BORONGAN CITY — The local government of Borongan is turning to a natural solution to combat a history of severe flooding: a large-scale bamboo planting initiative along the Lo-om River.

In a statement, the local government disclosed that it has earmarked P28 million for the project, which will involve planting and growing bamboo in four villages along the river.

Mayor Jose Dayan Agda said the goal is to provide a sustainable livelihood for the community while also protecting the city from future floods.

“We identified bamboo as the best defense against the overflowing of Lo-om River,” Agda said. “It stores rainwater, slows down the flow to the ground, and is good at stabilizing the soil.”

The project is funded by an P118.86 million grant the city received in 2023 from the People’s Survival Fund. The grant will also support early warning systems, capacity building, and new irrigation and post-harvest facilities.

The city’s proposal was one of five projects approved out of 355 applications in 2023.

Rudy Alidon, a 34-year-old farmer from the village of San Gabriel, said the project will be an additional source of income for his community, which has been identified as a source for planting materials.

The project was inspired by the extensive damage from typhoon “Ruby” in December 2014, which, according to city reports, caused over P120 million in damage to infrastructure and agriculture and affected nearly 20,000 families.

The damage was significantly more than that caused by Typhoon Yolanda in November 2013, which amounted to P36 million.