SPEECH OF SECRETARY ROY A. CIMATU (1st ASEAN Bamboo Congress, Iloilo Convention Center, August 13, 2019)

CLIMATE CHANGE IS REAL AND ALARMING. THIS ENVIRONMENT MALADY HAS ALWAYS BEEN A SERIOUS CONCERN OF NATIONS OVER THE PAST DECADES, AS IT ADVERSELY AFFECTS HUMAN LIVES, THE ECONOMY, AND THE ENVIRONMENT. I WILL REASSURE FOR THE ASEAN DELEGATES WHO ARE HERE AND OTHER DELEGATES FROM OTHER COUNTRIES, THEY ARE HERE PROBABLY BECAUSE OF THE EFFECT OF CLIMATE CHANGE.

IN ALL THESE FORA OR CONFERENCES THAT WE HAVE EITHER ATTENDED OR CONDUCTED ON THIS SUBJECT ON CLIMATE CHANGE HAS ALWAYS BEEN TACKLED WITH A SENSE OF URGENCY, AND RIGHTLY SO FOR THE CONTINUOUS RISE ON THE AVERAGE OF GLOBAL TEMPERATURE AT 0.82 DEGREES CELCIUS. IN 2018, IT INDICATES THAT IT PREVAILS TO BE A PRINCIPAL CHALLENGE FOR EVERY COUNTRY AND THE WHOLE WORLD TO FACE.

THROUGH DECADES, BAMBOO HAS BEEN PROVEN TO ADAPT WELL TO THE CHANGING CLIMATIC CONDITIONS OF THE WORLD, AND HAS MADE SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTIONS TO MITIGATE THE CAUSES AND EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE. BAMBOO REDUCES THE NEED FOR TIMBER RESOURCES, AND HELPS GREATLY IN CARBON SEQUESTRATION, BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION, AND LOW-COST REHABILITATION OF DEGRADED LANDS. IT PROVIDES FOOD AND RAW MATERIALS FOR CONSTRUCTION. BAMBOO GENERATES LOCAL JOBS, CREATING NEW INCOME STREAMS, LESSENING FLOODING, EROSION, AND RISING OF THE SEA LEVEL, AND IS A GREAT RESOURCE OF CLEAN FUEL, AND THE LONG LIST GOES DOWN.

LET ME DISCUSS A LITTLE ABOUT ENVIRONMENT, NOT ONLY ABOUT BORACAY, NOT ONLY ABOUT CLEAN AIR, CLEAN WATER, AND SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT. I WILL DISCUSS ABOUT OUR FOREST-- OUR FOREST COVER. I AM SAYING THIS TO THE DELEGATES OF ASEAN THAT THE PHILIPPINES IS ARGUABLY ONE OF THE LOWEST IN FOREST COVER PERCENTAGE OF ALL TOTAL LAND AREA. THE PHILIPPINES IS ONE OF THE LOWEST THAT IS 23%. IF YOU GOOGLE OUR FOREST IN COMPARISON WITH OTHER ASEAN COUNTRIES, THE AVERAGE FOREST COVER OF OUR NEIGHBORS IS ABOUT 30-35%. THEREFORE, CAN WE INCREASE THE FOREST COVER OF OUR COUNTRY? HOW CAN WE INCREASE THE FOREST COVER OF OUR COUNTRY IF WE PLANT TRESS THEN LATER ON WE CUT IT FOR OUR LUMBER REQUIREMENT?

NOW, I ASK YOU: CAN THE BAMBOO INCREASE THE FOREST COVER? IT IS NOT. I WOULD SAY, THAT IN FACT, IT IS OUR PLANTING PROGRAM NOW THAT INSTEAD OF USING TREES FROM THE FOREST AS OUR LUMBER REQUIREMENT, I WOULD INSTEAD USE BAMBOO. AS OF NOW, OUR TREE COMPONENT TIMBER THAT CAN BE USED AS OUR LUMBER IS VERY MINIMAL COMPARED TO IMPORT THAT WE ARE HAVING NOW BUYING LUMBER FROM OTHER COUNTRIES.

NOW, HOW CAN THE BAMBOO TAKE OVER FOR OUR LUMBER REQUIREMENT? WE ARE ENVISIONING TO PRODUCED ENGINEERED BAMBOO AS A SUBSTITUTE FRO ACTUAL LUMBER AND INSTEAD OF CUTTING TREES THAT ARE THERE IN THE FOREST SO THAT WE WILL INCREASE OUR FOREST COVER IN THE NEXT SEVERAL YEARS OR DECADES JUST ONLY TO CATCH UP WITH OUR ASEAN NEIGHBORS. WE ARE NOT COMPETING THAT WE SHOULD BE THE HIGHEST, THAT WE SHOULD BE THERE AT THE TOP OF THE FOREST COVER, BUT IT IS A NECESSITY FOR US BECAUSE WE USED TO HAVE THE BIGGEST FOREST COVER IN THE ASEAN, IN SOUTHEAST ASIA. BUT NOT NOW BECAUSE OF OUR OVERUSE OF OUR TIMBER.

THE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES IS EYEING PANAY ISLAND IN WESTERN VISAYAS AS THE CENTER FOR BAMBOO PRODUCTS IN THE COUNTRY. THIS IS BECAUSE PANAY ISLAND IS NATURALLY ABUNDANT IN BAMBOO. IN FACT, I HAVE DIRECTED OUR DENR HEAD HERE IN REGION 6 TO CONDUCT AN INVENTORY OF EXISTING BAMBOO IN PANAY ISLAND. THE RESULT IS THAT ABOUT 14,400 HECTARES OF LAND OR A TOTAL OF 5, 356, 599 PLANTS.

IF I GIVE YOU THE BREAKDOWN, IN ILOILO IS THE TOPNOTCHER OF THE LAND OF 4,000,498. THE NEXT ONE IS CAPIZ. THERE ARE ABOUT 3 MILLION OF THE 346, 753... (MORE STATISTICS HERE)... ALL IN ALL, WE HAVE 5 MILLION PLANTS AVAILABLE FOR HARVESTING. AND THESE ARE THE POSSIBLE SUPPLY OF BAMBOO THAT CAN FILL OUR PROSPECTIVE PROCESSING PLANT HERE.

I HAVE TALKED TO THE MAYOR OF MAASIN. THEY HAVE PLANS OF GOING THERE AND THE DELEGATES WILL BE GOING THERE TO VISIT YOU, MAYOR AND YOUR MUNICIPALITY, TO HAVE A DIRECT FORMULATION ON HOW WE CAN INCREASE THE LIVELIHOOD

I WAS TOLD THAT THIS ENGINEERED BAMBOO, AFTER BEING PRODUCED IN PLANTS, IS AS STURDY AS THE LUMBER ITSELF. THIS WILL BE USED INITIALLY FOR THE LUMBER REQUIREMENT OF PANAY, FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF THEIR BUILDINGS, THAT IF WE CAN ADD THIS PLANT CAPACITY, AFTER SEVERAL MONTHS OR YEARS, WE CAN SUPPLY THE WHOLE COUNTRY INCLUDING THOSE MATERIALS COMING FROM OUR NEIGHBORING PROVINCES.

WHILE ASEAN MEMBER COUNTRIES HAVE SIGNIFIED THEIR COMMITMENT TO MITIGATE CLIMATE CHANGE IN THE REGION, COLLECTIVE ACTION IS CRUCIAL IN ENVIRONMENT AND MUST MAINTAIN IT NOW. THUS, WE LAY ARMS TO STRENGTHEN THE EFFORTS IN (NOT AUDIBLE).

AS ONE COMMUNITY, WE WILL BE ABLE TO TAKE THE LEAP TOWARDS AN ENVIRONMENTALLY SUSTAINABLE AND RESILIENT WORLD. BEFORE I CLOSE, LET ME EMPHASIZE MY CHOICE OF MAKING ILOILO AS THE CENTER OF BAMBOO PRODUCTION. THROUGH OUR NATIONAL GREENING PROGRAM, THIS IS A NATIONWIDE REFORESTATION PROGRAM OF THE PHILIPPINES. WE WILL GIVE PRIORITY FOR OUR BAMBOO SPECIES TO BE PLANTED OVER A PRODUCTION GRADE SPECIES. IN FACT, WE EVEN HAVE SOME EXECUTIVE ORDERS THAT REQUIRE THE MANUFACTURE OF DESKS AND TABLES OUT OF BAMBOO FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION.

WE ARE SERIOUSLY PLANNING PUTTING UP A PROCESSING PLANT HERE IN ILOILO, SPECIFICALLY, IN MAASIN. I WAS ASKING HOW MANY BAMBOOS DO WE NEED TO SUPPLY IN A PROCESSING PLANT IN ORDER TO BE PRODUCTIVE. WE FOUND PUT THAT IT CAN BE SUPPLIED WITH THE BAMBOOS EXISTING IN PANAY. THIS IS REALLY MY PLAN BECAUSE WE HAVE SMALL EXISTING PLANTS IN PANGASINAN, AND I WAS ALSO CONSIDERING IN ILIGAN, EH WALA PA RITO SA VISAYAS. I THINK THIS WILL BE THE FIRST TIME HERE.

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