Mayor Elmo Bombase is sparing no effort for this town to bounce back to its pedestal decades ago as the main supplier of the world renowned Tinawagan Grade Hemp or TG, the finest abaca grade hemp.

Since the start of his present term, Mayor Bombase has held dialogues with Tigaon farmers to convince them to get back to abaca industry with the support of the local government. With the growing environmental concerns over the continued proliferation of non-degradable synthetic fiber, there has emerged a big demand for abaca fiber in the world market. He had also stressed that the government is focusing on abaca plant diseases like mosaic and bunchy top which plagued the industry in the past but now could easily be controlled.

Mayor Elmo Bombase intently watches participants in the “Harag-utan” contest during his recent Abaca Festival in Tigaon.

Then he pledged to support initiatives to set up abaca nurseries in strategic areas in the municipality because rehabilitation of the abaca industry could only occur if abaca seedlings are readily available. He explained that he has the full support of the Fiber Industry Development Authority (FIDA) which considers Tigaon still as the best area in Camarines Sur if not the whole Bicol Region in the production of the best abaca fiber.

After large tracts of erstwhile abaca land were converted to sugarlands, Camarines Sur has sunk to only the third abaca-producing province in the Bicol Region next to Catanduanes and Sorsogon. Farmers were titillated to move to sugarcane production with the establishment in Himaao, Pili of the first sugar mill in the Bicol Region, PENSUMIL. But the decision was largely influenced by the low demand and therefore low price for abaca around the 1970’s and 1980’s. Moreover, abaca disease had spread.

During the last town fiesta in Tigaon, Mayor Bombase underscored his obsession to put his town back to the abaca map of the world by holding the abaca festival. Parades featured abaca motifs and contests called Tugduk-Tugod and Harag-utan were held with the enthusiastic participation of abaca farming families.

It was obvious that Mayor Bombase has sufficiently stirred and motivated his people to appreciate the need to focus once more on abaca and the town is heeding well to its old days of glory via abaca.