THE PHILIPPINE Bamboo Industry Development Council urged the government to reinstate Executive Order 879 which requires the Department of Education to utilize bamboo school chairs.

The PBIDC is chaired by the Department of Trade and Industry.

EO 87 directs the use of bamboo for at least 25 percent of the desk and other furniture requirements of public elementary and secondary schools.

PBIDC officer Deogracias Victor Savellano also expects President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. to use bamboo for the symbolic tree planting to highlight bamboo’s value as an indigenous highly-marketable commodity.

“Bamboo is important. You can’t have fishing boats without bamboo outriggers. You can’t have fishpens without bamboo poles. Banana or export will yield to the ground without bamboo poles to prop it up,” he said.

“Labong can only be harvested if there is enough bamboo. Maybe now that PBBM is the DA Secretary, bamboo can be given due focus and its large potential realized,” he added.