ALAMINOS CITY–Not banking solely on its booming tourism industry, courtesy of the Hundred Islands National Park, the city is harnessing its bamboo resources as another source of livelihood for the community.

The city government recently signed a memorandum of agreement with the Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU) for the adoption of the Engineered Kawayan, or E-Kawayan, a technology that converts bamboo poles into tiles for furniture and handicrafts.

Alaminos is the first local government unit to adopt the technology.

Dr. Stanley Malab, MMSU vice president for Research Extension and Business Affairs who stood as one of the witnesses in the agreement signing, explained that E-Kawayan uses their patented ‘Kawayan Tile Machine’ which produces tiles, which in turn, can be used as material for making other end-products such as furniture and handicrafts.

Barangays San Jose and Amangbangan, the two major bamboo producing communities here, will serve as the pilot areas for the project.

Mayor Hernani Braganza signed the memorandum of agreement with Dr. Meriam Pascua MMSU president,

Under the agreement, the MMSU-Ilocos Region Agriculture and Resources Research and Development Consortium (ILARRDEC) will fabricate and install one unit of  E-Kawayan machine in the city and provide training. 

 The university will also help the city promote and market their bamboo products.

For the medium term, the city government and the MMSU-ILARRDEC will develop a bamboo processing site in the city.

“We are extremely fortunate that the city was chosen as the first recipient of the E-Kawayan project,” Braganza said.

Braganza also noted that the MMSU and ILARRDEC have been helping the city in developing its agriculture sector over the last five years. 

Pascua, for her part, has expressed optimism that the city’s pro-ducts will find their way to  the domestic and  international markets. 

Braganza said the first customers will be the public schools in the city which are due to purchase tables and chairs for the students’  use.#

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