BACOLOD City – A Negros Occidental provincial government-run facility has introduced to the market a collection of uniquely designed items with bamboo as primary material.
The “Asian Wood” collection comprises furniture, home decors and accessories, luminaries, and gifts displayed at the Bamboo Innovation Center inside Panaad Park and Stadium in Barangay Mansilingan.
Capitol tapped the Philippine Design Development Center, through regional designer Carlos Lanuza, for the project, said Rafael Coscolluela, provincial consultant on investment promotions, export and trade development.
Negros Occidental-based Tumandok Crafts Industries executed the designs, said Coscolluela.
The items were shown during the 25th Panaad sa Negros Festival.
The product presentation combined the skills of traditional bamboo craftsmen in Negros Island and contemporary design ideas using modern machineries for bamboo processing, Lanuza said in a note posted at the showroom.
Those who want to purchase any of the items will be referred to Tumandok Crafts Industries, Coscolluela said.
“The prices for now may seem a bit expensive because these are one-off pieces, not mass produced,” he said. “Most likely the first people who will buy these items will have exclusive and unique items.”
Coscolluela expects the prices to lower when the designs and the manufacturing process are improved. “Our intention is to promote the bamboo industry,” said the former governor.
NOT ALL SUGAR
When Negros Occidental decided to promote its bamboo industry about three years ago, the province was not included in the national bamboo industry development plan, said Coscolluela.
“[The] people who designed the plan probably thought, ‘Let’s not concern ourselves with Negros Island because they only have sugarcane,’” he said. “We were always suffering from this image that all we’re good for is sugar.”
Seeing enough potential bamboo supply, Negros Occidental included bamboo industry development in its “diversification program,” which intends to let the local agriculture sector explore products other than sugarcane.
The Provincial Enterprise Development and Investment Center then came up with the Provincial Bamboo Industry Development Program.
ANY ORDERS?
Panaad Festival ended on Sunday. The Bamboo Innovation Center will now be open daily to entertain clients who want to place orders similar to the displayed items, said Provincial Project Development Officer III Jose Maria Amugod.
The Bamboo Innovation Center was established using funds from the 20-percent Provincial Development Fund (P6 million) and the 2015 Performance Challenge Fund from the Department of the Interior and Local Government (P4 million).
The Department of Science and Technology also provided P1 million worth of equipment, including bamboo splitter, twin rip saw, plainer, and laminating press. (PNA)
