Redefining Bamboo: Initiative from the Grassroots

A housing participant of the
lowest income group in the Alliance's
community-managed housing in Iloilo
City presents her dream house during
the housing design workshop held last
April 16 to 17, 2012

One of the most challenging parts in the Alliance’s housing initiative is addressing the housing needs of the poor while at the same time ensuring the provision of decent housing giving highest regard to their income and affordability level. For the past years, since the start of the housing project implementation in 2008, the Alliance has been exploring strategies to lower down housing project cost. One of its innovations is the use of the Interlocking Compressed Earth Blocks (ICEB) which has indubitably helped realize the Alliance’s aim of reducing construction expenses. First, in terms of the minimal use of sand, gravel and cement mixture as filling for the hollow block walls and second because of its load-bearing capacity, there is no need for the construction of columns or posts which are conventionally used.

Housing participants express there dream houses through
drawings as illustrated above

With the commencement of the series of trainings and workshops for the lowest income group in the community-managed housing last April 16 and 17, 2012, the inconvenient truth which poses apprehension on the part of the alliance is the meager seventy thousand capital fund for housing construction, a relatively small amount which raises the following question: “what is the solution when faced with budget limitation?” The answer lies within the community’s inherent resiliency. An ordinary housewife would normally stretch the household budget in order to subsist in a week or a month by practically living according to means and by finding alternatives in order to save.

Bamboo poles such as these undergo
treatment using boric acid like the ones used in
the Alliance Bamboo Footbridge.

Bamboo is one of the practical alternatives being considered by the alliance in order to maximize the budget. Bamboo as a building material has long been utilized even by the early inhabitants of Iloilo City in particular and the Philippines in general. Despite the customary use of bamboo in building houses in the Philippines, the known fact which remains seemingly accepted by the general public is that bamboo houses will not last long like concrete houses do. To pave the way for the realization of bamboo application in housing projects, visits, meetings and discussions were initiated with the key public and private individuals, institutions and companies which have experiences and expertise in terms of the utilization of bamboo for construction purposes. The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Regional Office VI was tapped to solicit information regarding bamboo technology in Iloilo. DTI chairs the Philippine Bamboo Industry Development Council at the national level. On the other hand, the alliance also consulted with the University of the Philippines Visayas (UPV), the local partner academic institution of the alliance which operates a community-based bamboo enterprise development facility which advocates for the setting up of nurseries for bamboo plantations and the harvest of which will be used as materials for engineered bamboos. 

Sonia Cadornigara, HPFPI Regional Coordinator and Arch.
 Libutaque, TAMPEI President updates Prof. Prieto Carolino of UPV
regarding the upcoming Bamboo Workshop where the same would
be one of the resource speakers.

The alliance also visited the municipality of Maasin which is among the few local government units in the country which promotes the viability of bamboo and is considered as Iloilo’s bamboo-techno-demo area. Just recently, the alliance linked with Mr. Rex Dagdag, owner of the Elm and Oak Enterprises, Inc. in Oton, Iloilo which manufacture bamboo crafts and chemically treated bamboo for building houses. Dagdag won the bamboo garden lamp contract in January, 1999, at the Centre for International Trade Fair Exposition Mission (CITEM) Fair in Manila and he is presently doing consultancy work on bamboo related research.

These pile of bamboo poles are used to produce chopsticks,
one of the bamboo products manufactured by Iloilo Kawayan
Marketing of the Municipality of Maasin, Iloilo

Bamboo as a construction material is comparatively cheaper than concrete hallow blocks (CHB) or even the interlocking compressed earth blocks (ICEB) which is currently used in the alliance’s housing project. It can be used in a myriad of ways for building, such as for scaffolding, roofing, flooring, concrete reinforcement, walls and piping. A case in point is the alliances community-initiated bamboo footbridge in Matina, Davao City.

Bamboo Footbridge of the Matina Communities in
Davao City

Bamboo has a great capacity for shock absorption, which makes it particularly useful in earthquake-prone areas. It is extremely lightweight as compared with hardwoods and consequently, building with bamboo can be accomplished faster than building with other materials.

Bamboo is considered to be a sustainable and renewable alternative to hardwoods, foremost because it regenerates at exceptionally fast rates. It is also cost-effective, especially in areas where it is cultivated and is readily available. Transporting lightweight bamboo is less costly than transporting its heavier alternatives. In Iloilo, the UPV has conducted local researches on the availability of bamboo in the first and second district of the province and hopefully through the established partnership with the said academe, the alliance will be able to avail of such information.

Samples of engineered bamboo planks used to make bamboo
tiles, chairs and tables produced by the Pliantgraz Inc. in
Santa Barbara, Iloilo.

Construction using bamboo ordinarily does not require machinery and can be accomplished with simple tools. It is as long-lasting as its wooden correlates, when properly harvested and maintained. However, in order to ensure the longevity of bamboo houses, the alliance is looking towards the possibility of the use of chemically treated bamboo in combination with the ICEB.

This is a pilot housing demonstration project of the Alliance
in Matina, Davao City. Experiences in project implementation 
will serve as the Alliance's springboard to enhance future 
bamboo housing initiative.

As a response to social acceptance concern, the alliance will organize a Bamboo Workshop to commence on May 3-4, 2012. Such is paramount to its basic ritual on social preparatory activities. In particular, the workshop is expected to serve as a tool in changing the urban poor’s mind set towards bamboo as a construction material. With the combination of its strong partnership with the government agencies, academic institution, researches, workshop and training as well as the open mindedness and active participation of the urban poor sector in partnership with the local government unit, bamboo houses or a combination with ICEB is anticipated to be another breakthrough in the urban poor’s innovative slum upgrading initiative.

What We Did And Will Continue To Do

         The Philippine Alliance stands on its principle- that the development process appropriate for the poor should primarily be determined by the poor themselves. Determining such process is more than just applying an academically framed paradigm; it’s more than just having strong partnership with contemporaneous government administration and more than just delivering tangible output as proof of improvement. The alliance looks beyond what is visible- it specifically gives high regard to the people-centered process taking full consideration of the social context and the communities’ pace. Such is evident in all its slum-upgrading initiatives ranging from community savings mobilization, community survey, small-scale upgrading initiatives and at present, its community-managed housing initiatives which has not only made a great impact but has inspired local and international communities.

Sonia Cadornigara, HPFPI Regional Coordinator for Western Visayas presents 
the federation's experiences in housing project implementation with Vice Mayor
 Javier of the Municipality of Hamtic and Engr. Mondejar, the appointed project
 engineer of the upcoming project. Observing at the back are TAMPEI's (fr.L-R) 
Arch. Mandario, Rubinos-architect intern, Arch.Libutaque, TAMPEI President
 and Villarin, HPFPI Survey in-charge for Iloilo City

         Just recently, the alliance was tapped by the province of Antique, a province adjacent to the southern part of Iloilo, particularly of the municipality of Hamtic to assist and facilitate in the setting up of a Comprehensive Housing and Upgrading Project for families in the foreshore areas of Malandog, one of the coastal barangays of Hamtic. The project aims to a) promote community-managed housing construction, where the community plays a vital role in planning, procurement, actual construction and housing management; b) build on community’s collective capacities and resources through the promotion and expansion of savings program; c) facilitate skills and technology transfer by replicating the use of ICEB technology for the implementation of low-cost housing project and d) develop and strengthen pool of technical support, networks and partners to leverage financial, technical and infrastructure resources and jointly formulate policies or programs that support the delivery of  adequate, low-cost and sustainable housing for the poor.

Photo taken during the Workshop on Local Shelter Plan Formulation.
Participants compose of representatives from LGU' City Planning and
Development Office, Iloilo City Urban Poor Network, Housing and Urban
Development Coordinating Council, Housing land Use and Regulatory
 Board and National Housing Authority.

           On the other hand, in Iloilo City, the Alliance’s recently promulgated membership and representation in the Local Committee against Squatting Syndicates and Professional Squatters, reaffirmation of its membership in the Local Housing Board, participation in the consultation meeting on the Comprehensive Land Use Plan of Iloilo City, its involvement in the formulation of the Local Shelter Plan for the same and its recent participation in the proposal to amend the a national legislation on Urban Development and Housing are tangible  proofs that its constant and persistent initiative has not only made its presence undoubtedly visible but has to a great extent amplified its voice, loud enough not only to influence development policies but more importantly in taking the lead on setting the compass towards a more inclusive and participatory governance.

Lay-out and flooring of  the housing units of the
3rd batch of housing participants

         Currently, the alliance is nearing completion of one hundred seventy two (172) housing units in its community-managed housing project in San Isidro Relocation Site in Iloilo City. Eighty three (83) of which were officially awarded to first and the second batch of housing participants while the construction of the 48 units for the third batch is still ongoing. The initial course of implementing the remaining forty one (41) units for the last batch of housing participants which considerably has the least affordability level will commence through Savings Orientation and Housing Design Workshop on Monday (April 16, 2012).

Housing units of the 2nd batch of housing
participants. Because of a relatively lower capital
fund of  110,000 pesos compared with the
150,000 pesos fund of the 1st batch they have
decided to use ordinary GI sheets.

           The past few weeks have been quiet challenging and remarkably eventful for the Philippine Alliance particularly for the Iloilo Team, as exemplified by the abovementioned undertakings and activities. Such unfolding of events shows the Alliance’s potential to take greater leaps forward. However, “it is frustrating to know, see and encounter people who still think that they can just draw, plan, dictate, and build the house of the poor without getting them involved”, said Sonia Cadornigara, SDI Board Member. “We must keep in mind that we are not just building their houses but we are in a way building their lives and homes...and it is next to building communities...strategies which are in keeping with their progressive pace should be observed", she added.