KORONADAL CITY, SOUTH COTABATO — The Provincial Government of South Cotabato reaffirmed its commitment to advancing a green economy by positioning bamboo as both a vital bio-engineering tool for flood control and a high-value industrial resource for clean energy and school infrastructure.
Speaking at the 1st BAMBOOST Forum—hosted by South Cotabato and spearheaded by Base Bahay Foundation, Inc., in collaboration with the South Cotabato Bamboo Industry Development Council (SCBIDC), the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA), and Mahintana Foundation, Inc.—Governor Reynaldo S. Tamayo Jr. showcased the province’s successful experience in utilizing bamboo for riverbank stabilization and flood mitigation.
Governor Tamayo highlighted the province’s pioneering bamboo planting efforts along the critical Ala River stretch, proving that strategic bamboo planting effectively restores water channels and prevents soil erosion. The project is carried out by the Alah Valley Landscape Development Alliance, a special program of the province in response to pressing water-related issues of Allah Valley in South Cotabato.
“Even with the flood control projects initiated across the country, here in South Cotabato, we already used bamboo for flood control, and we were successful in doing it, especially in Ala River,” Governor Tamayo stated.
He said the soil is back; the right path of water has been filled.
“At least now, we were able to contain the water where it can pass. There was also an embankment so that there won’t be too much erosion,” the governor shared.
Emphasizing the long-term value of the bamboo industry in reducing carbon emissions, Governor Tamayo revealed that South Cotabato secured special authorization from the Department of Agriculture to import and propagate Lima Bamboo as planting materials.
The governor explained that Lima Bamboo features almost solid culms with very low ash content, making it an ideal, eco-friendly raw material for biomass pellets to replace coal and high-value coconut shells in industrial machinery. To further boost local growers, the provincial government has also mandated that upcoming local procurements for student armchairs will strictly utilize bamboo materials.
“As the Governor of South Cotabato, I have a big belief in the industry of bamboo. That is why I am the first Governor who made a special request to our Secretary of the Department of Agriculture to allow me to import Lima Bamboo,“ Tamayo emphasized.
He said the province is starting to propagate and cultivate to have more planting materials.
Meanwhile, in other bamboo products, South Cotabato has also committed that all the armchairs that the province will buy will use bamboo materials.
“We should plant bamboo because not only will we be able to help the industry, but we will also be able to help our environment,” he said.
The provincial strategy goes beyond environmental resilience; it actively connects raw materials with industrial demand.
Tyron Jann Villanueva, Head of the South Cotabato Economic, Investments, and Promotions Center (SCEIPC), emphasized that the BAMBOOST Forum served as a vital milestone to bridge local growers with commercial markets and eco-friendly investment pipelines.
“Our main objective is to move bamboo from being seen merely as a backyard material to establishing it as a structured, highly profitable agro-industrial sector,” Villanueva stated following the forum.
Villanueva said that during the forum, he learned that the demand for construction-grade engineered bamboo, bio-pellets, and sustainable furniture is growing rapidly across Mindanao.
“South Cotabato has the ideal climate, institutional support, and local procurement policies to lead this supply chain,” he stressed.
Villanueva outlined the promotional center’s roadmap to scale up investment and enterprise development around the province’s expanding bamboo supply.
“Moving forward, our unit is working on creating market linkages that guarantee stable buyer contracts for our farmers and cooperatives. As Governor Tamayo expands our propagation of high-yield varieties like Lima Bamboo, our office will actively pitch South Cotabato to eco-investors and biomass processors,” Villanueva added.
“We want to attract facilities for primary processing and bamboo furniture manufacturing right here in the province, generating sustainable green jobs for South Cotabateños.”
South Cotabato’s proactive bamboo program aligns with ongoing provincial initiatives, including nursery operations.
The province continues to solidify its reputation as a leading business-friendly and ecologically resilient hub in Region XII, declaring that South Cotabato is well-positioned to become the “Bamboo Corridor of the South.” He noted that with the provincial government’s strong policy support, active propagation of high-yield varieties, and strategic partnerships with national agencies, South Cotabato is primed to transform its local bamboo industry into a major hub for sustainable construction, biomass energy, and eco-friendly investments
