To address the lack of shelter among the survivors of typhoon Yolanda in Tacloban, a Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Bamboo Shelter project was recently inaugurated. The DIY Bamboo Shelter is a project developed and conceptualized by the Forest Products Research and Development Institute (FPRDI) and funded by the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST-PCAARRD).
The DIY Bamboo shelter measures twenty-four (24) square meters and consists of a living room, kitchen, and bedroom. It can be transported using a six-wheeler truck when packed, and can be assembled in three to four days. Also, the bamboo shelter has a readied electrical and water connection.
The inauguration and blessing of the project was done at the DOST grounds, Government Center, Palo, Leyte.
During his opening remarks, DOST-VIII Regional Director Edgardo Esperancilla emphasized that the DIY bamboo shelter is a low-cost, semi-permanent shelter, intended to make housing more accessible to the public particularly the poor.
Mayor Remedios Petilla of Palo, Leyte and Leyte Governor Leopoldo Dominico Petilla, who is also the Chairman of the Regional Development Council, graced the inauguration and blessing of the DIY Bamboo Shelter They both expressed support and appreciation for the said project. Part of the governor’s message stressed on the effective combination of man and technology as a tool to enable the people to survive and become more resilient.
The DIY bamboo shelter can be a means to catalyze and improve the bamboo industry in the country since there are many bamboo plantations that can be found in the northwest part of Samar and some parts of Leyte.
Initially, the DIY Bamboo shelter was conceptualized to serve as temporary shelter for the survivors of typhoon Yolanda. Dr. Feliciano G. Calora, Jr., Director of the Forestry and Environment Research Division (FERD) of PCAARRD stated that the Council wanted to make sure that the bamboo shelters would be semi-permanent, or if possible, a permanent shelter for the public.
The initiative on the improvement and development of bamboo as supported by DOST-PCAARRD is part of its commitment under DOST’s Outcome Oneto provide science-based know-how and tools that will enable the agricultural sector to raise productivity to world-class standards.