GIANT BAMBOO FOR HUMANITY

"The goal is not to live forever, but to create something that will."

Officers of DDC Land, Inc., the Rotarians of RC Fort Bonifacio Global City led by President Rachel Verns Fajardo (the club of PDG Edna Sutter), RC Muntinlupa East led by President Mico Reyes, and the members of the Inner Wheel Club of Southern Stars led by Charter President Nene Callanga travelled to Bagac, Bataan to plant bamboo propagules in the hills of Barangay Kainisan.

The Metro Manila contingent was met in Bagac by the Parang Upland Farmer Group Inc. (PUFGI), headed by its President Olivia Mauricio, and Romelo Cuaresma, Forester III and Chief of Monitoring & Enforcement Section of the DENR.

A short program was held to express the gratitude of PUFGI and DENR to DDC Land, Inc. for donating 5,000 pieces of giant bamboo propagules that would be planted in a ravine to arrest the erosion in the area.

Unfortunately, the heavy rains in the past days did not render the muddy roads passable to the planting site. The regular vehicles had to be left behind, and the brave ones who were willing to be taken to the ravine were transported via a trailer pulled by a tractor, six to seven at a time.

The site was treacherous and slippery. Caution had to be taken in navigating the area, as the ravine was as deep as 112 feet at a slope of almost 90-degree-angles in some areas. The presence of the highland farmers was a huge help.

Mission accomplished! The thrill of successfully planting the bamboo propagules, the vision of improving the environment by arresting the erosion of the soil, and the joy of a job well done despite the trepidations, nourished not just the land but certainly the souls of those who cared to take the effort.

This is only one of many projects of Bamboo for Environment and Livelihood, a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) undertaking of DDC Land, Inc., led by its CEO and President, PDG Edna Sutter of District 3830. Through this advocacy, DDC Land and PDG Edna aim to actively distribute hundreds of thousands of bamboo propagules to the Philippine Rotary districts to mitigate the effects of climate change and provide livelihood. It is a project inspired by RPC21 Manila, an online RI presidential conference that attracted more than 20,000 attendees under the chairmanship of PDG Edna. RC Fort Bonifacio Global City, PDG Edna’s club, is the Overseeing Partner of this project.