Albayanos celebrate World Bamboo Day

The Logan City Bambusetum in Kawa-kawa Natural Park is home to 15 species of bamboo. On Saturday, residents in Albay celebrated the World Bamboo Day for the first time here. Photo by Michael Jaucian, Inquirer Southern Luzon

LIGAO CITY – For the first time in Albay province, hundreds of residents celebrated the World Bamboo Day on Saturday in this city’s Bambusetum in Kawa-kawa Natural Park where 15 species of bamboo thrive.

At the two-hectare bamboo forest, a short program was held focusing on the event’s 2018 theme “sustainability equals environment plus society and economy.”

The international event was created to honor bamboo.

Third district representative Fernando Gonzalez, who hosted the event in cooperation with city government and Department of Environment and Natural Resources, stressed the importance of bamboo, dubbed “the miracle plant,” particularly in the lives of the people.

“It is very useful in many aspects particularly when it comes to making furniture and other decorative things so we encourage the people to plant it,” he said.

He said planting it is easy because it naturally propagates and it also helps in protecting against soil erosion.

Bamboo propagation and charcoal-making were also demonstrated to the public during the event. Products made from bamboo were also exhibited during the program.

The World Bamboo Day was first celebrated on September 18, 2009, in Bangkok, Thailand. It was the brainchild of World Bamboo Organization President Shri Kamesh Salam and was realized with the help of the Thai Royal Forestry Department. MICHAEL B. JAUCIAN