The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) launched a creative industry summit in Iligan City, Lanao del Norte on Monday to foster local entrepreneurship and creative growth, with a focus on bamboo’s potential as a sustainable material for artisanal products.

The event, titled “Garbo: Creative Festival and Exhibit,” opened with a presentation by ethnic musician and activist Nicolas Dumapit, who demonstrated bamboo-made musical instruments.

Dumapit, an advocate for sustainable materials, encouraged participants to consider bamboo planting to support the burgeoning market for bamboo crafts.

“These bamboo instruments serve as effective tools for educating children in schools,” he said, highlighting their potential to replace plastic in accessories and household items.

Philippine Bamboo Foundation president Edgardo Manda echoed Dumapit’s sentiments, emphasizing bamboo’s investment potential as an underutilized industry in the Philippines.

Manda encouraged new investors to explore the opportunities in bamboo, seeing it as a way to help grow the country’s creative economy.

The “Garbo” event provides a platform for local micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) involved in crafts and other creative fields to exhibit and promote their work.

The event until Nov. 9 includes workshops and discussions on various creative themes beyond bamboo development. (PNA)