About 3,600 Kawayan tinik (Bambusa blumeana) and Bayog (Dendrocalamus merrillianus) propagules have been planted in various sites and forest reserves in Central Luzon as part of Department of Environment and Natural Resources' (DENR's) efforts to rehabilitate denuded forests that have impacts on the Manila Bay.

Paquito Moreno, Jr., executive director of DENR's regional office, said in a statement Monday the region-wide bamboo planting held last week was fundamental not only in rehabilitating denuded forest areas, but also in facilitating rapid recovery of river easements, as well as stabilizing river banks, particularly in Manila Bay areas and river systems in Bataan, Bulacan, Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, and Tarlac.

According to him, "bamboo offers a wide array of environmental benefits, which makes it a golden resource in the construction industry."

"In the implementation of our Manila Bay rehabilitation program, we consider it as a crucial component of soil erosion control and slope stabilization measures, which will fast-track our efforts to clean and restore river systems in the region," he said.

Moreno said they conducted a bamboo suitability assessment before planting bamboo propagules along the riverbanks to determine appropriate bamboo species in the area.

The activity was part of DENR Sec. Roy Cimatu's marching order to use bamboo to rehabilitate Manila Bay as well as its connected river banks.

Currently, Moreno said, a 1.7-hectare bambusetum and bamboo nursery had already beeb established in Barangay Mambog in Hermosa, Bataan, where some 950 propagules of Giant Bamboo (Dendrocalamus giganteus), Yellow bamboo (Phyllostachys sp.), Budda belly bamboo (Bambusa venteicosa), Kawayan tinik (Bambusa blumeana), Kawayan kiling (Bambusa blancoi), and Bayog (Dendrocalamus merrillianus) species are being cultivated in partnership with the local government units.