A Different Kind Of Lesson From PRDP Operations – Loans For Livelihood Via Multi-Purpose Cooperative. And “We Make Change Work For Women”?

I would never have associated the Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP) with Cooperatives, or Loans, much less Women, if I did not read the news from PRDP South Luzon Cluster (image above). The PRDP is also an enabler of the capabilities of people!

I am reading the PRDP South Luzon Chapter via Facebook sharing by Noel Ocampo Reyes “Paving The Way For A Better Livelihood For All” (Danica A Brutas, 31 March 2022, prdp.da.gov.ph):

From an allowance of PhP500 monthly [for] managing countless records and documentation of minutes, Leonila Regio has been with the Farm Operators of Marinduque Multi-Purpose Cooperative… since… 30 years ago.

As the lone employee back then, together with the manager, Leonila continued to perform as an all-around staff. Leonila was the perfect example of continuing to do good, and you’ll do well.

Leonila was eventually promoted to Loan Officer, then Treasurerof the cooperative. The coop’s growth led to financial assistance from the PRDP. The coop has since expanded from managing loans to meat processing.

Ms Leonila says:

Sa ngayon, unang-una, mahirap-hirap. Pero ngayon na magkakaron ng meat processing, magiging maayos at matutulungan namin yung iba pang mga miyembro at yung iba pang gustong maging miyembro. Kasi syempre magkakaron ng meat processing, marami kaming matutulungan na mga kababayan natin, mga kabarangay, lalo na yung mga walang hanapbuhay.

“In the beginning, it was a bit difficult. But now that we have meat processing, we will have a system and will be able to help members and those who wish to become members. Certainly, with meat processing, we will be able to help many of our barangay-mates, especially those who have no livelihoods.” (my free translation)

Ms Leonila is looking at meat processing as a godsend because, of course, there are many meat products, aside from you can invent your own meat-based package/s.

Their coop is the proponent of the Marinduque Swine Meat Processing Subproject, with funding support from the PRDP approved in December 2021, for P14.7 Million. This is to finance a meat processing facility, storage building, vehicle for hauling & delivery, equipment for meat processing, other sets of tools – and supplies.

At the bottom of the image above, it says, “WE make CHANGE Work for WOMEN.” ANN says “WE make change work for women” is the slogan of the Philippine Commission for Women for observance during 2017-2022 (Author Not Named, 30 May 2022, “We Make Change Work For Women,” car.dole.gov.ph):

WE stands for Women Empowerment – empowering women enables them to confidently and meaningfully engage with appropriate institutions to ensure that they contribute to and benefit [from] development and changes.

I’m sorry that ANN does not say anything about how exactly the coop helps make change work for women.

Nevertheless, I take this story of Leonila Regio and a Marinduque cooperative as a wake-up call for women anywhere in the Philippines to help make a difference in their communities by way of livelihood with financial assistance of the DA via its project PRDP.@517

Look! The Original Sin Committed By Man After Adam Bit The Apple In The Garden Of Eden – Iron Biting The Earth, Or Plowing: Man Biting The Hand That Feeds Him!

About 57 years ago, when I came across American gentleman farmer Edward H Faulkner’s book Plowman’s Folly (1943), with his careful positioning and exposition, I came to realize that plowingfor any purpose is wrong. So why does the whole world insist on a wrong practice?!

(Tractor plowing image from Medium, medium.datadriveninvestor.com/)

Plowing is The Original Sin in Agriculture!
(Apple tree image from New Yorker, newyorker.com)

From my wide-&-wild readings, I gather these, that plowing:

1.     destroys soil structure.

2.     results in soil erosion when it rains.

3.     buries the trash, burying the treasure.

4.     is expensive.

5.     requires chemical fertilizers afterwards.

Look at the above image again.

1.     Soil structure is utterly destroyed.
When you plow, you turn the field into dust, literally, soon enough. “Dust thou art, and unto dust thou shalt return” was not spoken of the soil! Read your Bible again; certainly, God did not say that about the Garden of Eden. Man is teaching Mother Nature she does not know what she is doing, that an uncultivated field is wrong! Man forgets that where Mother Nature rules undisturbed, plants and animals thrive – look at a virgin forest, or any forest for that matter – Mother Nature knows best!
 

2.     Soil erosion is encouraged.
So, after you plow and destroy the structure of the soil in your beloved farmland, what happens when it rains? Soil particles happily escape with the raindrops flowing into the nearest stream. Along with the particles go the richness of the soil – the nutrients that would have nourished the standing vegetation, or the crop you would plant.

3.     Trash is buried.
Bad: Plowing buries the richness coming out from weeds when they rot, food for crops to grow with. Badder: Farmer collects the weeds and disposes of them. The field looks clean; it is clean – of the substances that crops need to prosper. A plowed field looks neat, but “neat” is only for the farmer’s need for beauty, not his crop’s need for nutrients.

4.     Plowing is expensive.
PhilRice says land preparation comprises about 19% of total labor cost in rice production (PhilRice.gov.ph). Rice farmer Rodolfo San Antonio of Victoria, Laguna with a 3-ha farm had a choice: P50,000 tractor hire, or P30,000 animal power (thenewhumanitarian.org). Expensive still!

5.     Plowing demands chemical fertilizers!
Indeed, since the farmer deprives his own crops of natural foods, he must buy unnatural foods for them.

Esquire says the UN Sasakawa Award for 2022 goes to Filipino scientist Glenn Banaguas, with this explanation (esquiremag.ph):

For this year, the [Sasakawa] has the overarching theme of "Recognizing excellence in reducing disaster risk for a safer, more sustainable world."

And I say, the practice of organic agriculture (OA) is deserving of such a prize many times over!Because OA both combats Climate Change by reducing greenhouse gases, and simultaneously produces abundant harvests that are healthy for the human race.

Sasakawa Award, I’ll go for organic agriculture each time!@517

Wanted: EDEN LOANS Philippines! Encouraging Dedicated Entrepreneurial Niches Via Loans In Organic Agriculture Naturally Suited To The Philippines

I say if we want Organic Agriculture (OA) to grow all over the Philippines, bold/old souls would be encouraged if the Department of Agriculture (DA) had a national fund for lending to OA entrepreneurs.

That is why I have come out with a daring proposal for a P17 Billion Project of the DA that I call:

EDEN LOANS Philippines
(Encouraging Dedicated Entrepreneurial Niches Via Loans In Organic Agriculture Naturally Suited To The Philippines)

The P17 Billion could go to 170,000 individuals with P100,000 loans each. A modest proposal.

Consider. There is no denying that (1) commercial fertilizers multiply farmers’ miseries, and (2) organic fertilizer formulations are advantageous in agriculture, and appropriate for fighting climate change!

When he became PH Secretary of Agriculture in August 2019, almost immediately William Darpronounced a policy of “balanced fertilization” as an appropriate response (“Balanced Fertilization For A Food-Secure Philippines – Secretary Dar,” DA.gov.ph). He was speaking at the opening ceremony of the 4^th National Organic Agriculture Scientific Conference held 20 August 2019 at Cauayan, Isabela. That was awesome.

However, with the Russia-Ukraine imbroglio, and with climate change always hovering with dark clouds over our heads, I now propose to Mr Dar this daring concept.

The EDEN LOANS budget is essentially for lending to finance the organic farm undertakings of bolder/older souls in any crop & livestock combination:

No monocrops –
Crop diversification must be a basic requirement. Naturally, livestock may be included in the combination.

No plowing –
That is, no disk plowing of the soil will be allowed, as this destroys the structure of the soil and necessitates further cultivation: harrowing etc.

Rotavation encouraged –
As proven by personal experience of 50+ years of my brother-in-law Enso Casasos, the rotavator or rototiller, driven by either the imported Howard 4-wheel or local hand tractor, is the best machine for cutting up both soil and weeds simultaneously and mixing them together in the same rotating motion, which creates what I call WEALth – “Weeds-Enriched Automatic Layer of Trash Triggering Terrestrial Health” – the beginning of your organic fertilizer already created and distributed for you all over your field!

The above image is from my digital collection, what I now call “The Apple Of My Eye” image I took off my faithful Lenovo Flex 2 laptop, a Windows 10 accidental collage, dated 01 May 2018. Reminding us of Adam’s Apple in the Garden of Eden:

I dare say, if we return the soil to what it was like in the time of Adam & Eve, we will see the rise of a New Eden by negating Climate Change!

With the DA Program “Eden LOANS Philippines” in place, with agriculture visibly not only sustainable but regenerative in terms of Mother Nature and human wealth via organic agriculture, then even the jobless and pitiable migrants in the city will be persuaded to go back to the villages because they know they will thrive there even just by cultivating a patch of ground.

Then will rise in this archipelago The New Garden of Eden!@517

Schools, Universities & Colleges (SUCs) – In Playing Your Expected Roles In Research, Development & Extension (RD&E), Where Is Development And Where Is Extension? Agriculture Secretary William Dar Is Asking!

I say, all those state-supported schools. universities & colleges (SUCs) in the Philippines, led by UP Los Baños, which supposed to be innovating by doing research, development and extension (RD&E) in Agriculture, have been doing much R and hardly performing D, much less E!

I present that as the background to keynote address of Secretary of Agriculture William Darat the 25 May 2022 “Inclusive Innovation Conference” sponsored by the Department of Trade & Industry (DTI), that the Department of Agriculture(DA), through its agency Bureau of Agricultural Research (BAR), has been allocating an average of P446 million yearly to SUCs for their “development, technology commercialization, research facilities, and scholarships starting 2017.” ANN says (Author Not Named, 26 May 2022, “DA Invests P2.2B In SUCs For Outputs To Benefit Agri Sector,” Department of Agriculture, DA.gov.ph), specifically Mr Dar said:

We need more output and convincing outcomes arising from these investments. Please keep elevating your game.

Not even the lead among the SUCs, UP Los Baños, has elevated its game. An alumnus of the UP College of Agriculture (UPCA), now UP Los Baños, I should know, as I have been in and out of the Los Baños campus since 1959. I graduated from UPCA in 1965; was employed as Chief Information Officer (not the title) of the Forest Research Institute, based in the UPLB campus. Long before UPCA became UP Los Baños, UPLB has always been brandishing its activities as comprising RD&E. Unfortunately, over the years, up to now, UP Los Baños has been doing mostly Research, Research, Research! Hardly Development, and much less Extension. Likewise, the other SUCs.

Today, I also note that it is only Mr Dar, himself a PhD alumnus in Horticulture of UP Los Baños, who has implicitly castigated UPLB as the leader of the SUCs in failing their roles in D and E. Aside from Instruction, the other SUCs have also been doing Research, Research, Research!

Developmentwould be combing up the results of research – new and/or improved knowledge – and packaging them for Filipino farmers into tips, techniques, tricks, technologies for production, processing and pocketing profits. At the very least, these should be presented in publications, better in websites.

Extension is something else. There is an impending food crisis, Mr Dar says:

You must blaze the trail in never-before breached frontiers of science, innovation, and technology, with the resources at your disposal: your vast tracts of land not just as experimental fields but also as food hubs in themselves.

ANN says, “According to the Secretary, main innovations could lie in the simplest transformations such as the expansion of the SUCs’ roles in the community.”

“Expansion of the SUC’s roles in the community” – I take that to mean in 1 word: Extension. SUCs, if you do not extend your new or improved knowledge even to the community where you are based, you are at best only half-performing your social role. I say, shame on you!@517

DAGDAGs For Extension! Not Only Should DA Be Telling Farmers What To Do, It Should Be Extending, Offering Options Of What Farmers Could Do!

Today, I would like to deal with Agricultural Extension, which has been set aside by the PH Department of Agriculture (DA) after the creation of the Agricultural Training Institute (ATI).

All I know is that ATI used to be BAEx – Bureau of Agricultural Extension – extensionists seeing farmers in their farms or homes, advising about techniques & tricks in agriculture. I saw it firsthand – in the early 1960s, my brother Emilio, a graduate of Araneta Institute of Agriculture, was very zealous about extension, especially with a motorcycle assigned to him by BAEx. For instance, I remember him teaching farmers how to plant rice in measured distances, he actually helping string out the field with little white strings tied on to indicate exact places to insert the seedlings. No sloppy work, my brother Emilio. Don’t underestimate Araneta!

Today, what I know is that ATI is all Training, Training, Training – not minding Extension much. But my writing the essay, “‘The Biggest Job In The World Is Getting Bigger” – BASF, Referring To Agriculture. If We Want To Succeed In The Field, PH Needs Billions In Its Budget!” (20 May 2022, Towards A New Eden, Blogspot.com), reminded me, via a provision of the Rice Tariffication Law (RTL), that Extensionis necessary and that in fact the RTL provides every year P1 Billion for “Extension and Training.” Note: “Extension and Training” – Extension is first!

Extension is not simple but complex, as the above image shows. There is more.
(Extension image from Slideshare.net)

On its own website ati2.da.gov.ph, in “About ATI,” it says:

Agricultural Training Institute is the capacity builder, knowledge bank and catalyst of the Philippine Agriculture and Fisheries extension system.

ATI as “capacity builder” yes – trainer. But “knowledge bank” and “catalyst of the Philippine Agriculture and Fisheries extension system” – sorry, not yet!

Not even much-honored and 62-year old International Rice Research Institute(IRRI) is that “extensionable”. The IRRI Knowledge Bank tells you exactlywhat to do. Nyet!

A proper Knowledge Bank gives you options with the sets of knowledge you can withdraw from it. This bank will give you basic knowledge about things, such as what are the:

available hybrid rice varieties & characteristics
sources & how to obtain such varieties
source-prescribed method of planting a hybrid
successful farmers with those varieties
necessary budgets
expected incomes.

A proper Knowledge Bank gives farmers options to choose from: technologies, techniques, tips. If not, don’t call it a “Knowledge Bank” – instead, call it an “Instructions Bank!”

So, here’s my advice for Mr Dar to create an extension program to be called DAGDAGs:

DAGDAGs – Digital Agriculture to Accelerate Acquaintance of Generalizations & Givens for Development-Directed Activities Grounded On & Supported by Science

The basic word DAGDAG is both Tagalog and Ilocano. In Tagalog, dagdag means “extra” while in Ilocano, dagdag means “remind” or “push to follow instructions.”

DAGDAGs would not only add to but greatly multiply the efficiency of necessary extension efforts of the DA – including harnessing the power of the Internet!@517

BBM, Miracle Worker 2022. How Marcos, Now Officially PH President, Can Magically Produce A P20/kilo Rice And Make The Philippines Great Again!

Marlen Ronquillo of the Manila Times believes it’s impossiblefor the Philippines to produce a P20/kg rice without wreaking the economy. I forgive him – he doesn’t know enough of the Science of Agriculture.

Mr Ronquillo is correct – if you assume everything constant, if you assume that PH agriculture cannot be harmlessly changed so that we Filipinos can produce a P20/kilo rice and make consumers happy and still leave the farmers happy with their profits.

The Miracle lies in how you produce the rice.

Today, farmers apply liberal amounts of inorganic or chemical fertilizers. There are 6 inorganic fertilizer formulations in the market: urea ammonium sulfate, ammonium phosphate, diammonium phosphate, complete and muriate of potash.

The miracle lies elsewhere: organic fertilizers. Paolo Romero says Sen Cynthia Villar urged the Philippine government on 06 Dec 2021 to increase local production of organic fertilizers (07 Dec 2021, “Boost Production Of Local, Organic Fertilizers – Villar,” PhilStar Global, philstar.com). Sen Villar said, “The country must boost the production of organic fertilizers to reduce farmers’ dependence on expensive imported fertilizers while helping increase yield and income in agriculture.”

We have to manufacture more organic fertilizers. Here is news from the Fertilizer & Pesticide Authority (FPA): “Rising Fertilizer Prices: A Reality” (11 Nov 2021, FPA, FPA.da.gov.ph): As of 2006, there were 59 FPA-registered organic fertilizers available in the market, with about 44 organic formulations. (I also have my 57-year old formula, free for the asking!)

Even so, it is not so difficult to concoct one’s organic fertilizer. Here are some guides from ANN (Author Not Named, 25 March 2021, “Organic Fertilizers From Farm Waste Adopted By Farmers In The Philippines” Business Diary, businessdiary.com.ph); I am just listing the concoctions here, sans formulations:

Fermented Plant Juice(FPJ) – enzymes from leaves promote crop growth
Fermented Fruit Juice (FFJ) – sweetens the fruits via potassium
Fish Amino Acid (FAA) – abundant nutrients
Oriental Herbal Nutrient (OHN) – natural pest repellant.

Last month, in celebration of Earth Day, as guest speaker, Secretary of Agriculture William Dar said on 21 April 2022 at the opening of the BioAg Conference in New Delhi, India: “There are now 165,000 organic farms in the Philippines,” and I already reported it (22 April 2022, Towards A New Eden, Blogspot.com). 165,000 organic farms in my country – that was a wow for me!

So, Mr President BBM, this is your wake-up call – as with the others who believe in the powers of inorganic or chemical fertilizers. “Namulat na, sana hindi na muli pipikit.” Now your eyes are open, hopefully not to close again.

So, Mr President, I advise you to come up with a reality-based national policy on organic fertilizers – junk chemical fertilizers – to magically produce a P20/kilo rice! The miracle comes from natural science.
(“Miracle Worker” image from iStock, istockphoto.com)

Also, with organic fertilizers, no more greenhouse gases that produce climate change. 2 miracles in 1! Mr BBM, you would become the President who fought climate change magically for a P20/kilo rice in his country!@517

“Can Bamboo Save The Planet?” – Fr Vic, Filipino. Demonstrating, Now I Say, Among Species, Bamboo Is Man’s Single Best Weapon At Combatting Climate Change!

Until today, Thursday, 19 May 2022, I never thought more of the bamboo than as ready & sturdy & cheap material for cheap houses & furniture – a long way for fighting climate change!

At Facebook, I came across Pabs Villegas’ sharing on “Kabilin Nature Farms & Bamboo Center” whose founder is Fr Vic. Under the topic “Kabilin Bamboo” the question asked is, “Why plant bamboo?” From that source, even if dated 2 years ago, I can see the following list is still relevant in addressing climate change:

1.     “Bamboo absorbs and sequesters 400 times more carbon dioxide than any other plant.” This is extremely important because CO­₂ makes up 82% of greenhouse gases (GHGs), the GHGs being the combined primary cause of global warming.

2.     “Bamboo also releases into the atmosphere 35% more oxygen than an equivalent stand of hardwood trees.”

3.     “Bamboo is regenerative” (my rephrasing). “You plant bamboo only once and (it) regenerates itself by producing shoots.”

4.     “Bamboo grows the fastest. Some species grow by as much as 1-3 feet a day! No plant on the planet can grow faster.” It can be harvested within 5 years after planting. The shoots mature as timber in 3-4 years.

5.     “Bamboo grows and thrives almost everywhere.” No extra care necessary once it establishes itself.

6.     “Bamboo is peerless in preventing landslides and soil erosion.”

Bamboo is the perfect single species to lead the fight against climate change!

Not to mention: “Bamboo is most useful and versatile. Virtually every part of the plant is used to make a wide variety of products.” Examples: food, beverage, furniture, chopsticks, bridges, homes, clothes, beer “to almost anything one can imagine.”

So, what should the Department of Agriculture (DA) do now to help farmers towards “Masaganang Ani at Mataas na Kita” (Bounteous Harvests & Bountiful Income, my translation) simultaneous with combatting Climate Change?

I would advise Secretary of Agriculture William Dar for the DA to launch a new nationwide program for farmers to engage in agroforestry with bamboo and fruit trees in their farms – perhaps collaborate with the Department of Environment & Natural Resources for bamboo supplies.

Of course, bamboo can be the farmer’s main crop. After all, it has many uses and is of high quality material. According to Kabilin Bamboo (source cited above):

Bamboo is strong and durable. Properly grown, harvested, and treated, bamboo is an excellent replacement for wood for nearly every application: paper, flooring, furniture, charcoal, building materials, fuel and more! What's more, bamboo is fiber and is far stronger than wood. Some species are stronger than iron. This relieves pressure on our remaining rain forests as it serves as an alternative construction material.

Above, I note that “bamboo is peerless in preventing landslides and soil erosion.” That applies to both uplands and lowlands. This is especially noteworthy today when considering typhoons that destroy soils in the uplands and lowlands.

Farmers on the hills and in the valleys, do not underestimate the bamboo!@517

Cavite Coffee & How NCST Graduates Can Help Revitalize PH Farming With Their Computer, Engineering & Accountancy Expertises

I was pleasantly surprised to find Secretary of Agriculture William Dar speaking as guest in the graduation rites of the National College of Science and Technology (NCST) in Dasmariñas, Cavite on 19 May 2022. There is no agriculture there!

(above, my photograph taken 27 April 2018, Mr Dar at a RiceUp Conference in Pampanga)

In Mr Dar’s NCST graduation speech, ANN says “Agri Chief Urges Fresh Grads To Join DA’s Fight For Food Security” (20 May 2022, DA.gov.ph):

Agriculture Secretary William D Dar encouraged the new graduates of the National College of Science and Technology (NCST) to participate in innovative solutions towards increasing the country’s food security level during the NCST’s Commencement Exercises.

He said, “We need the talent of the youth in the sector that employs majority of our workforce. Please join us in Philippine agriculture.”

Up to today, as an agriculturist, educator and the son of a farmer, I see that a great majority of Filipino farmers treat farming as a way of life, not a business – which explains why millions remain somewhere near the poverty line.

[Mr Dar] encouraged the youth to reflect on how their personal research and other undertakings will be relevant in addressing food availability, affordability, and accessibility, increasing incomes of farmers and fishers, and creating more sustainable jobs.

How do you think the non-Agriculture graduates of the NCST (or any other college) can help in improving food availability, affordability etcetera (see above quote)?

“I encourage you to use your dreams as the basis of the quality of life you would want the people around you to enjoy.”

NCST President & Chief Executive Officer Emerson Atanacio “committed that the college will soon offer agriculture courses. Currently, NCST offers courses among others in education, psychology, architecture, and tourism.

I can see that immediately the NCST can start moving their courses towards Agriculture by emphasizing “Farm Tourism” – to help build the business of farming.

Moreover, the NCST graduates can start working right there in Cavite serving the coffee farmers. According to Kape Isla, Amadeo, Cavite has 4,790 hectares of coffee, the largest area devoted to coffee in Cavite, the biggest coffee producer in the province and in the country (philcoffeeboard.com).

“Investigating” further, I found that the NCST is offering 3 degrees: BS in Accountancy, BS in Computer Science, and BS in Industrial Engineering. Thus, thinking of the NCST, I say:

Why not a unique DA program called “ACTS Agriculture,” or “Accountancy, Computers & Technology Services for Agriculture”

– with a P7 Million fund to it. With ACTS, the DA can harness the talents of NCST graduates for farming, ACTS coming up with a Knowledge Bank plus different models of enterprises of crops & livestock – starting with coffee.

Because:

To be successful in farming, remember what the NCST stands for:
Know your agriculture (search for knowledge via computer);
Master your equipment (via Engineering); and
Wizen your accounting (via Accountancy).

ACTS will thus enable NCST graduates to become active partners of government in making Agriculture energizing for everyone!@517

"Empowering Children With The Truth” – Anna Cristina Tuazon, Psychologist. “How About Empowering Children & Adults On How To Determine The Truth!?” – Frank A Hilario, Educator

Inquirer columnist Anna Cristina Tuazon is “Teaching What’s Important” (19 May 2022, inquirer.net). As a teacher, Professional level, I am looking at “Teaching What’s Most Important.”

Ms Anna Cristina is “a registered psychologist who topped the 2017 Psychologist Board Exam” (Inquirer.net). She began writing her Inquirer column “Safe Space” on 07 July 2021.

Her topic this time is dear to me: Teaching. Seriously, I began teaching myself creative thinking in 1975 with copywriter friend Orlino Ochosa’s gift of a copy of Edward De Bono’s amazing book Mechanism Of Mind  (Penguin Books, London, 1969). In that book, De Bono teaches the use of “Po” in generating “Possibilities” (my interpretation).
(“Teach Your Child” image from Survival8, blogspot.com)

Now then, Ms Anna Cristina says that some things important to teach are (my summary):

(1)   Martial Law – “The most dangerous absurdity of all, however, is the notion that any material that talks about martial law is inherently antigovernment.”

(2)   Child psychotherapy – “We can definitely teach children to appreciate rules and limits, not for [their] own sake but in how these rules and limits can benefit the child and others.”

(3)   “Space to say ‘No’” – “Disagreements should also be allowed because then our children will feel safe enough to express their true thoughts and feelings.”

(4)   “Teach them about the facts of life – as soon as possible.” “For sex education, experts say we can provide age-appropriate education to kids as young as two years of age in order for them to differentiate “good touch” from “bad touch.”

(5)   “Preschool-aged kids already have the capacity to learn about racism, slavery, oppression, and other social injustices.”

Ms Anna Cristina says:

National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA) Director-General Alex Paul Monteagudo “accused publisher Adarna House of ‘subtly radicalizing’ Filipino children against the government (by) offering its ‘#NeverAgain’ book bundle. Instead of telling children about martial law, Monteagudo says children should be “taught to recite the alphabet and pray to God.”

In response, Ms Anna Cristina says:

It is absurd to suggest that children should be limited to learning the alphabet – if they already have the ability to read children’s books, then obviously the time for teaching the alphabet has passed. There is a similar absurdity in telling children to instead pray to God, when the Bible is arguably a history book as well (one that depicts long-standing oppression and suffering of a group of people). The most dangerous absurdity of all, however, is the notion that any material that talks about martial law is inherently antigovernment. If someone else had won, would they have said the same thing? Or are they simply saying it because a Marcos is returning to power?

Given all that, Ms Anna Cristina’s 837-word Inquirer column (including author, title & text) tells us to teach our children the truth – but not how to determine the truth themselves! Instead, from De Bono, we should learn to teach howto think, how to come up with other rich possibilities!@517

"Let There Be Light!"

[The following essay is 100% by Amparo “Lola Ampy” Medina Reynoso Hilario, 76, who as a first-time writer surprises me, her husband of 55 years, who has been formally writing for 57 years, her sharing of a radio interview on 15 May 2022, among others about the PH Department of Agriculture and Secretary of Agriculture William Dar. She knows my loyalties, of course. Note: Original edited for length. (My) title plus her text (except this note & author line) follows my self-imposed length: 517 words. My photograph of her taken in Asingan, Pangasinan 28 April 2018, in front of Danggay House.]

By Amparo “Lola Ampy” Medina Reynoso Hilario

Early morning, Sunday, 15 May 2022 (feast day of San Isidro Labrador, patron saint of farmers, and incidentally the name of the town in Nueva Ecija where I was born), while trying to tune in to a regular Sunday radio program (“Men of Light” over DZRV), I chanced upon another radio station SuperRadyo DZBB, the program title and name of host I missed, but the name of the person being interviewed and topics being discussed caught my attention and I decided to listen.

The guest was Dr Henry Lim, President of the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Commerce (FFCCC). He was speaking for the FFCCC. He was asked a number of questions on different topics, such as the P33 wage increase for minimum wage earners in Metro Manila only; his answers were in my opinion clear and satisfactory.

On the composition of the incoming administration’s cabinet, three departments & their heads were mentioned: Finance (Sonny Dominguez), Trade & Industry (Ramon Lopez) and Agriculture (Dr William D Dar). The host and the guest agreed that these three government agencies were key and strategic instruments to the success of the country’s socio-economic recovery program (post-CoViD pandemic). Dr Lim remarked that both Dominguez and Lopez had been doing a “good job.”

Then came a side comment from the program host that it is the Department of Agriculture “na dapat mauna” (“should be first,” meaning in leadership change). To this, Dr Lim opined that Secretary Dar has also been doing a good job, but hampered by budgetary constraints. He even elaborated that for rice production, the Philippines cannot be fairly compared with those of Vietnam and Thailand due to some factors like difference of land area for rice production, not to mention the bigger share of % of GDP allocated to agriculture in both countries mentioned. Aside from that, Dr Lim noted that there were some issues beyond the control of the DA as they were not within the scope of the office, such as rice smuggling & hoarding. Dr Lim said that despite these, the DA had made some progress in terms of increased rice productivity.

Lastly, Dr Lim made a very strong and valid observation that the DA indeed is a very large agency that is in charge of multiple commodities/disciplines, not to exclude the need for continuous support and training of farm workers, entrepreneurs and even enthusiasts. In this context, he enumerated some of them – agricultural crops (for food, shelter, clothing, raw material for value-added products), farm animals (swine, poultry, ruminants); and on top of these, the agency is also tasked with the vast aquatic resources of the country. both fresh and marine resources – can you beat that!

At this juncture, the program was drawing to an end, and the radio host thanked the guest Dr Lim (and I thank him ,too, for setting the record straight as some parties had opted to make it an election and/or selection issue), and I switched to my regular Sunday radio program “Men of Light”.

And to all I say, “Let there be light!”@517
“Above image from The Kabbalah Center, kabbalah.com]

Any Coming Food Crisis Is Chemical Agriculture-Based; FFF’s Advice Is Organic Agriculture, Healthy For The Farmers, Healthy For The Consumers. “Go Picnic, It’s Organic!” – Frank A Hilario

Today, I am exceedingly glad to write about the Federation of Free Farmers (FFF) for the first time!

This has to do with the package of proposals from Leonardo Q Montemayor, former Secretary of Agriculture and current Board Chair of the FFF, author of “Analysis – Transitioning From Chemical To Organic” (05 May 2021, Rappler, Rappler.com) – yes, 1-year old but quite relevant today!
(upper image from Rappler)

Germane, Othel V Campos says PH Secretary of Agriculture William Dar warned: “PH In For A Food Crisis – Dar” (10 May 2022, Manila Standard, manilastandard.net):

[He] warned of a looming food crisis that could start in the second half of the year as input prices soar and there will be little to buy in the global market.

“Many experts are saying there is indeed a looming crisis. But we’re prepared to handle this,” Dar said at a briefing Wednesday. “We have a directional plan to handle these big challenges.”

The plan, he said, involves rebooting agriculture towards recovery and growth and developing a resilient industry under the Department of Agriculture’s 10-year strategic plan.

Amen! The DA has a P250-Billion budget plan for next year.

I go back to Mr Montemayor’s PH Agriculture “transitioning from chemical to organic agriculture.” I agree with all his recommendations:

1.     All PH farmers adopt organic agriculture. DA “should assist farmers in undertaking a gradual, calibrated reduction of chemical inputs.”

2.     Continue “balanced fertilization” regime but “emphasize farmer-made compost or humus,” because to buy costs P7,000/ha.

3.     The DA and local government units (LGUs) should provide technical, financial and other supports for producing and distributing organic fertilizers. LGUs should devote at least ¼ of their internal revenue allotments to organic agriculture.

4.     The DA should initially provide inputs like seeds and planting materials, even as farmers are trained to produce and save their own seeds.

5.     DA should provide basic equipment, tools and small machineries to farmers. A foundry shop for each village may be financed for repairing, improving and even manufacturing tools & equipment.

6.     Migrate farmers from monocropping to bio-diverse or integrated farming systems. Opportunities: Livestock manure made into compost, and crop refuse fed to animals. Companion cropping can help manage pests & diseases naturally.

7.     “Bahay Kubo Cropping” – “Many farmers have neglected the traditional growing of health-enhancing vegetables.”

8.     “Research, Development, and Extension on Organic Conversion Technologies” with funding from the DA and the Department of Science and Technology.

9.     Education campaign among consumers on the benefits of organic produce. “Consumers must regain awareness of the real costs of chemical agriculture to our health and planetary ecosystem” – Climate change. Consumers must demand healthy and safe foods.

10. There should be “direct consumer-organic farmer partnership” under the Producers’ Linkage with Users & Consumers (PLUS) Scheme. PLUS “will ensure decent income for family farmers.”

Sec Dar, how about allotting from the DA’s P250 Billion P17 Billion for organic agriculture?@517

‘The Biggest Job In The World Is Getting Bigger” – BASF, Referring To Agriculture. If We Want To Succeed In The Field, PH Needs Billions In Its Budget!

P10,000,000,000 annually allotted to the Department of Agriculture (DA) from 2019 to 2024 to augment the Philippine Integrated Rice Program. Isn’t that too much money for one crop only!?

It is too much, yes – that is, if you don’t know the reason why. I’m reading ANN’s report, “DA Chief Cites Major Strides In Rice Sector Three Years After RTL” (Author Not Named, 19 May 2022, DA.gov.ph). Because it has been 3 years since the Rice Tariffication Law (RTL), the total amount we are talking about is already P30,000,000,000.
(“The biggest job” image from BASF, Twitter.com)

With Senator Cynthia Villar leading the RTL framers, the law that allots so much additional funds to the Department of Agriculture (DA) was signed by PRRD on 14 February 2019. That was some 6 months before William Dar was appointed Secretary of Agriculture; here now is Mr Dar reporting on the RTL as according to ANN:

While the initial implementation of the RTL proved to be challenging due to start-up glitches, coupled with a protracted pandemic, the law served as the major [game-changer] that spearheaded the structural transformation of the country’s agriculture sector.

Note: Mr Dar is saying the RTL “spearheaded the structural transformation” of PH Agriculture. Further:

Our mid-term review showed that the RTL provides for the appropriate policy framework and productivity-enhancing provisions to catalyze the transformation of the rice industry – From one that is focused on self-sufficiency to one that is less reliant on rice imports,

That is to say, PH is veering from a policy of self-sufficiency in rice to a policy of reduced imports. Even if we cannot produce all of the rice for our citizens, we have to produce morefor ourselves at any rate. Rice imports are problematic – the less rice problems we have, the better for the country.

ANN says:

Secretary Dar attributed the success of RTL to its framers, led by Senator Cynthia Villar, who masterfully steered the crafting and implementation of the new rice regime after more than 30 years of failed attempts under previous administrations.

Mr Dar gave much credit for the RTL to Sen Villar, saying:

None of this will be possible if not for the political will and [grassroots] understanding of the rice sector by Senator Villar. As chairperson of the Senate Committee on Food and Agriculture, she worked hard for RTL to be realized, effectively ridding us of the numerous inefficiencies that hounded our [Quantitative Restrictions] regime.

Under the law, the DA allots the P10 Billion to 4 components of the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund: (1) farm mechanization, P5 Billion; (2) development & promotion of inbred rice, P3 Billion; (3) credit assistance, P1 Billion; and extension & training services, P1 Billion.

Since I am an educator – BSA major in Ag Edu, UP Los Baños ’65 – I am quite interested in extension & training:

The DA’s Agriculture Training Institute (ATI) has not been active in extension. ATI, there’s a million things to do!@517

Another Big Lesson From Tublay Farming Coop – You Have To Help Yourselves, Yourselves. Meanwhile, Old Groups Like FFF Continue Complaining & Not Helping Themselves?

I am 81+ and I don’t remember reading about a Federation of Free Farmers (FFF) group pursuing a farming project for its members’ benefits instead of protesting.

As far as I know, the founder of the FFF, who is Jeremias U Montemayor, is from Pangasinan, my home province. The first and last time I came face-to-face with an FFF group was 2013 as a consultant, with UPLB professor ButchoyEspino as head of our group for the Agrarian Reform Community  Connectivity & Economic Support Services(ARCCESS), an extension project of the Department of Agrarian Reform. One of our target ARCCESS groups was the Aramal-Tocok FFF  Multipurpose Cooperative in San Fabian, Pangasinan. Among other things, we were selling the idea of Farmer’s Choice – at least, I was.

Many years later, FFF if you are still protesting the same or similar things, I only have pity for your group. Farmer’s Choice: Help yourselves!

In the image above, from my essay “Farmer's Choice. Xmas Card, IPM Check, Henri Fayol & Vic Ladlad” (26 Nov 2013, Frank A Hilario, Blogspot.com), among the 10 farmer’s choices is “Organic Fertilizer” (circle green). 9 years later, neither the natives of Pangasinan, the Pangasinense, nor farmer-members of Atlas Mabuna have adopted organic agriculture – either we failed them as consultants, or they failed themselves. Consultants can only do so much – the farmers have to do much more!

Now, I have news for the FFF farmers of Aramal-Tocok – some unknown upland farmers of a Tublay, Benguet farming coop have graduated from being chemical farmers to being organic farmers to being self-regulating organic farmers – surely, the intelligent FFF farmers can emulate them!? [See my essay, “Tublay Organic Farming Coop In Benguet Makes History – “1st Accredited Organic Certifying Body For The Participatory Guarantee System (PGS) In The Philippines,” 18 May 2022, Towards A New Eden, Blogspot.com.]

The FFF does protest too much! Instead, the FFF people can better spend their time learning organic farming methods. You spend much less, you earn much more. You buy the fertilizer, or you prepare your own.

I can also teach them my own formula that I call “Rotavator Organic WEALth” – at no cost, except expenses for travel back & forth, food and accommodations, for 2-3 days for the techno-demo. WEALth is my acronym for “Weeds-Enriched Automatic Layer of Trash Triggering Terrestrial Health.” I assure the FFF people of Aramal-Tocok that my formula is so inexpensive you have to see to believe!

Back to the upland farmers of Tublay of whom I have written [17 May 2022, “Tublay Organic Farming Coop In Benguet Makes History – “1st Accredited Organic Certifying Body For The Participatory Guarantee System (PGS) In The Philippines,” Towards A New Eden, Blogspot.com]. The Tublay farmers have achieved an intellectual level historically above all the other farmers in the Philippines, including MASIPAG whom I came to know were already practicing organic farming 22 years ago.

Whether highland or lowland farmers, you can much improve your lives with organic farming!@517