By Alexander Villafania
KIDAPAWAN CITY, COTABATO - The water hyacinth “disaster” that Cotabato suffered recently may actually have some economic benefits for its residents.
The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) is planning to conduct training programs for residents in areas affected by recent water hyacinth bloom.
This would include turning collected water hyacinth into commercial products such as home decors, bags, slippers, shoes, placemats and other types of home accessories.
TESDA Director General Joel Villanueva said they will be sending accredited trainers on water hyacinth décor manufacturing from Manila to Cotabato. Likewise, he has ordered TESDA coordinators in the province to look for local partners and find residents who are interested in being part of the training program.
In particular, they are looking for people who have been affected by recent flooding caused by the clogging of waterways, which is said to be blamed on the water hyacinth bloom.
“The flooding in Cotabato that was caused by water lilies will give us opportunity to turn calamity into employment generating activities and livelihood program for our people. We will turn the tons of green menace into green products,” Villanueva said.
Several TESDA trainers from Manila will assist Cotabato locals on how to collect, dry, and process water hyacinth to become fiber materials for weaving into various products. The trainers are aiming for at least 25 locals to be trained for five days.
These locals will then share their knowledge to other residents affected by the flood and the clogging of the waterways.
The water hyacinth problem in Cotabato started about a year ago when the aquatic plants started to grow uncontrollably. Rio Grande River, which was affected the most, had 20 hectares of water hyacinth clogging it.
President Benigno Aquino III has already ordered the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) to help in finding solutions to the problem. Just recently, the DOST is developing a harvesting machine that can turn the aquatic weed into mulch.
***
loQal.ph (http://loqal.ph/ ) is a website owned and operated by Filquest Media Concepts, Inc. It works under the principle of giving voice to the voiceless, empowering Filipinos and uplifting the image of the Philippines by highlighting its unique culture. To do this, the loQal.ph team produces stories, video, photos and other multimedia content types to inspire and celebrate Filipino achievements, ideas, products and places.