Bamboo Gains Ground In Tampakan. Leaders Push Replication Across Mindanao.

Leaders in Region 12 and BARMM urge companies to replicate SMI’s bamboo program in Tampakan, citing high survival rates and erosion control.

COTABATO CITY — Environmental groups and local officials in Central Mindanao are calling on more companies and local governments to follow the Bamboo Development Program (BDP) of Sagittarius Mines Incorporated (SMI) in the uplands of Tampakan.

Reports from radio stations across Region 12 and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) highlighted the growing impact of the initiative, which has recorded high survival rates in multiple planting sites.

100% survival in first site

In 2023, SMI planted 600 bamboo seedlings in Sitio Kampo Kilot, Barangay Pulabato, Tampakan. An onsite survey by company personnel and environmental advocates confirmed a 100% survival rate.

The following year, at least 90% of seedlings planted across a 21-hectare upland area in Sitio S’bangayo, Barangay Tablu, survived. In late 2025, SMI expanded the effort, planting bamboo across another 14 hectares of vacant land in the same area.

The bamboo initiative runs alongside SMI’s broader forest tree-planting projects in Tampakan and nearby towns such as Columbio, Malungon, and Kiblawan.

The program aligns with environmental policies of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the Mines and Geosciences Bureau.

Leaders back bamboo push

Emmylou Taliño-Mendoza, Cotabato governor and chairperson of the Regional Development Council 12, expressed support for the bamboo propagation activities and encouraged other private firms — not only mining companies — to adopt similar programs.

She said bamboo planting benefits both Tampakan and South Cotabato, noting that mature bamboo can provide livelihood opportunities through handicrafts while protecting upland communities from soil erosion.

South Cotabato Governor Reynaldo Tamayo Jr. also welcomed the initiative, describing it as a positive environmental step for the province.

Call to replicate in BARMM

From the business sector, Ronald Hallid Dimacisil Torres, chairperson of the Bangsamoro Business Council, said the project could serve as a model for mining firms operating within BARMM.

Although SMI’s planting sites are outside the autonomous region, Torres said there is strong interest in replicating similar bamboo projects in Bangsamoro through collaboration among local government units, private firms, cause-oriented groups, and the region’s Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources.

“SMI’s bamboo propagation project is a good example that should be replicated in the Bangsamoro region,” Torres said.

Linked to larger mining project

SMI is contracted by the national government to implement the Tampakan Copper-Gold Project in the coming years, with written consent from Blaan tribal leaders and the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples.

Two years ago, the Regional Development Council 12 formally endorsed the project through a resolution.

As discussions continue around mining and environmental stewardship, local leaders say bamboo — often seen as a simple plant — is emerging as a symbol of resilience, livelihood, and land protection in upland Mindanao communities.