by Mark Salanga (ABS-CBN News Bacolod)

Who would have thought that these furniture, ornamental train, wooden tools and other designs are made of bamboo and “bilaho sang tubo�?

Rogelio Vasquez is a 64 year-old retired Talisaynon draftsman from a known sugarcane central in Silay City, Negros Occidental. He started making bamboo furniture in 2007.

It caught his attention when people started to recognize his works. What is even better, he’s earning while enjoying his hobby. Sixteen bamboo trains were sold by Rogelio for Php25,000 and four of these were sent to the U.S. It would take a month to make the bamboo trains as real as possible,



but for Rogelio it doesn’t matter as long as he enjoys his work.



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Rogelio, a proud Talisaynon, says that the feeling is priceless when people appreciate his work.

TRIVIA: Did you know that our Philippine national house is made of bamboo? The “bahay kubo�, also known as nipa hut, is a shelter made out of bamboo and palm leaves. It is a good place to take rest and eat typical food in the farm because of its material which allows good ventilation.

Did you al



so know that Bamboo is one of the fastest-growing plants on Earth? It has been measured surging skyward as fast as 100 cm (39 in) in a 24-hour period. Primarily growing in regions of warmer climates during the Cretaceous period, vast fields existed in what is now Asia. Bamboo is able to grow over 100 feet tall. (Source: en.wikipedia.org)