= 60,000,000 / 1,000 = 60,000 has.

15. Minimum area – Engineered Bamboo
Production capacity
Production capacity 30 sq m per day
Pole requirements per annum
Pole requirements per annum 300,000
Annual pole production/ha
Annual pole production/ha 1,000
Minimum area = 300,000/1,000 = 300 hectares

16. Minimum Area – Pulp Production
Pulp Plant features
Daily capacity, T 100 200 300
Days/year 220 220 220
Yearly output 22,000 44,000 66,000
Plantation statistics
Yearly harvest, T/ha 20 20 20
Pulp yield, % 40 40 40
Pulp yield, T/ha 8 8 8
Minimum plantation, ha 2,750 5,500 8,250

17. Minimum Area – 1 MW Plant
Tons of biomass to produce 1 MW
Tons of biomass to produce 1 MW 5,000 T
electricity for a year
electricity for a year
Species Kg/pole Minimum Area (has)
K. tinik 19.35 258
Bayog 11.47 435
Bolo 11.87 420
K. kiling 9.14 547
Note: 1 MW can provide electricity to 6,000 families

18. Prob 1 – Planting stock production
Assumptions
Assumptions
Target area for planting = 300,000 has.
Planting density = 200/ha
Propagules needed
Propagules needed
300,000 x 200 = 60 million
How to produce these?
How to produce these?
tissue culture lab to meet mill requirements
conventional methods for reforestation

19. Prob 2 – Shortage of skilled workers
Where?
Where?
Nurseries, plantations and mills
What to do?
What to do?
Commission group to study training needs
Develop curricula and organize courses
Develop coursewares and printed materials

20. Prob 3 – Poor Machinery
Let’s do what the Japanese did
after WW 2!

21. Prob 4 – Poor Product Designs
Let’s encourage originality
Seek the assistance of
Design Center of the Philippines

22. The 1997 Bamboo Master Plan
Reviewed by former DOST
USec F. O. Tesoro 1n 2008
Found still relevant
Needs a critical look
Constitute a multisectoral
Recommendation
Recommendation committee to review and
update

23. Big Question?
Implementation of EO 879
hampered by political biases.
EO OR NEW

24. CB LANTICAN
BambooPhil