By Maria Teresa B. Benas
BANGUED, Abra, July 31 (PIA) — More people from Abra are now given employment through the production process of engineered bamboo(eBamboo) products particularly school chairs.
Derdrei Rochell Luna-Ifurong, chairperson of Tingguian Iloko Multi-Purpose Cooperative (TimpCo), declared this as she disclosed she had closed a deal of P7 million worth of school chairs with the Department of Education (DepEd) in Regions 1, 3, 5, 6, and the Cordillera Administrative Region.
Ifurong said it was not easy to promote the eBamboo industry since bamboo easily gets damaged when inadequately and inappropriately treated.
However, with proper guidance and technical assistance from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in Abra headed by Arell F. Banez, provincial director and other agencies of government, Ifurong was able to make the eBamboo appreciated since she started the TimpCo in 2008.
The eBamboo industry is likewise seen as sustainable because of the abundance of supply of raw materials which the group helps sustain by conducting massive planting of bamboos in the areas where her members and workers reside so that the raw materials are accessible in the workshop site.
Aside from the school chairs, the TimpCo also produces bamboo planks, tiles, sawali, and other furniture and fixtures for homes and offices.
Banez assured DTI’s their continuing support to the operation of the TimpCo.
In fact, Banez said, they have been looking into the sustainability of the eBamboo being carried out by the group.
He also said that they are now in the process of working on the documentation of the activities of the TimpCo in preparation for the nomination process of the cooperative for the Small Medium Enterprise (SME) Star Awards to be conferred next year by the DTI.
The DTI is promoting various products made of bamboo in line with the government’s thrust to promote the material for climate change mitigation and poverty alleviation. (JDP/MTBB-PIA CAR, Abra)
abrenian.com 
a good news for us people living in the hinterlands! whereas,bamboos which are abundant but its scarcity of uses had made them uncared and abandoned,fit for firewood when fully matured. with this ebamboo project,it brings a ray of hope for people like us, with this project we can generate extra income to alleviate our poverty! but HOW? DTI wants only enterpreneurs with money to invest and end users to buy the product!HOW and WHERE can we contact buyers of raw materials? i bet DTI bangued does not know the answer !
Posted by pagalsem | August 6, 2012, 10:14 pmusto ka pagalsem.awan pay damag ko nga adda inaramid ti DTI abra nga pagsayaatan ti umili ditoy abra.kasta unay ti uyong da nga agiparuar ti price control ngem awan met ti kabaelan da nga mangtengngel ti panaglobo ti magatang,kasda la aso nga taul nga taul ngem dida met kumagat!sayang la tay sueldo da! ti saludsod mo,dida masungbatan ta dida met ammo no ania ti kawayan!!!!
Posted by KARASAKAS | August 9, 2012, 12:20 amThe DTI-Abra is very active however they should show some succesful and sustainable results and not just being active for the sake of being able to say that they are doing something. Whereas they encourage people to indulge in entrepreneurship, the BIR is there to discourage it. Another setback will be setting the arena wherein new businessmen can limit their activities. Is it not better if they concentrate or make a subdepartment which just focus in marketing whatever entrepreneurs produced? One has to notice that in other countries, the Chinese government version of their DTI is very active in looking for markets for their products – a single salesman(DTI employee) can confidently say “we can supply needles, clothes up to ships, whatever you need we have a company that can do it” – that should be an example of how the DTI should operate. In other words, marketing should be the focus of the DTI and not just in developing skills for use of local materials, let the people be creative enough to develop the necessary skills because even if they are DTI trained if the market is saturated, the skills will just be wasted.
Posted by Reynaldo Sison | August 11, 2012, 5:00 amtatta la manen nga rummuar daytoy ebamboo nga news ta asideg manen ti election. daytoy nga ebamboo awan met progreso ken ar aramiden na. adda laeng idiay lagangilang nga nakatakder. usaren manen a nga propaganda dagitoy luna ta asideg manen ti election. awan daytoy nga ebamboo. awan pay madamag nga progreso na manipud timmagder daytoy
Posted by bembol | August 16, 2012, 5:30 pmbasol ti PIA apay tatta da laeng nga iwaragawag dayto nga projekto.gapu kadi ta agbuteng da ken governor takit TA ISU MANGIBAGBAGA NGA ISU TI IMMUNA NGA NAGPROJECT TI EBAMBOO.idamag u ti DTI ken sir arel apay nga isu ti nominated da to star award para ti DTI.to see is to believe.mapan ka agpasyar didjay gayem k ta mkita ti matam…..
Posted by killersmile | August 17, 2012, 1:43 am