A thousand bamboo seedlings were planted in Malinta Creek in Abucay, Bataan as part of the observance of World Bamboo Day in the province last 18 September.

Energy company GNPower Dinginin Ltd. Co. (GNPD), the Bataan’s Provincial Environmental and Natural Resources Office and Bataan Peninsula State University (BPSU) organized the bamboo planting in the BPSU Abucay campus. The seedlings are a third of the 3,000 bamboos it plans to plant in the site to promote sustainable bamboo utilization and conservation, as well as to reforest the area and improve its ecological health.

GNPD employees, college scholars and community members planted the first 1,000 seedlings, including Kawayang Tinik and Giant Bamboo.

“We believe that planting trees is a tangible way to give back to our community and environment. By planting bamboo, we are not only helping to restore our forests but also promoting sustainable practices that will benefit future generations,” said GNPD’s Reputation and Stakeholder Management superintendent Joseph Paolo Mendoza.

Before the event, the Philippine Bamboo Foundation Inc. (PBFI), BPSU Abucay Campus, and GNPD conducted a bamboo orientation for volunteers on 16 September. Representatives from local government units, people’s organizations and students participated in the orientation to learn about the various benefits of bamboo, its uses and proper cultivation techniques.

The expert resource persons who spoke at the orientation were Edgardo Manda, president of PBFI; Michael Gomez, secretary of PBFI; and Maidas Anson, Mileatte Omaney, and Christian Llait, instructors from Tarlac Agricultural University.

During the orientation, the volunteers were toured to the Tarlac Agricultural University Bambusetum; the Engineered Bamboo Production facility in Camiling, Tarlac; the Baguio Botanical Garden and Forest Park Arboretum and the St. Francis Xavier Seminary Bamboo Sanctuary also in Baguio City to learn about various aspects of bamboo cultivation, including species selection, maintenance and management. They also explored the ecological benefits of bamboo parks and the importance of sustainable practices for these kinds of environmental areas to thrive.