QuestionsQuestions (OP EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 879)
It creates the Philippine Bamboo Industry Development Council (PBIDC) to promote the Philippine Bamboo Industry Development Project and to direct the use of bamboo for at least 25% of desk and other furniture requirements of public elementary and secondary schools, while prioritizing bamboo use in furniture, fixtures, and other construction requirements of government facilities, and providing funding and other related measures.
The PBIDC provides the over-all policy and program directions of the bamboo industry development program for all stakeholders.
The Secretary of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) chairs. Members include the Secretaries of DENR, DA, DepEd, DOST, DOLE, the Chair of the Executive Committee, the League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP), two NGO representatives, and one representative each from two private industry associations.
An Executive Committee is created to assist PBIDC in program/project identification and resource generation; it is headed by the DTI Undersecretary for Regional Operations and Development Group (RODG), with its membership composition to be identified by the PBIDC.
It must direct the preparation of the Philippine Bamboo Industry Development Plan 2010–2020 and identify, prioritize, and recommend initial strategic interventions, research directions, and critical data needs while the plan is being drawn up.
It serves as the Secretariat assisted by the Executive Committee/PBIDC, headed by the Executive Director of the Cottage Industry Technology Center (CITC), and is composed of representatives designated by PBIDC members; it identifies gaps in the bamboo supply-value chain and determines appropriate activities to address those gaps.
DepEd shall procure the equivalent of at least twenty percent (20%) of the annual school desks and arm chairs requirement of all public elementary and secondary schools nationwide (note: the title mentions 25%, while Section 2 specifies 20%).
DENR through specified offices shall use bamboo as planting material for at least twenty percent (20%) of its annual reforestation and rehabilitation areas, especially in provinces/towns engaged in bamboo-based industries or where trees are difficult to grow due to poor site quality, erosion susceptibility, or steep gradients.
DENR, through the Ecosystems Research and Development Bureau (ERDB) and other concerned offices, must continuously generate bamboo production technology to be transferred and disseminated to farmers.
DA shall identify idle and marginalized agricultural areas suitable for bamboo plantations without sacrificing areas used for food production; it must assist in establishing bamboo nurseries and bamboo propagation, focusing on bamboo shoots production.
DOST (through appropriate bureaus like FPRDI and FNRI) must undertake research and transfer technologies to reduce production costs and increase saleability of bamboo products, such as bamboo shoots processing and packaging, alternative adhesives and finishes, and affordable yet effective treatment and preservation techniques.
DOST must allocate twenty percent (20%) of its MSME assistance funds such as SET-UP and TAPI Venture Capital to bamboo-based enterprises.
DOLE shall identify and enroll special groups or organizations such as organizations of persons with disabilities (PWDs), the marginalized, and the like, positioned to advance the bamboo industry.
LMP shall provide coordinative support in partnership with LGUs for the development of the bamboo industry.
They shall lead in advocating the planting and utilization of bamboo nationwide and provide market information, research and market development, and similar undertakings.
The initial funding of P20,000,000.00 is provided by DBM to DTI-RODG for initial operation and administration. Annual budgetary requirements of PBIDC shall be appropriated to DTI-RODG, while cooperating agencies’ budgetary requirements are incorporated in their respective budgets as locally-funded projects until 2020; PBIDC may raise funds from other sources for specific projects as authorized by law.
It takes effect immediately upon its publication in a newspaper of general circulation. The repealing clause states that all executive issuances, rules, regulations, or parts thereof inconsistent with EO 879 are repealed, amended, or modified accordingly.