sec. piñol vows to make food available ph can be rice self...

July - September 2016 Vol. 25 No. 3

(Please turn to page 7)

PH can be rice self-sufficient thru hybrid rice seeds, farm mechanization

Sec. Piñol vows to make food available and affordable

New DA admin groundsand driveway.

Old building.

On his first official visitto Bicol, newly installedAgriculture SecretaryEmmanuel F. Piñol presentedthe department’s thrusts,directions,andfirstonehundreddays target under PresidentRody Duterte’s administrationin a dialogue with some 145agri-stakeholders composedof Bicol region’s provincialgovernors,districtandpartylistrepresentatives, and farmerleaders. The event dubbedas Pres. Rody delivers…TAPATAN: Gobyerno atMamamayanwasheldonJuly12,2016attheRIARSTrainingCenterinsidetheDARegionalOfficecompound. With the Secretary wereUndersecretaries andAssistantSecretaries of the DepartmentofAgricultureandchiefsoftheservices/divisions of the DA

Thecountry’sriceindustryfaces a bright future, and inthe next two to three years itcould be self-sufficient andably compete with its Asiancounterparts. This is the sentiment ofmorethan3,000farmers,privateseedproducersandgovernmentofficials who attended the 3rdnationalricetechnologyforumfromSeptember27to29,2016,inPolangui,Albay. Thekeyisplantingqualityinbredandhybridricevarieties,adopting the recommendedpackage of technologies andfarm mechanization — whichwas successfully demonstrated

to thousands of Bicol farmersat a contiguous, commercial-scale 20-hectare technologydemonstrationfarminBarangayBalangibang,Polangi,Albay. To date, it is the largesttechno-demo area planted tovarious wet season hybridand inbred rice varieties, saidRecherOndap,presidentoftheRice Productivity Advocacy,Inc.(RiceBoard). The farmer-cooperators,led by farmer-technicianEdgar Pesebre, are expectedtoharvest at least eightmetrictonsperhectare(mt/ha),doublethan the country’s nationalaverage yield of only 3.9 mt/ (Please turn to page 6)

ha, said Dr. Santiago Obien,former executive director ofthe Philippine Rice ResearchInstitute (PhiRice) and RiceBoardmember. The three-day event is ajoint undertaking of the RiceBoard, the Department ofAgriculture(DA)BicolRegion,DA national rice program,municipal government ofPolangui and provincialgovernmentofAlbay. The rice board membercompanies are Bayer, Dupont,Pioneer SLAgritech, Bioseed,Seedworks,Syngenta,PhilRice,PhilSCAT, Prasad Seeds, USAgriseeds,andLongpinSeeds,Inc.,saidDr.FriscoMalabanan

2 July - September 2016UMAsenso

Advisers:

Dr. Elena B. Delos Santos Regional Executive Director Dr. Edgar R. Madrid Regional Technical Director for Research and Regulations

Published quarterly by the Regional Agriculture and Fisheries Information Division of the Department of Agriculture, Regional Field Unit No. 5, San Agustin, Pili, Camarines Sur, Tel No.(054) 477-5113 Fax 477-0381 E-mail Address: [email protected]

EDITORIAL

Re-entered as a Second Class Mail Matter at the Pili Post Office, Pili, Camarines Sur under Permit No. 2014-13 on March 26, 2014.

Editor-in-Chief: Emilia B. Bordado Writers: Lovella P. Guarin Jayson M. Gonzales Blesilda A. Nuñez Annielyn L. Baleza MichelleAngelaG.Alfigura Lay-out Artist: Lovella P. GuarinPhotographer/Liason Officer: Eduardo D. Collantes, Jr.

Illustrators: Hermito Antonio T. Privaldos Ramon C. Adversario

Circulation: Blesilda A. Nuñez Lita V. Estrella, Bernard Enrique Emil Pasumbal, Salvacion Gonowon Records Unit

Rediscovering the potentials and benefits of hybrid rice

When hybrid rice was introduced in the late 90’s, Bicolano farmers were at first hesitant and apprehensive. But soon interest on hybrid gained ground after an aggressive information and advocacy campaign, techno demonstrations and other promotional schemes such as the 50:50 discounting scheme; the buy-one-take one scheme, and a credit scheme in the form of production inputs. After only three years since its introduction a number of Bicolano farmers have become adoptors and have achieved record high yields. But just when adoption of hybrid rice was gaining momentum the DA management in the previous administration opted to focus more on inbred. Hybrid rice production was not aggressively promoted. Some analysts say that had the promotion of hybrid rice been sustained, rice self- sufficiency would have already been attained under the Aquino administration.

Today, hybrid rice is again being aggressively promoted by the DA and private seed companies as one of the strategies to increase palay production from the current 18.150 million metric tons to self- sufficiency at 21.6 million metric tons by 2019. Along with increased

or expanded irrigated rice areas, availability of improved and climate resilient hybrid varieties, adoption of farm mechanization and modern and appropriate postharvest technologies, rice sufficiency is likely to be achieved.

Hybrid rice is at present is still the best available genetic tool for increasing the yield potential of rice over that of the current high-yielding rice varieties. It offers higher income opportunities for farmers either through commercial cultivation or seed production as it has a yield advantage of at least 15% to 20% over inbred. The average hybrid rice yield nationwide is 5.7 metric tons per hectare which is much higher than the current national average of inbred rice yield of 3.90MT. There are even hybrid yields of 8 to 12 MT per hectare per crop. More than just a table rice with its pleasant taste, aroma and good eating quality hybrid rice also commands high price as seed.

Through the years and through aggressive research many hybrid varieties have been developed from an initial one variety (Mestizo 1) today there are already 78 hybrid varieties developed by private companies, PhilRice, IRRI and UPLB.

From these varieties there are those pest resistant varieties and there are those which can be planted during wet and dry season. This was proven during the recent conduct of a compact techno demo trial in the 20-hectare contiguous areas in barangay Balangibang in Polangui, Albay for wet season (June to October) where 11 hybrid varieties were planted for main crop yield and yield component. Yield results after harvest showed that the Bigante variety has the highest yield at 7.64 ton per hectare followed by SL-18H with 7.12 tons per hectare and PHB 79 with a yield of 6.9 tons per hectare. This despite the damage due to rat infestation, flooding and intrusion of weeds and other field problems.

Now that the Bicolano farmers have rediscovered the great potentials and benefits of hybrid rice, they are again ready and eager to plant hybrid. Even LGUs are putting their stake on hybrid production. The private seed companies must therefore make hybrid seeds available, affordable and strategically positioned and the DA must also make the necessary support and interventions so that rice farmers can enjoy its full benefits and potentials.

UMAsenso 3July - September 2016

Letters

Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP)

LGU and fisherfolk associations in San Fernando, Masbatecooperate to maintain their marine protected areas Before the sun rises up, you canhear the grating sounds of the rake andsoft chatting of the residents of Brgy.Resureccionwhile cleaning the shorelineofSanFernando.Theygather the trashesand wastes carried away by the watercurrent and segregate theseproperly in acompost pit. Sharp stones are collectedandarrangedatthecornerofthecoast. “Thecoastshouldalwaysbecleaninorder to ensure abundance of fishes andhealthygrowthofseaweeds,saidMr.NoelBergantin,FisheriesCoordinator. Aside from the Deputized FishWardens(BantayDagat)whoserole is tomaintain the cleanliness of the coastlinewithin theareacoveredby thesanctuary,the LGU had also organized a team ofconcierge to maintain the sanitationand the orderliness of the shoreline infour barangays of San Fernando namelyResureccion, Baybay Dagat, SilanganandBuyo.Everymorningfrom4amto6

am, they start gathering and cleaning theseashores before they do their householdchores.ThemembersoftheconciergealsoreceivemonthlyincentivesfromtheLGU. “Maayo po ini na nalilinisan namon an baybayon, bukod sa damo an pwede na magkadi na mga turista, nakakasiguro man kami na dili maaatian an sanktwaryo” (It’sagoodthingthatweareabletocleanthe coast, aside from inviting tourists,

we are also assured that our sanctuary isclean),saidDagayDivina,memberoftheconciergeresidingnearthecoastofBrgy.Resureccion. Fisherfolk are always included in allactivitiestomaintainandprotecttheMarineProtectedArea (MPA).This is away forthem tohavea senseofmembershipandappreciatethebenefitsoftheseprojects. As the only Global EnvironmentFacility(GEF)inMasbate,residentsofSanFernandoareenliventoprotectthecoastalecosystem and conserve the biodiversityof themunicipalwaters inorder tohelpincreasethefishcatchparticularlyamongthemarginalfisherfolkoftheareaaswellasimprovethequalityandvolumeoftheirseaweeds. TheGEFproject,beingimplementedby the LGU through the MunicipalAgriculture Office (MAO) as theimplementing unit and the fisherfolkassociation, with the assistance of theMunicipal Fish Sanctuary and MarineReserve Council (MFSMRC) aims to:(a) increase their fish catch by 5-10%within3to5yearsoftheMPAexistence,(b) conserve and increase production ofaquaticplantsandanimalsthataredepleteddue to exploitation and over harvesting,(c)instilawarenessontheresidentsoftheMPAand(d)providealternativelivelihoodprojectstothemarginalfisherfolkandtheirfamilies. The proposed 125-hectareMunicipalFish Sanctuary and Marine Reserveis located at Brgy. Resureccion, SanFernando, Masbate with an estimatedcost of roughly P3 million GEF grant.Continuous consultation and technicalreviewwith the Proponent Group is stillon-going toknowtheproper interventionthePRDP-GEFcanoffer. GEF-funded projects aim toincorporate natural biodiversityconservation mechanisms and coastalfisheries resources management to localgovernments’commodityinvestmentplan.(Michelle Angela G. Alfigura, DA-PRDP RPCO V InfoACE Unit)

Labo Progressive Multi-purpose CooperativeBgy. Malasugui, Labo, Camarines Norte

August 3, 2016

DR. ELENA B. DELOS SANTOSRegional Executive DirectorDepartment of Agriculture RFO 5San Agustin, Pili, Camarines Sur

Thru: MRS. EMILIA B. BORDADO Chief, Regional Agriculture & Fisheries Information Section

Dear Madam,

Greetings! May we respectfully request from your good office sets of reading materials forpineapplefruitandfiberproductionguidethatwillbeusedforourinformationcaravanandtrainings of our farmer members. This is to intensify our project in support to government programs and initiatives. Our cooperative plays an important role in the community to enhance and sustain the pineapple industry that promotes food security program of the government. In relation to this, it will be a great help and support for our advocacy campaign to fully develop the pineapple industry in our province. We do hope you will grant our request. Thank you very much for your support.

Very truly yours,

REY ULYSSES L. DIMAANO Agribusiness SupervisorNoted:

MRS. FE DE MESA BOD Vice Chairman


Ten farmers associationsfrom the provinces of Albay,Camarines Norte, CamarinesSur, and Sorsogon receivedsmall scale compostingfacilities from the Departmentof Agriculture Bicol and theBureau of Soils and WaterManagement (BSWM) onAugust 26, 2016 at the DABicolcompound. DA Bicol OIC RegionalExecutive Director ElenaB. delos Santos; Adelina A.Losa, regional focal personof the Organic Agriculture(OA) Program and chiefof the Agribusiness andMarketing AssistanceDivision (AMAD); and ArielAlmeda who representedBSWM OIC Director Sonia

DA, BSWM turn over composting facilities

M. Salguero turned overthe said interventions to thechairpersons/heads of nine (9)associationsandaschool. Among the recipientswere:SanAntonioCommunityDevelopers Association ofLabo, Cam. Norte; TagbakOrganic Farming Workers,Association, Inc. of TabacoCity; Cagmanaba BarayongMacoto Farmers Association,Inc. of Oas, Albay;CommunityBasedAgriculturalDevelopment Organization ofGura, Donsol, Sorsogon; BuhiIntegratedOrganicAssociation,Inc. of Buhi, Camarines Sur;Ubaliw San Ramon FarmersAssociation of Oas, Albay;


PILI, CAMARINES SUR – TheDepartmentofAgriculture(DA) Bicol distributed a totalofP25.3millionworthoffarmequipment and machineries,palay seeds and heifers to 95individual farmers, 27 farmersassociationsandfive(5)LGUsin Camarines Sur duringthe farmers and Fisherfolk’sCongress held September 22-23, 2016 at the ProvincialCapitol Convention Centerhere. Among the equipmentturnedoverwere1unitcombineharvester,6units4wheeldrivetractor, five units walk behindrice transplanter, 13 unitshandtractorwithtrailer;2unitsfloating tiller; 3 units powertiller; 5 units power tiller; 5units mechanical corn sheller;2-row corn planter; 4 unitscassavachipper;1unitcassavagraterand2unitsshredder.TheDA also turned over 50 headsheifer (ready to breed femalecow) and 50 sacks of 40 kilosGreenSuperRiceseeds. Likewise, the DA Bicolawarded a total of P5 millionfundingsupportinaformofloanfrom the Agricultural CreditPolicyCouncil(ACPC)tonine

Cam.Sur farmers get P25.3 million worthagri machineries, inputs & loan assistance

(9) farmers’ organizations thathavepreviouslyreceivedRiceProcessing Centers from theDA. Except for MalangatongFarmers Assn. in Iriga Citywhich received P1M, eachfarmers’ organization receivedP500,000 interest-free loan tobe used as additional workingcapital in their rice processingbusiness.Theloanispayableinthreeyearswithoneyeargraceperiod. DA Bicol OIC RegionalExecutive Director Elena B.delos Santos turned over theequipment and machineriesto the farmers assisted byGovernor Miguel Luis R.Villafuerte. The Bureau of FisheriesandAquaticResources(BFAR)region 5 also distributedmotorized bancas to 58individualbeneficiaries. Agriculture SecretaryManny Piñol was representedby Dr. Lilibeth L. Signey,Regional Director of BFARCordillera AdministrativeRegion. ThecongresswasinitiatedbytheOfficeof theProvincialAgriculturistofCamarinesSurwhich is now headed by the

newly appointed provincialagriculturist,Dr.CelyBinoya.Some 1,500 farmers andfisherfolks attended the two-day affair which featuredexhibitsandplenarysessions. On same occasion,Governor Miguel Luis R.Villafuerte sworn in thenewlyelectedofficesoftheCamarinesSurProvincialAgriculture andFisheriesCouncil. DA program coordinatorsand project focal personsdiscussed the variousagricultural services of thedepartment during the plenarysessions.(Lovella P. Guarin)


CacaofertilizationprogrambenefitsfarmersPILI, CAMARINES SUR–Tofurtherboost cacaoproductionin Bicol, the DA High ValueCrops Development Program(HVCDP) embarked on afertilization program. This isin response to feedbacks fromfarmers that some old cacaotreesarealreadyunproductive. Initially, 88 farmers fromCamarines Sur, Albay andSorsogonweregivencombinedfertilizer to fertilize a totalof 9,709 trees at 6 kg/tree. InCamarinesSur,thedistributionof fertilizer was held at theDA regional nursery thismunicipality onSeptember 7.For the farmers ofAlbay andSorsogon, the distributionwasheld on September 8, at theAlbay Experiment Station inBuang,TabacoCity. The fertilizers were givenfreetofarmerswhoparticipatedin the technodemo.Theywillmonitor the date of flowering,numberof fruitsproducedandotheragronomicdata. Rosita Imperial, DAregional HVCDP coordinatorsaid she has observed good

performance of fertilizerapplication on cacao in otherregions where the fertilizedcacao plants show earlyflowering and increased yield.The fertilizer company hasalsoconductedsomestudiesontheefficacyof thefertilizeronfloweringandyieldofcacao. A combination of 17-8-9+2MgO (high in Nitrogen)and 10-7-22+3MgO (high inPotassium)at6kiloseachweregiventofarmers.Attherateof300gramspertreeadministeredonce a year, the initial free

fertilizer from DA canfertilizeatleast20treesperfarmerbeneficiary. A lecture anddemonstration on theproper administration of thefertilizerwasconductedduringthedistribution.Theapplicationof fertilizer isnot laboriousasit is applied only once a year.ThegranulescontainNitrogen,Phosphorus, Potassium andMagnesium. It does notdissolves easily in water andlastsupto16-18monthsinthe

fieldbecauseithasacoatwhichcontrols the gradual release ofNPK. Aside from the farmers,alsopresentduringthebriefingand turn over were provincialand municipal HVCDPcoordinators, municipalagriculturists and agriculturaltechnicians. (Lovella P. Guarin)

PILI, CAMARINES SUR – Department of AgricultureBicolOICRegionalExecutiveDirectorElenaB.delosSantosturned over a total of P 4.7Mworth of agrimachineries andequipment to various farmers’organization as part of DA’sintervention for the rice andhigh value crops farmers.The turn overwas held at theDA grounds on August 19. TheRegionalAgriculturalEngineering Division reportedthat twenty-one farmersorganizations and irrigatorsassociations received one unithand tractor with trailer eachunder the Rice Program. FortheprovinceofCamarinesSur,therecipientsweretheSacasanFarmers Irrigators Associationof Bato; NagkakaisangMagsasaka ng SagradaFamilia also of Bato; SanIsidro Labrador Coop in San

Rice, HVCC farmer groups granted production equipment

Fernando; Pulang Daga PalayCorn Farmers Association ofBalatan; San Jose BaybayonIrrigatorsAssociation ofBuhi;Check Farmers ProducersCoopofLibmanan;NiñoJesus,Masoli,SanMiguel,AgosFIAin Bato; Mangayawan SuaFarmers Irrigators AssociationofCanaman(2units);BalagbagFarmers SWISA of Milaor;Buenas Farmers Associationof San Fernando; SiembreIA of Bombon; SamahangMagsasaka ng TIgaon, Inc.;Mambulo Viejo BinobongFarmers of Libmanan;Timbang Integrated FarmersAssociation of Minalabac;Flordeliz Farmers SmallWater IAofMilaor;SalvacionBaybay Palayamanan FarmersAssociation of Calabanga;Patson Del Pilar Farmers



DA reiterates ban on hazardous vet drugs

PILI, CAMARINES SUR – The DA reiterates theprohibitiononthesellinganduse as additives in animalfeeds of five (5) veterinarydrugsbecauseofthebuild-upof residues in themeat,milkand eggs derived from suchanimals which is detrimentaltohumanhealth. The DA and DOH haveidentified Chloramphenicol,Carbadox, Olaquindox,Nitrofurans andBeta-AgonistDrugsashazardoustoanimalsraisedforfood. Themanufactureofthesedrugshavebeenbannedsince1990 and the registration ofthese drugs were likewisedisapprovedsincethen. Dr.RenatoAlmonte,chiefof theRegulatoryDivisionoftheDepartmentofAgriculturesaid their office is strictlymonitoringallveterinarydrugsand even feed establishmentsto ensure adherence to theban. Banned drugs foundin these establishments areconfiscated. Three violationsis tantamount to revocationof license and registrationof the veterinary drugs andfeedestablishment,addedDr.Almonte. Chloramphenicol is anantibiotic for life threateninginfections. High levels ofresidues in meat, milk andeggscancauseaplasticanemiainhumans. OlaquindoxandCarbadoxareusedtoreducesalmonellashedding in animals. Bothdrugs have long withdrawalperiod of about 70 days.Theexperiment on male micewhich showed increase in

incidence of adrenal cortexadenomaspromptedtheFoodandAgricultureOrganizationof the World HealthOrganizationnottoestablishan acceptable daily intakefor thesedrugs.Studies alsoindicated that exposure ofworkershandlingtheproductmayposeariskofirritation,allergy, and severe allergicreaction. Nitrofuranswerebannedin USA and Germany since1991 because they havebeen demonstrated to becarcinogenic when used at0.15%w/w concentration infeed for one year, includingmammary tumors. Itsmanufacturewas phased outinAugust2000. Beta-agonist drugssuch as clenbuterol,salbutamol, terbutalin andpirbuterol are used inhumans as bronchodilatorsand inhibitors of musclecontractions. These drugsare used in animal feeds asgrowth enhancer and bodyfat reducer leaving highresidue levels on edibletissues of food animalswhich are still detectedeven after considerablewithdrawal periods due toslow degradation rate ofthese drugs. Beta-agonistdrugs affect lungs and heartfunctions and even causesdeathinanimals. Livestock and poultryraisers, especially owners ofcockfighting roosters shouldbe vigilant and familiarwith these drugs to avoid it. (Lovella Guarin)

Sec. Piñol vows...

ofSLAgritechandRiceBoardmember. The 20-hectare techno-demo farm in Polangui isdifferent from the previousones,asthericeseedlingswereplantedduring thewet season,and Barangay Balangibang isa flood-prone, said Dr. Obien,whoalsoservesasDAnationalrice program senior technicaladviser. “In fact, the 20-hectarearea was flooded during thebooting stage, on August 20-23, 2016, and the inbred andhybrid rice varieties recoveredquickly,”Obiensaid. “Also, the farmersthemselves planted and tookcareofthericeplants,followingtheprescribedtechnologiesforeachvariety,withtheguidanceof respective private seedcompany and DA experts.In spite of the harsh weathercondition, the crop stand isgoodtoexcellent,anindicationof theresilienceof theplanted

Ph can be rice self-sufficient... (from page 1)

inbredandhybridvarieties,”henoted. Thefirstricetechno-forumwas held in Digos City andHagonoy, Davao del Sur onMarch18to20,2015,whilethesecond was held in BarangayDapitan, Pototan, Iloilo, onMarch 16 to 18, 2016, saidObien. For her part, DA Bicolregion OIC-Director Elenade los Santos said “while theBicol has achieved rice self-sufficiency at 115.75 per centover the past four years, wecannotaffordtobecomplacentbecause we are faced withmore challenges like climatechange and rapidly increasingpopulation.” “The driving force of thisprivate-public partnership isour shared vision to increaserice production in our regionthrough traditional as wellas modern or science andtechnology-based approacheswith the active participation

ofourfarmers,”DelosSantosadded. She said the 20-hectaretechno demo farm inBalangibang, Polagui, is themost effective way to showfarmers how to translatemodernriceseedsandpackageof technology into tangiblebenefits. For his part, Rice BoardpresidentOndapsaid“wemustworktogethertohelpempowerour farmers to become more

competitive. In June 2017,the biggest challenge for uswould be the lifting of thequantitativerestrictionsonrice,when imports from Thailand,Vietnam and other countrieswouldhavezerotariff.” “Let us prepare andsoften the impact of thiseventuality by increasing riceproduction throughhybridricetechnology,”heurgedfarmers.

The jampacked crowd at Bicol University campus in Polangui, Albay.

The DA turned over a total of P________ worth of farm equipment and machineries to farmers and LGUs of Albay and Sorsogon during the forum. Photo shows Sorsogon provincial agriculturist Ma. Teresa Destura receiving the certificates of award.

(Reprinted from MB.COM.PH / Manila Bulletin)


centraloffice. Present during the dialoguewere all the governors of thesix provinces of Bicol, namely:GovernorsMiguelLuizVillafuerteof Camarines Sur, Al FrancisBicharaofAlbay,EdgardoTalladoof Camarines Norte, Robert LeeRodriguezaofSorsogon,AntonioKho of Masbate, and GovernorJosephCuaofCatanduanes. Members of the House ofRepresentativesalsoshowedtheirfull support to the Department’sdirections. Also present wererepresentatives Edcel Lagmanof Albay (1st district), JoeySalceda of Albay (2nd district),Luis Raymund Villafuerte, Jrof Camarines Sur (2nd district),Gabriel H. Bordado, Jr. of Cam.Sur (3rd district), DeograciasRamosofSorsogon(2nddistrict),Renato Unico of CamarinesNorte (1st district) and MarisolPanotes, of Cam. Norte (2nddistrict). Partylist representativesAnthony Bravo for NationalConfederation of Cooperatives(CoopNATCCO),andAkoBicolpartylist representatives RodelBatocabe, Christopher Co, andAlfredo Garbin also attended theevent. Secretary Piñol alsoturned over checks for BottomUp Budgeting and Payapaat Masaganang Pamayanan(PAMANA), small ruminantsand various farm machineriesworth P37,258,596.00 tovarious organizations and localgovernmentunits. Inhispresentation,SecretaryPiñolpresentedhisvisiontomakefood available and affordable foreveryFilipinobyfocusingontwoareas: Staple Food CommoditiestoEnsureFoodSecurity;andHighValueCropstoGenerateJobsandForeignEarnings. To achieve food sufficiencyandmaximumproductivity in thecountry, the DA under PresidentRody Duterte will implement10 concrete steps. One of thehighlights of his strategies is anational color-coded agricultureand fisheries. The DA will focusits interventions and assistanceto the regions according to whatthey could produce best byconsideringthespecificagronomiccharacteristicsofeachregionsuchasgeography,soil typeandwateravailability.

“Irrigation will be free for allfarmers starting2017,but corporatefarms will have to pay. For theremainingmonths of 2016, farmerswill still have to pay.” He seeksthehelpof thelegislatorspresent inamendingtheNIAcharter. The DA will also implementCash forWorkprogram for farmersand fishermen affected by El Nino.Work includes manual repair anddesilting of irrigation facilities forfarmers; and cleaning of coastalwaters and planting of mangrovetreesforfishers. TheDAwillgiveP1Billionperregiontofundeasyaccessfinancingschemes for the small farmers andfisherfolks to encourage maximumutilizationofeveryinchoflandinthecountry. Otherpronouncementsmadebythesecretary includedtherevivalofthe abaca and coconut industry intheBicolregion.AnotherpriorityofthesecretaryistheQueenpineapplebecause it has great demand in theforeign market. “We will supportyoufromproduction,processingandmarketing.TheDAcanevenprovidecanning facilities if needed. Forfarmersinterestedincattlefattening,theDAwillprovideslaughterhousesifnecessary.…meatproductsnaangilalabasngBicol.” Toachievericesufficiencyinthecountry,theDA,startingnextyear,foroneseason,willprovidehybridseedsandfertilizersatP15,000perhectarecost to all farmers. But in return,the DA will ask farmers to depositP15,000 to theirownaccounts afterharvest so that in the next croppingthey will be able to buy their ownseeds. Sec. Piñol also announces aNoCashOutpolicyuponreleaseoffarmmachineries and equipment tofarmers.Theequity(15%ofthetotalamount) will be paid in installmentbasiswithinfouryears. HehasalsopriorinstructionstothePhil.CropsInsuranceCorporation(PCIC) to insure all farmers. Headded that it is President Duterte’sdreamtoensurethatallfarmersandfishers have an Identification Cardindicating the sector he is in, sothat the farmers/fishers could alsoreceive pension before the Duterteadministrationends. He also briefly interacted withsome 30 members of the media inCamarinesSurinapressconferencefacilitated by Emily Bordado, DABicol chief information officer.(Lovella Guarin / Annielyn Baleza).

Sec. Piñol vows... (from page 1)

First time in Bicol. Political issues were set aside as high ranking government officials converged at the RIARS training center of DA for Secretary Piñol’s visit.

Livelihood from weed. Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol awards to the members of the San Fernando Ragiwdiw Farmers’ Association a livelihood assistance package, consisting of 2 units of sewing machine and raw materials during his visit in the Bicol region on July 12, 2016. The assistance was funded under the Bureau of Agricultural Research - Community-based Participatory Action Research in Flood Prone Areas Project. Ragiwdiw or seagrass, which was considered to be a pestering weed in the past, is now raw materials to footwear, placemats, bags and other handicrafts produced by the women association.


NAGA CITY–Apowerhouseof product developmentexperts from food and non-food industries, microfinanceinstitutions, and producers ofGreatWomenbrandedproductsfrom Metro Manila arrivedon this city for the two-dayProductAssessmentofGREATWomen 2 Project in Bicol.TheeventwasheldonSept.5at the Haciendas De Naga inCarolina. The Gender ResponsiveEconomic Action for theTransformation of Womenor simply GREAT Women,according to Dr. Elena B. delosSantos,DABicolRegionalExecutive Director, is beingimplementedby thePhilippineCommission on Women(PCW), with the Canadiangovernment as fundingorganization. She added thatBicol is very fortunate to beamong the four pilot regionsalongwithregions2(CagayanValley), 6 (Western Visayas)and12(Soccsksargen) Initially, the project haschosensixRural ImprovementClubs (RIC) and cooperativein Bicol to be recipients ofcapacity building support andtobelinkedtoinvestors.Theseare the Baao RIC, headed byBernadette delos Santos, theNapawon RIC in Goa headedby Adelia Magsino, both inCamarinesSur;theNasipitRICinCastilla,SorsogonheadedbyCarinaArellano;theCalataganTibang RIC of Virac headedbyAgnesAlmogel andHappyFarmersFoodProducts, IncofBaras,Catanduanes headedbyLuzviminda Oropesa and theLaboProgressiveMultipurposeCoop in Labo, CamarinesNorte. Theobjectiveoftheproductassessment was to scout forpotentialproductsoftheseRICsto be included in the GREATWOMENlabeland to link thewomen micro entrepreneursto local investors and evenglobal markets by helpingthem keep up the supply andvaluechain.Standardstomeetinclude capacity to producein volume, consistent supply,

facility, Good ManufacturingPractices, linkage with DA,DOST and Food and DrugsAdministrations, transparencyofingredientsandprocess,andcombination of convenienceandhealthbenefits. The product developmentexperts critiqued the foodand non-food indigenousproducts displayed on exhibitby thesesixenterprisingRuralImprovement Clubs (RICs)such as piña cloth, herbalsoap, hand woven bags andwallets, coco and pili shellcraftsandjellypreserves. Myrna Jarillas, SeniorProgramme Officer of GlobalAffairs Canada commendedthe DA Bicol Gender andDevelopment (GAD) led byits focal person Aloha GigiI. Bañaria for gathering theproduct development expertswho will guide the womenmicro entrepreneurs bymodelling. Director Emmeline L.Verzosa Executive Directorof the Phil. Commissionof Women (PCW) said theproject is a convergence ofdifferent government andnon-government organizationsaiming to improve the livesof the economic status ofthe rural women. They havebrought Manila-based privatesector partners such as EchosiFoundation represented byReenaFrancisco,EstudioJuanand Green Leaf Eco Bagsrepresented by Zarah Juan,Sustainable Agri representedby Sef Carandang, and ASAPhilippines represented byMaryAnnConcepcion. Bicol-basedprivatesectorspartners present were BiggsInc. ledbySieglindeBulaong,Admin. Manager and LydiaLomibao,ownerofJ.EmmanuelHouse of Pili. Also presentwereEnricoNavarro,Presidentof Responsive Initiative forSocial Empowerment (RISE);LorelleBaracolofDOSTICTIManila; Grace Layosa, GADfocal person of CooperativeDevelopment Authority 5 andsomemembersoftheDAGADfocalsystem.

Zarah Juan, owner ofGreen Leaf Eco Bags, sharedher life story resigning fromher job as flight attendant tobecome a small entrepreneur.She started her business withan order of only 10 eco bagsfrom a friend. The next orderincreased to 100, 4,000 andso on. Now, she has a line offashionaccessories,shoes,bagsand other indigenous productswiththeGREATWomenbrand.She has tapped the skills andindigenousresourcesofseveralcommunities in the country inthedevelopmentofherproductlines. The GREAT Womenproject has its own store andcafé in Makati City whereproducts promoting theFilipino culture and traditionandwomen-related advocaciesare being sold. The GREATWomen brand supports localartisan, promote indigenous

Products of rural women in Bicolassessed for market link

skills and value traceability tosource. According to Aloha GigiI. Bañaria, Chief PMEDand regional Gender andDevelopment Focal Person ofDA RFO 5, the project is thebest model of public-privatepartnership.Shedisclosed thataJapaneseinvestorisinterestedin the hand embroideredbags of Baao RIC. She isoptimistic that more trainings,and exposures to successfulwomen’s enterprises will besponsored by the PCW in thefuture, and most importantly,BicolproductswillbeincludedintheGreatWomenshowroom. The project will beformalized by aMOA signingbetween theRICbeneficiaries,the DA Bicol and the PCWManila in October with VicePresident Leni Robredo asguest of honor. (Lovella P. Guarin)

Dr. Elena B. de los Santos, DA Bicol Regional Executive Director.

(L-R) Bernadette delos Santos, President of Baao RIC proudly shows their hand embroidered bags. Also in photo are Aloha Gigi I. Bañaria (2nd from left), DA GAD focal person; PCW Executive Director Emmeline L. Verzosa (2nd from right) and Sef Carandang (extreme right) of Sustainable Agri.


Agri-fishery low performance in 2015 tackled in inter-agency meeting

Under reporting orinaccurate reporting of thevolumeoffishcatchintheseawaters of Bicol could be oneof the underlying reasonsfor the 9.4 percent contractionin the fishing sub-industryperformance last year (2015)which pulled down the threeother sub –industries namely;Agriculture, Hunting, andForestrysectortoa2.3slumpinitsperformance. This is what surfaced asthe probable reason duringthe round-table discussioncalled by the Department ofAgriculture thruOIC-RegionalExecutive Director, Elena B.DelosSantoswhoimmediatelyconvened the RegionalManagement Council (RMC)composedofheadsofattachedand partner agencies of theDAtotracethereasonsforthelow performance of the sectoras reported by the PhilippineStatisticsAuthority(PSA). Per report by the PSA,Bicol’s economy in 2015accelerated from 4.3 to 8.4andcontinues tobe the fastestgrowing region among the17 regions of the country.The service sector remainedthe largest contributor to theregion’s economy at 56.1 percent followed by the industrysectorat22.5percent. However, the same reportrevealsthatthecombinedsub-sectorsofAgriculture,Hunting,Fishery and Forestry (AHFF),showedadecliningtrendfroma high of 8.7 percent in 2012,slowed down to 4.3 percentin 2013, then declined to 1.1percentin2014andsankdeepercontracting to -2.3 percent in2015.This2.3percentslump

in the performance of theAHFFaccordingtoNEDAwasdue to 9.4 percent contractionin the Fishing sub-industry.Agriculture and Forestrymanagedtostayafloatgrowingby 0.4 percent, a slow downfromits1.9percentexpansionin2014. Presidingoverthemeeting,Dir.DelosSantosunderscored

butnorepresentativecame. After the presentations,the BFAR regional planningofficer, Joel Benavidez askedthe PSA where and how theyget theirdataas to thevolumeof fish catch in the region.Luceña answered that theirenumerators get their datafromthefishlandingsinBicol.Benavidez then pointed outthatnotallthefishcatchintheBicol waters are unloaded orbrought to the designated fishlandingsintheregionbutsomeof these are brought outsidethe region such as Lucena,Batangas,MindoroandVisayasprovinces and these fish catch

Hagosojos announced that thePFDA regional fish landingcomplex in Camaligan willbe transferred to Bulan,Sorsogon as soon as the ongoingconstructionofthenewcomplexwillbecompleted.ButtheCamaliganfishlandingwillberetainedasasatelliteoffice.Hagosojosadded thatBulan isa more strategic location fortheregionalFishlandingasitisarichfishinggroundandmoreaccessible to fishing vesselsunlikeCamaliganfishlandingwhich is along theBicol rivernot accessible big fishingvessels. Dr. de los Santos thus,

the need for all the agenciesdirectlyorindirectlysupportingthe agriculture, fishery andforestry sectors toget togetherand find out the root causeof the problem, identify thegaps and deterrents and comeup with new approaches,strategies and action plans forthe sector to bounce back andimproveitsperformance.Alsoinvited during the meetingwere the PSA represented byDanilo Luceña who presentedthe 2015 Performance of theBicolEconomyandtheNEDArepresented by Maria TeresaT. Chong, who discussed theanalysis and interpretationof the data presented by thePSA. DA’s Planning OfficerAloha Gigi I. Bañaria alsopresented the 15 point agendain agriculture under the newadministration. The DENRwasalsoinvitedtothemeeting

are now recorded in thoseregions. This observationwas also seconded by DAregionalTechnicalDirectorforresearch and regulations , Dr.EdgarR.Madrid.HesaidBicolhas a long coastline but thefish catch data is small as theactual fish catch of the regionare not properly recorded ordocumented. Philippine FisheriesDevelopment Authorityregional manager of theFish landing in Camaliganin Camarines Sur, CarlosE. Hagosojos also made hisrejoindersayingthatBicolisafishexportingregion,supplyingbigvolumeoffish todifferentprovinces outside the region.He bared that Bicol suppliesdaily big volume of semiprocessedcrabstoCebuwheretheyareprocessedthenbroughttoMetroManila,Bacolod andother major cities. He addedthatothermarinespeciessuchassquidandoctopusaboundinBulan,Sorsogon,andTicaoinMasbate but these are broughttoIoliloandRoxasCity.Othermarine products fromAroroyandMilagrosandBalatanandother Camarines Sur watersarealsobroughttoLucena,theNCRandotherpartsofLuzon.Asanadditionalinformation,

in the region but are beingtransported outside the regionarenotbeingproperlyattributedto Bicol. Moreso, once theseagricommoditiesareprocessedtheyareconsideredoutputsofthe industry or manufacturingsector.Theround-tablediscussionheld in Legazpi CitysometimelastAugustwasalsoparticipated in by NationalIrrigation Administration,(NIA) regional manager,Vicente R.Vicmudo; NationalMeatInspectionService,actingregional Technical Director,Dr. Fernando N. Lontoc;Philippine Crop Insuranceregional, manager, CorazonSm.Realubit;PhilippineFibersDevelopment Authority, OICregionaldirector,MaryAnnR.Molina; Agricultural TrainingInstitute, training division,chief, Cirlo Nuyles; CDAOfficer in-charge, Grace P.Layosa; Regional Agricultureand Fisheries Council,chairperson, Jimmy Cordero;Eng. Wilfredo Papaya ofNIA;TheresaB.AñonuevoofNEDA;Dr.AlexTemplonuevoof NMIS, Benjie Santiagoand division chiefs, programcoordinators and staff of theDAregionaloffice.(Emily B. Bordado)

requested BFAR and thePSA to have a specialmeeting and work closelyin finding a bettermethodor approach in gatheringand reporting data onfisheries. De los Santosalso expressed a parallelview that agriculturalcrops and even livestockand other agriculturalcommodities produced


Completed P10.7 million FMR under DA-PAMANA project eases life of over 4,000 residents Barangay Captain AlvinoNuñez of San Roque Heights,Bula, Camarines Sur wasvery thankful as he receivedthe certificate of turn over forthe P10.7 Million two lanesFarm-to-Market Road fromDA - Payapa at MasaganangPamayanan (PAMANA) andLocal Government Unit ofBula,CamarinesSur.MayorAmelitaIbascoand Florentino Ubalde, DAPAMANAfocalpersontogetherwith Christopher Asucena,PAMANA area coordinator ofBicol led the simple turn overceremonytotheconstituentsofBarangay San Roque Heights,Inoyonan and Itangon on July27, 2016. Also present wereVice Mayor Moises Soreta;

MunicipalAgriculturistMencyMadrid; Mary Ruth Parro,Bula Municipal Planningand Development Officer;other sangguinang bayan andbarangay officials. BarangayCaptain Roberto T. ReginalesofInoyonanontheotherhand,receivethecertificateofawardforhisbarangay. "Kaidto grabe an laboy idgi. Mahalnas na maray. An pamasahe mi hanggang banwa P100.00...Igwang duwang nagadan na diyan nin huli ta dae na nakaabot sa center sa kadificilan kan tinampo. An mga estudyante sa high school naabot man maati na...Bgy.CaptainNuñezrevealed. "Ngunyan, magayun na an tinampo, P50.00 na sana an

pamasahe hanggang banwa. Sa 129 na households, lampas 100 na an nakabakal motor asin may naglalaog na sakayan kan samuyang mga produkto arog kan kopra,"headded.MunicipalAgriculturistMency Madrid said the 1.058kilometer FMR is directlybenefitting 4,145 residents ofbarangays Inoyonan, ItangonandSanRoqueHeights.Whilethe indirect beneficiaries areother barangays within BulaandBalatan. The three uplandbarangays are considered astheremotestandmostbypassedbarangaysofBulawithpovertyincidencerecordedat66%.Asthese barangays are located inthemountains,armedconflicts

oftenensue. Toaddresstheseproblems,theLGUBulaproposedfortheconcreting of the said FMRwhich was luckily fundedby the DA RFO 5 under thePAMANA2015funds. Florentino Ubalde,PAMANA focal person ofDABicol said PAMANA aimsto empower conflict afflictedcommunitiesbyinvolvingthemintheplanning,implementationandmonitoringoftheprojects;reduce poverty through theestablishment of access roadslinking production areas tomarket centers; and ultimatelyuplift the socio-economicconditionsoftheruraldwellers.PAMANAisnowonits4thyearofimplementationandisbeingspearheaded by the Office ofthe Presidential Adviser onthePeaceProcess (OPAPP) incooperationwith line agenciesand LGUs. (Lovella P. Guarin)

BUB turns over farm equipment

SAN JOSE, CAMARINES SUR– The Department ofAgriculture turned over 18handtractorsandwaterpumpsworth P2.5 million to LGUSanJose.Theequipmentwerefunded under the Bottom UpBudgetingProject. Oscar Odiamar, ChairmanofRangasFarmersAssociation,togetherwithhiswifeandothermembers of the associationwere excited to receive thehandtractor with trailer andwater pump. According toOdiamar these equipmentwill be of great help to theirassociationwhichiscomposed32 members tilling morethan 50 hectares of land.They alternately plant riceand vegetables. The RangasFarmers Association is onlyoneofthe18associationswho

receivedhandtractorsandwaterpumpsonthatday. The DA turned over thesaidequipmentandmachineriesto the Local GovernmentUnit of San Jose throughMayor Antonio B. Chavezwho identified the qualifiedbeneficiaries. Other farmers associationpresent during the turn overwere: Salogon AgriculturalPlanters Association; CalawitFarmers Association;Catalutuan FarmersAssociation; Bagacay FarmersAssociation; TominawogFarmers Association;Camagong FarmersAssociation; CalalahanFarmers Association; Tagas-SalogonIrrigatorsAssociation;TelegrafoFarmersAssociation;Matoon-Lateral-EFarmers IA;

Herobias FarmersAssociation;Rangas Farmers Association;Bahay Farmers Association;M a n z a n a - T a m b a n g a nFarmers IA; Boclod FarmersAssociation; and MampiraoFarmersAsociation. The saidassociations were representedbytheirchairpersonsandotherofficers. Municipal AgriculturistAdolfo Bruzo saw the

change in the attitude of thefarmers. “They are now moreenthusiastic and eager to getwhattheyneed,”headded. He is referring to thenew directive of SecretaryManny Piñol eliminatingthe 15% equity for the agrimachineries and equipmentwhich was shouldered by the

Mayor Antonio B. Chavez (4th from left)turns over the certificate of award for handtractor with trailer to its recipients. Also in photo are MA Adolfo Bruzo and Teodoro Eleda, DA BUB Monitoring team head.

(Next page please)


NAGA CITY --“Anagrikultura, puso kankabuhayan kan bikolano; anturismo, nagdadara nin kwartasa Bicol; asin an industriyanaguuswag hale sa agrikulturaasinturismo(AgricultureistheheartoflivelihoodofBicolanos;TourismbringsmoneytoBicol;and Industry progresses fromagricultureandtourism).” Thisispartofthemessageof AKO-Bicol Partylistrepresentative Rodel Batocabedelivered during the openingceremony of the 5th BicolTourism and Food Expo(BITFEX)2016heldatSMCityNaga,NagaCityonSeptember15, 2016 with the theme“Tabang sa turismo, tabang sapagnenegosyo (Assistance intourism,assistanceinbusiness). Batocabe added that allLGUs should support theagriculture, tourism, trade andindustrysectors. According to BrendaLocsin, president of the

DA Bicol sustains support to BITFEX

Philippine BroadcastingNetwork(PBN)Foundationandthe organizer of the BITFEX,thisfour-dayeventwillpromotenotonlylocaltourisminBicolbutalsoonagricultureandlocalproducts. This year, exhibitorsfromBaguio,Manila,Palawan,LagunaandCaviteparticipatedinBITFEX2016. Department ofAgriculture-Bicol RegionalExecutive Director Dr. ElenaB. de los Santos presentedthe Agricultural Programs inBicol.Shesaidthatthepresentadministration of PresidentRodyR.DuterteandSecretaryManny Pinol have twochallenges---provideaffordableandavailablefood,andincreaseincomeanddecreasepovertyinruralcommunities. As a major sponsor andpartner,theDA-AMADinvited14 local farmer organizationsand small entrepreneurs toshowcase their products andservices. These include HML

Food Corporations, YULAIKFood Products, MayonPerfectionConfectionery,VillaSuerte Dried Fish Processor,NESS Crafts, YML HealthFood Products, PecuariaDevelopment Cooperative,Inc., Naga City OrganicFarmers Association, GoaAgri-ProducersandProcessorsAssociation,Agri-Planters and

participatedintheexpo. Aside from invitingexhibitors, the DA alsoconductedanInvestmentForumon Cacao Production. Asidefrom DA, the Departments ofTrade and Industry (DTI), andTourism(DTI)alsoparticipatedin the event. (Jayson M. Gonzales)

Food ProcessorsAssociation ofTigaon, LaboP r o g r e s s i v eM u l t i - p u r p o s eCooperative, BicolCacao PlantersA s s o c i a t i o n ,PILAUI FoodE n t e r p r i s e s(PFE), and BicolE n t r e p r e n e u r sAssociation forMushroom. TheDA also had aninformation boothon #BROWN4good#Region5. Adelina Losa,Chiefof theAMADsaidthe14exhibitorsobtainedatotalsalesof P300,000 duringthe4-daytradefair. Otherexhibitorsfrom privateand governmenti n s t i t u t i o n s

farmer-beneficiaries before.The DA Bicol has abide bythis directive. Although forthisparticularproject,the15%equityhasbeen shoulderedbythe LGU San Jose as it wasfundedlastyear. This time, the farmers donot need to raise any amount

to acquire equipment from thegovernment. Mayor Chavez announcedthattheyhavedraftedtheirownMemorandum of Agreementin theBicoldialect to regulatetheuseoftheequipmentandtocreateasenseofresponsibilityonthepartofthebeneficiaries.

In his message duringthe short turn over ceremony,Chavez explained that itwas only in 2014 when themunicipalityofSanJose,whichis a 4th class municipality,has qualified to the BottomUp Budgeting because themunicipality was not ableto acquire a seal of good

housekeepinguntil2014. Chavez lauded the BuBproject for providing servicesaccording to the needs of thefarmers. But he stressed thathemakes sure the projects goto legitimateassociationsonly.He thus,createda teamwhichprovides technical assistanceandtrainingtobuddingfarmersorganizations to create moreorganizationsoffarmerswhicharesustainableandwillendurethetestoftimes. The farmers went homewith smiles in their facescontemplating the benefits oftheir new acquisition. This isjust one of the many tales oftheBuBprojectemployingthebottomupapproach,effectivelyhelping farmers by involvingthem in the planning andmakingofdecisionswhichwilldirectly affect them. (Lovella P. Guarin)

Emily B. Bordado, DA Bicol Regional Information Officer and chief of the Regional Agriculture and Fisheries Information Section (RAFIS) received the certificate of appreciation from Glenn J. Barcelon, PBN Executive Vice President and BITFEX Project Director.


by Emily B. Bordado

A former overseas worker now deeply-rooted in farming

Reynaldo Bertulfo aformeroverseasworkerin the middle East is

back in his home town inCalabanga, Camarines Surand is now a successful andprogressive farmer. Only inhismid- thirties, Rey isnowdeeplyrootedinhis farmlandin Barangay Binaliw anddedicated to his professionas a farmer. He now ownsseveralhectaresofagriculturallands and has ventured intocorn,rice,coconutandgingerproduction. Despite the highpayhewas receiving as an overseasworkerherealizedthatitwasnotthekindoflifehewantsforhimselfandhisfamily.Whileworkingabroadhealwayshadthat sense of uncertainty andlonging to settle to a morestableandlaidbacklifeinthecompany of his family whichinclude his wife and 3 youngchildren.Hethus,decidedtoventureintofarmingintheirbarangay.He tried corn production inhis half hectare farm becausecorn was the most commonand most in demand crop inthe municipality. Moreover,thehilly terrain of theirareawas most suitable to corn

production. Realizing theviability of corn productionhe then purchase anotherlot and expanded his cornproductionarea.Todate,hehasabout15hectares planted to yellowcorn. He gets an averageharvest of four tons perhectare from his corn fieldsand the income he derivesfromcornheusedtoconstructhis all- concrete house andminiwarehouse; purchase ajeep;andestablishasari-saristore. He has also severallaborersandfarmhandsinhisemploy. There is one area nearhis house which he plantsalternatelywithrice. Duringwet season he plants palayas he knows this croprequires more water andcorn during dry season asthis crop requires not muchwater. Averypracticalman,Rey is always conscious ofthereturnonhis investmentsandseizesopportunitieswhenheseesthem.Hislatestundertakingisgingerproductionina3,000-square meter area underdwarf coconuts just besidehis newly constructedhouse.Two years ago he bought 3


Vermicompost

sacks (at 60kg/sack) of seedpieces of Hawaiian whitevarietyatP10,00persackandplantedthematadistanceof1 x6 under some 30 dwarfcoconuttrees(plantedat12x10distance). “Naisip ko lang na bako magastos saka bako gayong maselan ang pagtanom luya. Pakatanom mo bayaan mo lang. After about 10 months pwede na ipabakal. Garu man sana may pigtalbong ka sa daga na ginto.”(Ijustthoughtthat ginger production is notan expensive and delicateundertaking. After plantingyoujustforgetaboutit.It’slikeyou just youburiedagold inyouryard).Reyreasonsoutwhyhe thoughtof going intoginger production. “Saka dai masyado kaipuhan fertilizer saka pesticide ta dai man sya susceptible sa mga insekto asin helang.” (Also this cropdoesnotrequiremuchfertilizerand pesticides as these arenot susceptible to pest anddiseases),headded.Hisinitialharvestyielded30 sacks or 1,800 kilograms.Atthattimeheharvestedhisginger the farm gate pricewasP45/kg.asitwasapeakseason for this crop. Thisgave him a gross income ofP81,000 and a net income ofabout P40,000. Encouragedby the good profitmargin hederived on his first attempt inginger production he decidedtodoasecondplanting.Thistimeheadjustedhisplanting.He planted inMay so hewillharvestaroundMarchbecauseabout this time the price ofginger spikes up to P200 perkilo. One good agriculturalpractice that Rey does in hisfarmisusingcornstubblesascover ormulch for the younggingerbulbsinsteadofburningthemasisthecommonpracticeoffarmersinthearea.Asthesestubbles decompose they alsobecome organic fertilizer.In addition, he uses chickenmanureasfertilizer. Heobserved that those

ginger planted under shadesare healthier and producebigger rhizomes than thoseplanted in open areas. Healso noted that anotheradvantage planting of gingeristhatitisnotveryvulnerableto typhoon and strong winds.“Kahit bumagyohindinamanmasyadonadamageyungluyasailalimatmadalinamanmagrecover yung dahon niya”Reyexplained.“Atsakahindina problema yung plantingmaterial for the next croppingkasi yungmga rejects o hindinaibebentasainanimopwedenang planting materials foryournextcropping. Rey is also good insourcing out assistance andservices from governmentagenciesandotherinstitutions.As president of BarangayBinaliw FarmersAssociationhe was able to obtain fromtheDepartment ofAgriculturea flatbed dryer which he andhis farmer members use fordryingtheircorn. Recently their groupthroughhis initiativewasableto avail of a multi-purposedrying pavement (MPDP).Hedonated300squaremetersofaportionofhislotinfrontofhishouse where the MPDP wasconstructed for common usebythefarmermembersoftheirassociation.Averyobservantpersonandamanwithdepthofperceptionandkeennessontechnicalmattersthatheis,henoted down some deviations

made by the contractor whoconstructed their MPDP.This, he brought to theattentionof theOfficeof theirMunicipalAgriculturistwhointurnbroughtthemattertothedivisionconcernedat the DARegional office. Correctivemeasureswerethenmadebysaid contractor on the MPDPwhich has now been turnedover to and acceptedby theassociation. Rey expresses hisappreciation and gratitude tothe assistance and extensionsupport he has been gettingfrom the Local GovernmentUnit of Calabanga throughthe Office of theMayor andthe Municipal Agriculturistespecially the technicianswhohad been providing technicalassistance and providing orfacilitating his attendance tovarious trainings. Likewisehe expressed his thanks tothe DA regional office for

assistanceextendedespeciallyin providing the neededinfrastructure andpostharvestfacilities. But he urged his fellowfarmers to be innovative,open and receptive to newideas. “Dapat bukas kita sa mga makabagong ideya. Arog sako pirmi ako nag attend mga trainings saka pirmi ako pigkukua bilang farmer cooperator para sa mga techno demo bako lang kan DA kudi pati mga private companies.”(Farmers should be openedto new ideas. Just likeme, Ialways attend trainings andI am always invited to be afarmer cooperator for technodemonstrations not only bythe DA but also of privatecompanies). He is currently beingassisted by the DA regionaloffice to obtain GoodAgricultural Practices (GAP)certification.

Ginger under coconut

Fatbed dryer being monitored by evaluation team.


(Next page pls.)

by Lovella P. Guarin

Mun. Agri Fishery Council of Ocampo: LGU’s vital arm in agricultural development

To the people of Ocampo who consider themselves poor* and are solely dependent on agriculture for their life support, the presence of a very dedicated and concerned organization like the Municipal Agriculture and Fishery Council (MAFC) of Ocampo, is a blessing. For nine years, the rural folks have felt and experienced the impact of the projects and advocacies of the MAFC, composed of 28 members from the private sector and 10 from the government sector, in partnership with the Local Government Unit, the Department of Agriculture and other stakeholders.

Ocampo is a 3rd classrural municipality in theprovince of Camarines Sur.With almost 75% of its totalland area of 11,331 hectaresdevoted to agriculture, mostof the inhabitants are farmerscultivating 5,022 hectares ofricearea,32hectaresvegetablearea, 110 hectares mangoplantation,650hectarescoconutarea, 788 hectares sugarcaneplantation, 634 hectares cornarea, and 12 hectares cassava.Some 31 hectares are plantedtobamboowhicharemadeintofurnituresandhandicrafts,and12 hectares were devoted tofishculture. Ocampo is consideredas one of top contributorsin rice production in theprovince and the rice granaryof Partido area since 44% ofits agriculturalarea isdevotedto rice production.One of thechallengesfacedbythefarmersis poor irrigation which isaggravated by prolonged dryspell.TheBicol region is alsofrequented by typhoons in thepast years causing losses inproperties,cropsandlivestock. Toaddresstheseproblems,theMAFCcraftedaMunicipal

Agriculture and FisheryDevelopment Plan in 2015whichcontaintheprioritizationof the construction andrehabilitation of existingirrigationfacilities.The development plan wasimmediately approved andadopted by the SangguniangBayan in July 2015 and wasallocated with P2.3M for itsimplementation. In the implementation ofthe municipal developmentplan, the MAFC’s expertisein planning was tapped. Thecouncilalsorecommendedandendorsedtheirrigationprojectsworthmillionsforthedifferentorganizationsandcooperatives.Amongthecompletedprojectswere: May-ogob AgrarianReformirrigationfacilityworthP12M,extensionofSanAntoniocanal at Hacienda EspirituworthP10M,Cabariwansmalldam worth P12M (on-going),CAANDUYOG Inc. irrigationat Cagmanaba worth P22M,all funded by the NationalIrrigation Administrationthrough the assistance of thenCongresswomanLeniRobredo.From the DA Bicol, theCagdaga Farmers Association(CAFA) got P5M for the

construction of Small FarmReservoir and another five (5)irrigatorsassociations receivedP1M from the Bottom UpBudgeting for the constructionof drainage facilities. Allirrigation projects funded for2014to2015totalledtoP62M.For2017,theMAFChelpedtheLaPurisimaNuevoIAacquireatotalofP22Mworthirrigationprojects. Toinvolvethegrassrootsinpolicyformulationanddecisionmaking, they organized 22Barangay Agriculture andFishery Councils (BAFC) outofthe25barangaysofOcampo.ThethreebarangayswithoutanAFCarelocatedatthebusinesscenter of Ocampo, but it isalready included in the plansof theAFC toenjoin the threebarangays. By strengthening theBAFCs more families offarmerswereempoweredastheyearned access to agriculturalprojects, inputs, equipmentsand farm machineries andlearned new technologies infarming through attendance tovarious trainings conductedby the MAFC. They are nowproducing various agriculturalcrops which do not only helptheir communities becomefoodsufficientbuttheyarealsoproducing surplus which aresuppliedtoneighboringtowns,making Ocampo the foodbasketinPartidoArea. The MAFC furtherorganized the farmers intofourassociationsnamelyMun.Cassava and Corn FarmersAssociation (MACCOFA),OcampoVegetableAssociationfor Sustainable Solutions(OVASS), Cagdaga FarmersAssociation (CAFA), andAssociation of Rice Producersof Cagmanaba (ARPC) andhelped them in the drafting ofprojectproposals.Fortheyears2014 and 2015, the MAFChas reviewed, endorsed andhelped in sourcing out a totalof P21, 280,577.50 for fundsfor various farm machineriesand equipment such as twounits 4 Wheel Drive tractor,six units multipurpose dryingpavement, three units palayshed,10irrigationcanals,threeirrigation system, three flood

(*SOURCE: State of Local Development Electronic Report, DILG, 2009)

MAFC Ocampo is 2016 Gawad Saka national outstanding MAFC


control dikes and two Farm-to-Market roads from theDA,DARandLGUOcampo. A total of 29 projectsproposals of the differentfarmers associations werereviewed and endorsed by thecouncil, while nineteen (19)projects were coordinated andimplemented by the council.All these projects were alsomonitored by the members ofthecouncil. Toensure thatagriculturalinputs and planting materialswill reach the intendedbeneficiaries, they alsomonitored the distribution ofpalay and vegetable seeds,biologics and fertilizers. TheMAFC members also assistedand monitored the conduct of9 Farmers Field School (FFS)for vegetables, 5 FFS forcorn, 5 for organic and 5 FFSfor vegetable production. ThePhilippine Coconut Authority(PCA) also tapped theMAFCtomonitoritssaltfertilizerandcoconutseedlingdistributionin23barangays. All sectors of thecommunity are also wellrepresented in the MAFC bythe sectoral representatives forfoodcrops,livestockandfeeds,fisheries and aquaculture,commercial crops, agriand fishery mechanization,indigenouspeople,andwomensector. A group of indigenouspeople calledAgta Tabangnonlive in the remote areasof thetown. The council conducteda total of 26 consultationsand meetings and 15 sectoralcommittee meetings in2015. They also conducted 5trainingstogetherwithATIandPDIC. Some 16 training wereattended by MAFC officersand members upon invitation.

Ground breaking of NIA project worth P32M graced by Vice President Leni Robredo. P22M for the CAANDUYOG and P10M for Cabariwan.

UpontheMAFC’srequestandcoordination, trainings andcapability-building activitieswereconductedamongfarmersinthemunicipality,encouragingmostofthemtoundertaketheirown entrepreneurial activities.TheOcampoMAFCadvocatesorganic farming throughvermicomposting and theconcoction of liquid fertilizersandpesticidesastheirchairmanisanorganicfarmerhimself. The council also createda business arm which wasregistered with the Securitiesand Exchange Commision inSeptember 2014 as LeadersAssociation of Municipal andBarangays, Inc. or LAMB.An initial activity was reantalof table and chairs for alloccasions. The MAFC also forgedlinkages with local andnational government and non-government agencies in theadvocacy, development, andpromotion of technologiesin rice production and post-harvest. The council alsoorganizedthericeseedgrowersof Ocampo and expanded themembershipoftheMAFC. This year the councilproduced an OutstandingMAFCChair in the person ofCarlito Aquino, the MAFCOcampo Chairperson, duringthe 1st first-ever search forthe outstanding Agriculturaland Fishery Council (AFC)chairpersonsandcoordinators.Indeed, MAFC Ocampo hasbeenaveryvitalinstrumentintheupliftmentofthelivesofthe

farmers and a very innovativeand supportive partner of theLGU in the implementation

and monitoring of agriculturalprojectsinOcampo.

Association Inc. of SanFernando; Pagatpat MayorDam Farmers Associationof Calabanga; and LupiSakayan IFA. From theprovince of Albay, thesole recipient was FFSPalayamananFAofPolangui. The Sacasan FarmersIrrigators Association andNagkakaisang Magsasakang Sagrada Familia all ofBato received a hand tractoras early planting incentive,while the rest are grant. Meanwhile the PaloyonFarmers Association ofNabua, Cam. Sur receivedone unit rice transplanterand the Farmers IrrigatorsAssociation of Guibasanin Labo, CamarinesNorte received one unitfloating tiller and shredder.

Rice, HVCC farmer groups... (from page 5)

Under the High Value Cropseight (8) farmers associationsreceived various equipment.One unit each of power tillerwasreceivedbytheGuinacutanVegetableGrowersAssociationandBakladRiceandVegetableGrowers Association of ofLabo, CamarinesNorte. Otherrecipients of power tiller fromCamarines Sur were LupiHVC Growers Association;Beberon, Lupi, GrijalvoVegetable PlantersAssociationandPamukidHighValueCropsFarmersofSanFernando.TherecipientsofwaterpumpwereSalogon Agricultural PlantersAssociation and RangasFarmers Association in SanJose while the LibmananVegetableGrowersAssociationInc.receivedpeanutshellerandpeanut grinder. (L.Guarin)

All the BAFCs display their produce during the annual Farmers Day, one of the activities during the monthlong celebration of Ocampo town fiesta in August. In photo is Mayor Corazon Olos (right) with the national Gawad Saka evaluators.


B A L A N G I B A N G , POLANGUI, ALBAY---Unmindful of the drizzleand the distance to walk the20-hectare technology-farmhere, 74-year old AlbertoRivera of Labo, CamarinesNorte said “kailangan naminito kasi malaking tulong namakita namin angmga hybridrice varieties na maganda angtubo kasi an lugar namin ayapektadongElNiño(weneedthis because this is a big helptoustoseethedifferenthybridrice varieties with good traitsbecause our rice fields wereaffectedbyElNiño).” Rivera is one of themore than 1500 rice farmers,agricultural technicians andmunicipal/city agriculturalofficers all over the BicolRegion who visited thecompactfarminsaidbarangaywhich was cited by theNationalRiceBoard(NRB)asthe biggest techno-demo farmin the Philippines during the3rd National Rice TechnologyForum on September 27-29,2016with the theme“IncreaseProduction through HybridRiceTechnology”. “Thisisthefirsthybridricedemo-farmforwet seasonandthe first in the Bicol Region,”says Dr. Frisco Malabanan,spokespersonoftheNRB. Local Farm TechnicianEdgar Pesebre welcomedfarmers, agricultural extensionworkers, municipal/cityagricul turis ts /agricul turalofficers,researchersandguestsfrom different provinces,agricultural companies andgovernment offices in his“Palayamanon ni Tiyo Edgar”learningcenterwhichwasalsothe orientation site before thefieldtour. The sowing of the seedsstartedonJune13,2016.According to Pesebre, therewere 14 hybrid rice and 11inbred (300 series) varietiesin the techno-demo-farm. The

hybridricevarietiesincludeTH82 of USAgri-Seeds; BigantePlusofBayer-Philippines;SL12 and SL 18 of SLAgritek;PhD 77 and 79 of Pioneer-Dupont; S6003 and NK5017of Syngenta; Mestiso 19 ofPhilRice; and Chinese HybridRice Lomping of PhilScat.Other rice varieties includesubmergence varieties beingdevelopedbyBayer-Philippinesand Inbred Variety-300 seriesfor saline and submergenceecosystem. Twenty-five farmersparticipated in the techno-demo. Bayer and Pioneercompanies also provided farmmachineries. Although the documentedfarms were affected by floodand attacked by rats, Pesebreassured the farmers thatall the rice varieties werenot significantly damagedbecause of the proper culturalmanagement and technologyintroduced by assistingtechnicians of LGU-Polanguiandtheprivatecompanies. Junnel V. Llagas, oneof the assisting agriculturaltechnicians of Polanguiattributed the success ofthe program to the closecoordinationoftheDA,farmer-cooperators, and techniciansfrom LGU-Polangui andprivateagriculturalcompanies. Product Agronomistof Pioneer Herson Arcillashared how they managedtheir assigned ricefield whichwas affected by flood, ratsand brownhopper. Because ofproper planning and strategyand the willingness of thefarmer-cooperator ElmerPesebre to adopt the specifictechnology, the rice plants didnot lodge and performedwell.His estimated harvest is 11-13metrictonsinonehectare. OutstandingYoungFarmerUlysses Salvino who attendedthe forumwas impressedwith

the growth and performanceofSyngenta’sNK5017andSLvarieties.HesaidthathewillbeusingSLhybridricevarietiesinhisfarminMagarao,CamarinesSur. NRB President RecherOndap encouraged theparticipants to practice andadopt the learnings they havegainedduringthefieldtour. “Now that you have seenthetechnology,useitsothatwecanbecompetitiveintheworldmarket,”saidOndap. Dubbed as the father ofPhilippine Rice ResearchInstitute (PhilRice), Dr.Santiago Obien lauded theDepartment of AgricultureBicolfortheenormoussupportwhich contributed to thesuccessofthisevent. OIC-Regional ExecutiveDirector Dr. Elena B. De LosSantoscitedthestepstoachievehigh farm productivity---“Magandangbinhi,magandangirigasyon, at suportado angbinhi ng mga inputs plus

sipag at tiyaga (good seeds,sufficient irrigation, and seedsare supported by inputs plusindustriousnessandpatience).” The techno-demo farmalso showed the farmers thathybridricecanalsobeplantedduringtherainyorwetseason. Aside from the fieldtour, discussions on The RiceProgram by Rodel Tornilla;Hybrid Rice ProductionTechnology by PhilRiceScience Research SpecialistLeo C. Javier; and PolicyOptions on the Expiration oftheWaiverRelating toSpecialTreatment on Rice by DA-CentralOfficePolicyResearchService staff Pia De La Rosawereheld. The overwhelmingparticipation during the three-day activity showed that “angmga Bikolano ay nagkakaisasamga ganitong okasyon (theBikolanos are united in thisoccasion),”DeLosSantossaidassheclosedtheevent.

Biggest techno-demo farm shows hybrid rice thrives even on rainy season by Jayson M. Gonzales

Municipal Agriculturist Alfredo Mariscotez of Polangui, Albay.


Albay teachers learn more about rabies

LEGAZPI CITY---“Ignorancekills especially when we talkaboutRabies!” This is the warningmade by Albay ProvincialVeterinarian Dr. FlorencioAdonay during the RabiesAwareness Symposium forTeachers in Albay conductedlast September 16, 2016 atYsabelle’sRestaurant,LegazpiCitywith the theme“Educate,Vaccinate,Eliminate”. Participated in by morethan 50 teachers from theelementaryschoolsofBacacay,Camalig,Daraga,Guinobatan,Libon,Malinao,Oas,Polangui,Legazpi City, Sto.Domingo,Tiwi, Ligao City and TabacoCity,theone-dayeventfocusedonAnimalandHumanRabiesSituations; Information onRabies, Virus, Clinical SignsandSymptoms;How to avoiddog bites and proper woundbite management; Educationin Schools, Five Freedomsof Animals/Responsible PetOwnership; and FrequentlyAskedQuestionsonRabies. The representedmunicipalities in Albay werethosewith confirmed cases ofanimalandhumanrabiessince2010. Adonay added that inAlbay,more than86,000dogswere vaccinated with anti-rabies vaccines in over 700barangays. But in 2015, fiverabiescaseswererecordedand

twocasesthisyear. Rabiesis100%preventableif only dog owners are awareand the rabies preventionprograms of the governmentarestrictlyimplemented. Dr. Rona Bernales,chief of the Regional AnimalDiseaseDiagnosticLaboratory(RADDL) of the Departmentof Agriculture in Bicol (DABicol), said that althoughrabieseducationwasintegratedin the school curriculum inBicolwhichisalsoafirstinthewhole country, there are stillrabies caseswith a number ofvictimsamongchildren. Dr. Maria GlofezitaLagayan, Veterinarian of theDA-BureauofAnimalIndustry,saidthatthisactivityiscrucialin spreading awareness sincethe teachers have a stronginfluence on their studentsandthus,usethesestudentsineducatingtheirparents. TeacherMarlouGuiribaofCamaligNorthCentralSchoolwho teaches Science andHealthsaidthatthisisherfirsttime to attend such training.She admitted that it was onlythrough the internet that shelearned some information ofrabies. She said that in theirschool,therearemorecatswhoroamaroundthecampusratherthandogs.OneofherstudentsinGrade4wasbittenbyacatlastAugust andwas rushed tothe animal bite center of the

Bicol Regional Training andTeachingHospital. Lagayan said that rabiescan be transmitted throughsaliva,tearsandsweat. In 2015, there were 26animal rabies cases and 24human cases in Bicol. Thisyear, 12 animal rabies caseswererecordedasofSeptember. Sheadded that“every tenminutes,therearehumandeaths

caused by rabies especiallychildren in developingcountriesworldwide.” According to theCommunity EducationOfficer Eunice B. Mendozaof the Global Alliance forRabies Control (GARC),the Philippines is one of thecountriesthatconductsalotofactivitiesonRabiesAwareness.(Jayson M. Gonzales)

Pamukid High Value CropsFarmers Associations of SanFernando,Cam.Sur;SalvacionCondangay Organic FarmersAssociation of Tigaon, Cam.Sur; Seed of JAD FoundationinLibon,Albay;and BalogoEast Elementary School inOas,Albay. The compost facilityconsisted of shredder, vermitea brewer andAfrican NightCrawlers. These facilitieswill serve as ready source oforganicfertilizersorvemicastfortheirorganization. Prior to the turn over,the recipients entered into a

Memorandum of Agreementwith the BSWM and the DABicol. Under the OrganicAgriculture Program, theBSWMisestablishingcompostfacilities in the country insupport to RA 10068 or theOrganic Agriculture Act of2010. It also provided theguidelinesintheestablishmentof the small scale compostfacility as well as technicalsupport and assistance in itsestablishment. The DA Bicol identifiesthe eligible recipients of thefacilityandensuressustainable

implementationoftheproject.The recipients’ counterpartis housing and vermin bedsconstructedinaccordancewiththerequirementoftheBSWM.They are also expected tosubmit a quarterly productiondatatotheDAandBSWM. One of the recipients,Domingo Villar, principal ofBalogo East Elem. School inOas, Albay said the compostfacilitywill beverybeneficialto their Gulayan sa Paaralan.Headdedthattheywillengageinvermicastproductiontobeapilotschoolintegratingorganicagricultureintheircurriculum.

RitaLomerio,chairpersonof the Community-basedAgricultural Development inDonsol Sorsogon was veryhappy as she receives thefacilityasalloftheirmemberswho are rice and vegetablefarmers, are into organicagriculturealready. The Organic AgricultureProgram aims to convert atleast5%ofthetotalagriculturalareasofthecountryintoorganicagriculture as the programis based on the principle ofhealthy soil for a healthy life.(Lovella P. Guarin)

DA, BSWM ... (from page 4)

Rabies whiz 2016. Over 80 elementary students in Bicol participated in the poster making and quiz bee with the theme Ëducate, Vaccinate and Eliminate,”as one of the activities of STANDZ Rabies in celebration of World Rabies Day conducted by the DA-BAI, DOH and DepEd. Photo shows contestants from Iriga Central School in Iriga City with their posters.

18 July - September 2016UMAsenso18 October - December 2015UMAsenso

Bicol media updated on DA new priority agenda

Extension workers updated on FFS protocols

Legazpi City---Members ofthe mainstream media in theBicol Region attended themedia briefing on the priorityagenda of the Department ofAgriculture (DA) under theadministration of the newSecretary Emmanuel MannyF. Piñol on August 18, 2016,AliciaHotel,LegazpiCity. DA Bicol InformationOfficer Emilia B. Bordadopresented the 15-point agendato achieve DA’s mission ofproviding “available andaffordable food”. The priorityagenda include cash for workprogram affected by El Niño;nationalmapping;nationalfoodconsumption quantificationsurvey; nationwide inspectionofirrigationservices,dredgingof silted dams and provisionof shallow tubewells; supportfor seeds, fertilizers, farminputsfortwoplantingseasonsin the form of calamityassistance; organization ofproject management teamsto coordinate with the 10poorest provinces; “Pagkainpara sa masa” special projectin Manila; Bantay-Dagat;launchingofcommunity-basedmilk feeding program; theNationalFoodAuthority(NFA)to pre-position sufficient riceand food supplies in areas tobe affectedbyLaNiña; directthe Philippine Crop Insuranceto include in their programLaNiña High-Risk areas; and

Inter-agency connectivitybetweentheDAandtheBureauofCustoms. Bordado said thataccording to Piñol, thePhilippine Coconut Authority,Fertilizer and PesticideAuthority, and the NationalIrrigation Administration(NIA)will be againunder theDAsupervision. Bordado also presentedupdates on La Niña basedon forecast of the PhilippineAtmospheric, Geophysicaland Astronomical ServicesAdministration (PAGASA).Three provinces in the BicolRegionareconsideredhighandveryhighrisktobeaffectedbyLaNiñawhich is expected tohit the country thisNovemberor December. Albay andCamarinesNortearehigh riskandCamarinesSurisveryhighrisk.The DA, NFA and PCICwillbecoordinatingwitheachothertomitigatetheeffectsofthisphenomenontoagricultureandfisheries. Another priority concernoftheDAunderSecretaryPiñolisthesoilfertilitymapping.AllLGUs are required to submittheir soilmaps.TheDAhasamobile soil laboratory facilityto cater to island and remote-areas.Thesearejustoneoftheways where the governmentreachouttopeople.

Aside from the identifiedpriorityagenda,theDAwillalsointensify technology updatingand sharing, modernizationand mechanization program;easy accessibility of farmersto financing programs andpost-harvest facilities;a government-initiatedmarketing campaign for highvaluecropsinforeignmarkets,and preservation of waterresources; re-introduction ofbasicagricultureintheschools;developmentandrehabilitationof coconut, abaca, dairyanimals like cattle, carabaoand goat; the standardizationof farm-to-market roads fundallocation; and provisionof identification cards anddatabase of farmers so thatthey can avail of pension andlifeinsurance. Bordado also said thatfor the Bureau of Fisheriesand Aquatic Resources inBicol, there is an on-goingconsultation regarding thepossibilityofdeclaringathree-monthclosedseasonduringthespawningperiodofAbo,afish

specie found in San MiguelBay,CamarinesSur. After the media briefing,Johnny Escandor of PDI andthepresidentof thePhilippineAgricultural Journalist, Inc.(PAJ)-Bicol Chapter presideditsfirstmeeting to discuss theorganization and structure,and its proposed plans andactivities. TheDAinBicolishopingfor a strong partnership andjointundertakingwiththelocalPAJ chapter to assist them intheirinformationandadvocacycampaigns. Escandor presented hisproposal toadopt thenameofthe organization as the BicolAgricultural Journalist, Inc.(BAJI)withplansonadvocacyandnetworkingprograms;andinformation-disseminationservices. The PAJ-Bicol Chapterwas organized during theSeminar-Workshop onClimate Change conductedby the PhilippineAgriculturalJournalist, Inc. in 2015.(Jayson M. Gonzales)

NABUA CAMARINESSUR. In every activity tobe undertaken, there is aneed to observe relevantrules orprotocols toachievea common goal and basedon a common standard. Justrecently, the Department ofAgriculture Region V thruthe Corn Program, conducteda one day training entitled“Seminar on Protocols onthe Establishment of ClimateSmartFarmersFieldSchoolon

Integrated Pest Managementcum Good AgriculturalPractices and Corn QualityStandards” on August 11,2016attheMacagangBusinessCenter,thismunicipality. The Training aimed toprovide guidance for thekey players andenable themto become good farmer fieldschool facilitators. A Totalof 42 Agriculture ExtensionWorkers(AEW)andpreviouslytrained farmers attended the

saidseminar. Dr. Salvadora Gavino,SeniorAgriculturistpresentedthe Climate Outlook fromAugust 2016 to September2017 and the Disaster RiskReductionandClimateChangeAdaptation andMitigation forAgriculture Sector in BicolRegion. Aileen Babilonia,Corn Program staff discussedthe “Consolidating ClimateSmart Farmers Field SchoolIntegratingGAPtopics”. Meanwhile, ManuelDimalaluan, Head Secretariat,

National Corn QualityAchievers Award discussedthe“PrinciplesandConceptofGood Agricultural Practices”(GAP) and the” Updates onPhilGAP Certification.” Healso discussed the relevanceof good agricultural practiceon the Asean EconomicCommunity(AEC).Headdedthat thecoreelements of theASEAN single market andproduction are: free flow ofgoods, services, investment,capital and skilled labor(Blesilda A. Nunez)

DA Bicol I n f o rmat i on Officer Emilia B. Bordado briefs the media on DA’s new priorities.

Castilla’s convergence ...


The winners pose with Dr. Edgar Madrid and the evaluators.

28th Research & Dev’t.In-house review held

CALABANGA, CAM. SUR – 25 completed and on-going researches competedfor the Best Paper Awardsduring the 28th Researchand Development In-HouseReview of the Department ofAgriculture Bicol held at theSan Bernardino Village thistownonAugust3-4,2016. Dr. Edgar R. Madrid,Regional Technical Directorfor Research and Regulationsemphasized the importantrole of the researchers in thedepartment’sgoalofimprovingproductivity and achievingfoodsufficiency. Winners of the threecategories received P5,000 forthefirstprize;P4,000forsecondprizeandP3,000forthirdprize.All winners received 1 packetnative chicken consisted of 1maleand4female. Under the TechnologyAdap t a t i o n /Ve r i f i c a t i o ncategory, the Best PaperAwardwenttoLuzMarcelino,Research Division chief, forherstudyEnhancementofSeedSystem of Promising GrainVegetables and Field Legume

Varieties in the Bicol Region;2nd place was garnered byPedro Oliver for his researchproject Community-basedMushroom Production Projectin Bicol; 3rd placer was thestudy on Rimas Bio-diversityResearch, Propagation andUtilizationintheBicolRegionby LuzMarcelino. ResearchesunderAdaptation are adoptingthe participatory approachwhere farmers are consideredas recipients and beneficiariesof the project, while newlydeveloped technologies underVerification category are finetunedandverifiedtodeterminetheir feasibility at the farmers’level. Under the TechnologyGeneration category, theBest Paper was Hybrid Rice

Ma.GinaBuenaflor.Theseareon-station researches aimed toaddresspressingneeds,butarenotyetreadyfordissemination. Under the TechnologyCommercialization, the BestPaper award was garneredby Corazon Orbon, Asst.BIARC Manager, in herstudy Commercialization ofDomain Specific NSIC RiceVarieties; 2nd place wasgarnered by Leo Beltran andArlene San Buenaventuraon their study Collection,Propagation Technique ofHerbs, Spices and MedicinalPlants and Establishment ofDemo Nursery; the 3rd placewenttoLuzMarcelino’sCPARFarmCare Model: InnovativeStrategy topromote IntegratedManagement of Rice in BicolRegion. Researches underthis category are for ready

Cultivation with Rice CropManager by Corazon Orbon,Asst. BIARC Manager;2nd placer was the study onNational Cooperative TestingforCornpresentedbyJeanetteSaldivar; 3rd placer wasGermplasm Collection andEvaluationofPromisingPiliby

for utilization, adoption andmarketing because these arematured technologies whichwere already tested withpotentialtogenerateincome. There was also a postercontestwhichwaswonbyEngr.DorisYap and LuzMarcelinofor their study “Addressingthe Postharvest Challengesin the Rice Supply Chain: AVerification Trial of HermeticStorageTechnology. The evaluators wereDr. Edith Lomerio, formerdirector of the Fiber Industryand Development Authority(FIDA); Dr. Marissa Estrella,Dean of Bicol UniversityCollege of Agriculture andFisheries (BUCAF); and Dr.CarmelitaCervantesofCentralBicol State University ofAgriculture. (Lovella P. Guarin)

RegionalTechnicalDirectorforResearch and Regulations Dr.Edgar R.Madrid said that thebulk of assistance and supportfrom government agenciesinvolved in NCI will be inthe municipality of Castilla.Moreover,theresidentscoveredby the Pili River area willbenefit from this NCI projectsince technical and financialassistancewillbeintegrated. Castilla Mayor JoanElizabethL.Aquendesaidthatthe potential of the town fordevelopment is hampered bypoor water system. Since sheis in her first-term as mayor,a large amount of budgetwill be allocated to addressthis issue. She assured theregionalagenciesthatthelocalgovernment of Castilla willsupport and cooperate to alltheiractivities. Presently, they areidentifying vacant and idlelands owned by the local

government, private andnational governments to beutilizedforagriculture,ecologyandtourism. The training-workshopalso covered topics on TheIEM-basedGIS-generatedbaseand overlay zones by LGU inthe Convergence site (mapsand estimated area); currentconditions and challengeson governance, demography,economy, infrastructure,and social services in theConvergence site; and BasicCADPFrameworkPlan. Aside from Guieb,speakers were Forester RandyA. Nunez, Clare R. Fevidal,and Engr. Pearl Caroline B.Valeros all from NCI-SRD.Parawan recognized the RCI-Bicolas themostactivein thePhilippines. Other participantsinclude DA, DAR and DENRrepresentatives from Region13andRegion7.(Jayson M. Gonzales)

Castilla’s convergence ... (from page 20)additionalnutrients. PhilRice Bicol ScienceResearchSpecialist IIMelanieAileenC.dePeraltadiscussedbrown rice as healthy foodwhich is nutritionally superiortowhite rice in termsoffiber,protein, good fats, vitamins,mineralsandantioxidants. According to Jun Cabal,an insulin-dependent diabetic,when he started eating brownrice,hisbloodsugarstabilizedand he no longer uses insulin.Hisbadcholesterol levelsalsodecreased. At present, he isan advocate of brown rice ashealthy food. He said that hisfamily is following suit afterwitnessing the changes in hishealthcondition. Pecuaria Dev’t. CoopInc. General Manager MillerBicaldo narrated the difficultyof marketing organic brownriceinthepastyears.However,withthelaunchingofthiseventand testimonies shared on the

benefitsofbrownrice,thesaleswillboosttheirproduct. The launching programwasattendedby3rdDistrictofCamarinesSurBoardMemberNelson B. Julia; heads andrepresentatives of provincialand regional offices of theNational Irrigation Authority;PhilippineStatisticsAuthority;Philippine InformationAgency; Agricultural TrainingInstitute; Department ofHealth; Philippine RiceResearch Institute; Fertilizerand Pesticide Authority;Sugar Regulatory Authority;Cooperative DevelopmentAuthority; farmers’organization Kaanduyog andRural Improvement Club;Camp Weenie Martillana;Central Bicol State Universityof Agriculture; media personsandemployeesofDA-Bicol. Theeventwasculminatedwith a raffle draw and theservingofbrownrice. (Jayson M. Gonzales)

DA, PhilRice launch ... (from page 20)

Department of Agriculture Regional Field Unit No. 5Reg’l Agriculture and Fisheries Information Section e-mail: darafid5 @ yahoo.com RE-ENTERED

AS SECOND CLASS MAIL MATTER at Pili, Post Office, Pili, Cam. Sur under Permit No. 2014-13 on Jan. 26, 2016

Castilla’s convergence plan to develop agri-eco-tourism

CASTILLA, SORSOGON---More than eighty stakeholdersfrom Castilla, Sorsogon andrepresentatives from the BicolregionalofficesoftheNationalEconomic and DevelopmentAuthority (NEDA),

Departments of Agriculture(DA),EnvironmentandNaturalResources (DENR), InteriorandLocalGovernment(DILG),and Agrarian Reform (DAR)participatedintheConvergenceArea Development Plan

(CADP) Training Workshopfor PiliWatershed in Castilla,Sorsogon. Held on September5-9, 2016, the activity aimedto craft a comprehensiveCADPandadopttheIntegratedEcosystemManagement(IEM)approach. According to Dr. OscarO. Parawan, Senior TechnicalAdviser of the NationalConvergence Initiative forSustainableRuralDevelopment(NCI-SRD),theCADPwillbefinalized this year andwill beimplemented next year until2022. Dr. Rodolfo Guieb, whodiscussed “The IEM approachfor the CADP site: concepts,principles, application andstrategies,” said that this“ridge to reef” approach willbring sectors and stakeholderstogethertojointlyplan,design

and manage their landscapesand institutional resourcesto improve agriculturalproduction, biodiversity andecosystem conservation andsustainablelivelihoods. During the discussion, itsurfaced that the barangayscovered by the Pili Rivernamely Milagros, Poblacion,LaUnion,SanIsidro,Canjela,San Rafael, Mayon, Miluya,Maracabac, Amomonting,Oras, Monte Carmelo andSan Vicente are beset withproblemsonillegalsettlement,illegal cutting, illegal fishing,poor solidwastemanagement,and poor water system. Thebarangays are also prone tolandslide, flood, typhoons,earthquake,anddrought. TheRegionalFocalPersonof NCI-SRD and DA Bicol

bicol.da.gov.phvisit our website:

DA, PhilRice Bicol launch #BROWN4good challenge

SAN AGUSTIN, Pili, Camarines Sur---As part ofits advocacy campaign to be“Riceponsible”,theDepartmentof Agriculture in Bicol andthe Philippine Rice ResearchInstitute (PhilRice) launchedthe #BROWN4good challengeon September 5, 2016 at theRIARS Training Center, SanAgustin, Pili, Camarines Surtopromotetheconsumptionofbrownorunpolishedricewhichis more nutritious and hashigher milling recovery thanwhiteorpolishedrice. This challenge is anationwide social media blitz

topromotethefourgoodnessofbrownricewhichincludegoodfor the consumers, good forfarmers, good for the countryand good for Filipinos. ThiscampaignwillrununtilOctober31,2016. DA Chief InformationOfficer Emily B. Bordadosaid that to participate insuch challenge, one can takepictures or selfies while youeatorbuybrownriceandpostin any of the social networkslike Facebook, Twitter andInstagram accounts with thesehashtags---#BROWN4goodand#Region5,

Bordado added that everyregion in the Philippines ischallenged to garner 50,000hashtags and secure 5,000 kgsof brown rice.Thebrown ricewill be donated to differentcharitiesadoptedbyDA. BROWN stands for BeRiceponsible On Your OwnWayNow. DA OIC-Regional

Executive Director Dr. ElenaB. De Los Santos said thatwith brown rice, we addvalue to rice toboost farmer’sincome.Brownriceisnotwellpolished,thus,ithas10%moremilling recovery, and retainsits vitamins and nutrients. Itcan help ease malnutritionproblems because of its



sec. piñol vows to make food available ph can be rice self...

Documents