MANILA (UCAN): Caritas Philippines launched a campaign to encourage people across the country to plant millions of bamboo saplings to tackle soil erosion and restore declining forests.
The campaign kicked off in all 72 Catholic dioceses in the country on October 10, six days after the Season of Creation ended on October 4. Altogether five million bamboo saplings, mostly provided by the government, will be planted in five years.
In Manila, hundreds of students from Catholic schools joined the plantation campaign at a park in Quezon City where the soil had been swept away by floods during recent typhoons.
“We have begun planting bamboo in La Mesa Dam Ecopark because the park sustained erosion during Typhoon Noru. It is because there were fewer trees and plants to hold the soil,” Caritas chief, Bishop Jose Colin Bagaforo, told Radyo Veritas.
“The purpose of the project is two-fold, to combat soil erosion and floods… and also to provide a decent livelihood and decent housing to the poor. We know that bamboo is used to make furniture and houses. Thus, the project will also become an avenue for social enterprise and an avenue for poverty alleviation,” Bishop Bagaforo said.
The campaign was also launched in the Diocese of Lucena in Quezon Province, the Diocese of Dipolog in Zamboanga del Norte in the Mindanao region, and the Diocese of Borongan in Eastern Samar, in the Visayas region.
We have begun planting bamboo in La Mesa Dam Ecopark because the park sustained erosion during Typhoon Noru. It is because there were fewer trees and plants to hold the soil
Bishop Bagaforo
Typhoon Noru hit the Philippines in late September and, in Bulacan province, washed away a wall killing five rescuers. Hundreds of people were stranded on roofs, while others waded through chest-high strewn waters, attempting to leave their flooded communities for safety.
Bamboo can prevent flash floods as well as soil erosion that leads to disasters, Bishop Bagaforo explained.
“Bamboo anchors the soil with its roots thus preventing landslides. Aside from this, bamboo is used as a barrier against soil erosion and for other environmental services such as the protection of water sources through the reforestation of watersheds… This is our humble contribution to help protect our environment,” the bishop added.
As we celebrate the 500 years of Christianity in the Philippines. The Chaplaincy to Filipino Migrants organises an on-line talk every Tuesday at 9.00pm. You can join us at:
https://www.Facebook.com/CFM-Gifted-to-give-101039001847033
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources provided the saplings in a government effort to help the Catholic Church restore the environment.
“We are happy to provide the saplings for this project because we want to help the Catholic Church in its efforts for greener surroundings. In fact, we want to thank the Catholic schools for participating because people in low-lying communities will surely benefit from this,” department spokesperson, Jonas Leones, said.
We input money to grow bamboo because the result is not only for the environment but also to raise the livelihoods of the people. Bamboo spreads easily and grows easily in any kind of soil in the Philippines
Carlo Daeng
The Philippine government has invested heavily in bamboo, which not only has proven high carbon sequestration capacity but it has the ability to hold soil because of its deep roots, Leones said.
Carlo Daeng, an environmentalist with the agency, said bamboo also has a livelihood value for people.
“We input money to grow bamboo because the result is not only for the environment but also to raise the livelihoods of the people. Bamboo spreads easily and grows easily in any kind of soil in the Philippines,” he explained.
A 2019 study by the department shows bamboo has the capacity to sequester 400 per cent more carbon per unit area compared to trees.
Bishop Bagaforo said that participants can harvest bamboo in a few years for livelihood and housing.
A volunteer who joined the campaign, Alan De Gracia, urged Caritas to provide cash capital and training in furniture making to help people start a bamboo business.
“I want to be a beneficiary, but I do not know how to make furniture made of bamboo … I know there is a demand for this. I hope Caritas will equip us with knowledge and skills for us to earn … we also need capital,” De Gracia, who is from the Diocese of Novaliches, said.
In 2021, the Philippines ranked 68 out of 118 polluted countries in the world, according to the World Health Organisation.
From 2002 to 2021, the Philippines lost 158,000 hectares of natural tropical forest, making up 12 per cent of its total tree cover loss in the same period. Total tropical forests in the country decreased by 3.4 per cent, according to Global Forest Watch.
