During his recent “New Year’s Call,” Department of Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Roy A. Cimatu said he wants Panay to become the country’s “Bamboo Capital.”
He said the department plans to plant bamboo across 13,050 hectares on the island.
The cabinet official said bamboo helps mitigate the effects of climate change as the plant is able to absorb 12 tons of carbon dioxide per hectare annually, improves air quality, helps cool temperatures, and maintains soil stability through its extensive root system.
Additionally, Cimatu also called for the strict enforcement of forest protection policies; implementation of the Philippine Clean Air Act of 1999, Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000, and Philippine Clean Water Act of 2004; and discouraging open burning,
“With all these plans, Secretary Cimatu is calling on each one of us to be proactive and seriously take [to] heart the department’s mandate to responsibly take care of our environment and natural resources,” added Regional Executive Director Francisco E. Milla, Jr./WDJ