DIFFUN, QUIRINO — The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Region 2 Quirino Provincial Office through the initiative of PD Ma. Sofia G. Narag, conducted on 8-13 January 2021 courtesy call to the seven LGUs Local Chief Executives (LCEs) to introduce the adoption of the Provincial/Municipal Bamboo Ordinance in response to the directive of DTI-Region 2 RD Leah Pulido Ocampo to implement the Cagayan Valley Bamboo Development Project.

Business Development Unit Head Engr. Efren A. Dela Cruz, STIDS, together with Business Development Unit Technical Assistant Ms. Olive Grace V. Labasan, visited the seven LGUs in the province, namely, Provincial Local Government Unit of Quirino, and Municipal Local Government Unit of Diffun, Cabarroguis, Saguday, Aglipay, Maddela and Nagtipunan, and provided them with the draft of the said ordinance.

Further, they also explained to the Local Chief Executives the benefits of the adoption of the said ordinance to the LGU, to the Bamboo stakeholders and to the local micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

According to Engr. Dela Cruz, the adoption of the bamboo ordinance will mean additional job generation and livelihood sustainability. “Through Bamboo, we can have a beautiful environment because it can help in maintaining ecological balance and in alleviating poverty, ” he said. Among the highlights included in the ordinance were: the purposive and massive establishment of bamboo plantations in designated areas such as riverbanks of Cagayan River and its tributaries, watershed, and forestland areas, and provision of technical, financial, and marketing assistance to project beneficiaries by the LGU in collaboration with partner national government agencies. ♦

Date of release: 22 January 2021