As organizations (including NVC) work to replace fishing boats and restore sources of income that were lost to typhoon Haiyan, Philippine forests are being depleted by the sudden increased demand for wood to make these boats. In general, it takes one tree to build one wooden banca, and cutting down that many trees to replace thousands of boats will almost certainly cause erosion, flooding and other environmental problems.  

Fiberglass for forests

NVC’s solution? Fiberglass boats. Fiberglass is an extremely durable and lightweight material that can be easily molded into a specific shape. It is commonly used to make boats, surfboards, water tanks, roofing, and even cars.   NVC has partnered with a fiberglass manufacturing company whose standards have been reviewed and assessed as among the best. We now operate a fiberglass boat plant in Bacolod and are setting up a similar plant in Leyte, which will begin production in mid-March. The Bacolod plant will serve Cebu-Negros-Panay, while the Leyte plant will serve Leyte and Samar.

 

Fiberglass for livelihood

NVC is also committed to transferring the fiberglass boat production technology to interested localities, turning them into manufacturing communities with an added source of income. NVC will give away the molds after we have finished producing our commitments to our donors.  

A small additional cost

At PhP25,000 (or $570), a fiberglass banca only costs PhP5,000 (or US$114) more than a wooden boat. Its benefits definitely outweigh the additional expense. Not only is a fiberglass boat longer lasting and tougher than its wooden counterpart, it also glides better on water and requires less fuel to travel the same distance, even if it is larger and has a bigger capacity than NVC’s wooden banca. Lastly, fiberglass boats are easy to repair. We are training our beneficiary communities to repair their own boats.

Dimensions of Fiberglass vs. Wooden Boats
	Wood	Fiberglass
Length of hull (interior)	11 ft	17 ft
Length from tip to tip	18 ft	19.7 ft
Height	23 in	20 in
Width	22 in	36 in

 

How can you help?

Currently, NVC has a pipeline of 879 wooden boats that have been donated but not yet produced. Our goal is to raise funds to convert these boats to fiberglass.

• If you are a donor whose wooden boat has not yet been turned over, would you consider adding Php 5,000 or US$114 to your donation to convert your boat into fiberglass? Please send us a Facebook PM or email info@nvcfoundation-ph.org to convert your donation to fiberglass.
• Simply donate P5,000 to upgrade one of the committed wooden boats to fiberglass. Click on the Donate Online link at the upper right portion of this page and input Php 5,000 or US$114 as the donation amount.
• Donate a complete fiberglass boat by pledging P25,000 or US$570 to restore the livelihood of a fisherman who has lost his boat to the storm. Click on the Donate Online link at the upper right portion of this page and input Php 25,000 or US$570 as the donation amount. Please note that it currently takes about two months to build a boat from the date of your donation, but once the Leyte plant is in full swing, production time can be much shorter.
• Help NVC spread the word about the importance of preserving Philippine forests, which are being depleted by reconstruction efforts after typhoon Haiyan

Note for donors with Singapore-issued credit cards: Singapore has some internal policies that prohibit Paypal payments to accounts in several countries, including the Philippines. If you are unable to send your donation via Paypal, you may opt to do a bank deposit instead. Please email info@nvcfoundation-ph.org to get our bank details.