Insular Foundation, the corporate social responsibility arm of Insular Life (InLife), reported that its Kawayanihan Project in Lubao, Pampanga grows on track.
A little more than a year after InLife employees planted 240 bamboos at the Lubao Bamboo Hub and Ecopark, the bamboo plants have grown to more than eight feet in height.
Insular Foundation Program Manager Teresita Melad said the first project monitoring and assessment of the planted bamboos confirmed favorable results, thanks to the farm workers’ good maintenance.
In line with the community quarantine and travel restrictions, the InLife employees’ bamboo planting activity this year will not push through. Melad said the farm workers will complete the planting of the second batch of 240 bamboo saplings this year.
The “Kawayanihan: Protecting the Environment and Lives through Community Work and Cooperation Project” is a three-year (2019 to 2021) collaboration with the Philippine Bamboo Foundation and the local government of Lubao, Pampanga. The project aims to harness the potentials of bamboo to prevent soil erosion in the lahar-stricken and flood-prone area, and to provide sustainable livelihood to the local residents.
During the three-year project period, a total of 720 bamboos will be planted. This can yield approximately 3,600 poles per year starting 2022, with an estimated value of P180,000.
As Insular Foundation’s contribution to advance the cause of bamboo in the country, the Kawayanihan Project is being replicated in other municipalities, including Asturias in Cebu.
The Kawayanihan Project also supports the Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ directive to increase bamboo planting under the National Greening Program.
