Governor Daisy Avance Fuentes led the blessing and inauguration of the South Cotabato Bamboo Hub located inside the campus of Surallah National Agricultural School in Surallah town last June 25.
SUNAS officials led by Venchito Galera, the Vocational School Superintendent, warmly welcomed the Governor as they toured the newly-refurbished building that housed the different bamboo hub equipment.
The blessing and inauguration coincided with the 40th Foundation of SUNAS, of which the Governor was also the Guest of Honor and Speaker.
Later during the program, the provincial government represented by the Governor and SUNAS represented by the School Superintendent, signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) wherein SUNAS will supply 1,176 engineered bamboo armchairs and tables to the province and prioritize the purchase of raw materials from Banga Kawayan Artists Association to connect the bamboo hub to the bamboo node as part of the bamboo value chain.
The province in return, will give P1 million assistance to SUNAS to serve as start-up capital for the project.
In her message, Fuentes challenged SUNAS to further improve the bamboo hub so that it could produce more than initial engineered bamboo armchairs and tables ordered by the province, and added that she “hoped that this project will start a strong partnership between the school and the provincial government in the development of the bamboo industry in the province.”
The bamboo hub equipment was purchased by the province for P2 million while the refurbishment of the building costs another P1 million.
