FPRDI takes local bamboo workers’ skills to the next level
September 11, 2013
For 10 years now, the furniture products of Dahile Bamboo Workers’ Association (DABAWA) in Brgy. Dahile, Mabinay, Negros Oriental have been limited to sala sets and lounge chairs in basic designs. To help improve and expand their product line, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST)- Region 7 and the local government of Dumaguete City tapped the Forest Products Research and Development Institute (FPRDI) to conduct a training on furniture and handicraft making last 19-22 August 2013.
“Male participants were taught how to assemble furniture pieces such as bed, center table, sofas and lounge chairs using improved designs. The female attendees, meanwhile, were trained on making bamboo novelty items,” said Zenaida R. Reyes, FPRDI Training Coordinator.
Engr. Victor G. Revilleza, Senior Science Research Specialist at FPRDI’s Technology Innovation Division (TID), lectured on bamboo treatment and seasoning, product development and finishing techniques, among others.
“Before the training, the craftsmen used nails to fasten bamboo slats. This technique usually makes the slats prone to cracking. We taught them to use nylon cord instead to strengthen the furniture,” added Reyes.
The training course was attended by 44 participants and was part of DOST VII’s Program on Poverty Alleviation in Central Visayas, particularly in the Municipality of Mabinay. Talks are now brewing for a follow-up training course on bamboo pole treatment and drying.
Negros Oriental currently hosts the biggest bamboo nursery in the Philippines and is being developed by the Philippine Bamboo Foundation, Inc. as the country’s “center of bamboo propagation and development.” ### (Apple Jean C. Martin, 04 September 2013)
