Healthy Farms for Healthy Foods

In the above image I copied from the Facebook sharing of Searca Director  Glenn B Gregorio , he is inspiring any and all of us: “Let’s get smarter; let’s go digital agriculture!” The lower image is titled by its source “Digital Agriculture” – is it? (lower image [1]  from  Wallpaper Access ) Mr Gregorio was the keynote speaker in the virtual launching of  AgriEX , its common project with APPGeese, a start-up company based in Pasig, Philippines, to design a first-ever digital platform in the provinces of Laguna and Quezon (“Searca, APPGeese, Inc. ink MoA To Develop A Pilot Digital Agriculture Platform In The Philippines,” Nathan P Felix, 08 October 2020,  Searca.org ). The AgriEX Virtual Launch, with the theme “Magtanim Ay ‘Di Biro” (Planting Is Not Fun) was held on 19 February 2021 via Zoom and Facebook Live. AgriEX is a farmgate-to-fork digital project, meaning it will help Laguna and Quezon farmers sell their produce using the Internet. I love it that Mr Gregorio refers to the target

This is both a Glad and Sad Story. Glad: The Agricultural Credit Policy Council (ACPC) has maintained its ISO 9001:2015 QMS Certification [1] as of October 2020. Sad: Many a poor Filipino farmer remains the loser in the credit card game played in the villages. Well, farmers don’t realize it as credit – they just know it’s Fast Cash , no questions asked, no collateral, no waiting in line. We call it “Five-Six” – it’s really a “Borrow Now Pay Later Plan” – borrow 5 pay 6, 20% interest within 100 days, even within 24 hours. Fast cash for the borrower, fat cash for the lender. Aren’t both happy?! Isn’t that a failure of credit consciousness in the Philippines? Isn’t that a failure of an agency to promote credit worthiness in both borrowers and lenders? No, not so fast! Because, right now, there is no single public agency tasked to promote the use and demote the abuse of farm credit in the Philippines. The nearest body I can think of is the ACPC, but my googling tells me I’m wrong. A

Above is the front cover of a coffee-table book published by the Agricultural Credit Policy Council (ACPC) titled The Filipino Farmer Is Bankable . The inset logos show that the ACPC is an attached agency of the Department of Agriculture (DA). The inset text says: With credit, the ACPC looks forward to the day millions of poor farmers and fishers, along with their households, have become as resilient as the bamboo, that is, pliant, sturdy, resistant to stress, can withstand harsh weather, and thrives even on infertile grounds. Yes, the ACPC now knows our farmers are “Bankable!” – given the ACPC’s financial assistance and supervision to individuals and groups. That is the lesson I personally learned in my field trips and subsequently singlehandedly digitally producing the above ACPC coffee-table book subtitled Celebrating 25 Years Of The ACPC. (I myself celebrated when that book came out.) Late January in 2012, Executive Director of the ACPC Jovita Corpuz , from out of the blue pick

If the Internet were cheaper, faster and available even in remote areas in the Philippines, with knowledge-conscious Secretary of Agriculture William Dar, it would be as easy as ABC husbanding Agriculture to many thriving industries. Millions of Filipino farmers & fishers would be informed and rise from poverty. Asa ka pa! Hope for more! Those dreams of empires may not be long in coming. Above, 2 nd District of Albay Representative Joey Salceda is the principal author of the bill “Satellite Internet Liberalization Act” approved Wednesday, 24 February 2021, by the House Committee on Information & Communication Technology (Filane Mikee Cervantes, “House Panel Approves Satellite Liberalization Bill,” PNA ). “A House of Representatives’ panel on Wednesday approved a (proposed) measure allowing small-town Internet service providers, schools, and civic organizations to use the country’s satellite orbital to provide internet service to the countryside.” (top image [1]  from Filipin

I did not go during the first days of the 1986 show of force called EDSA People Power Revolution . A million bodies gathered at points along Epifanio De Los Santos Avenue (EDSA) after Jaime Cardinal Sin via Radio Veritas called for people to show up in support of the rebel leaders, Vice Chief of Staff Fidel Ramos and Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile, who were already holed up at Camp Aguinaldo after declaring their withdrawal of support of President Ferdinand “FM” Marcos , their co-Ilocano. On Tuesday, 25 February 1986. I showed up at EDSA, and that was when FM and his family decided to fly to Hawaii, in defeat. That is why my private joke is that when FM heard this Ilocano coming, he decided to leave Malacañang! Differently, I believe the “EDSA Revolution” or “People Power Revolution” was in fact the “People Leaders’ Revolution” – we saw the strength of numbers, not appreciated the power of the leaders to draw such numbers. Today, I believe we should be harnessing Science Po

This is a teacher speaking – one with an open mind and open notes of knowledge gathered from googling. I’m saying after observing education via secondhand news, from Argentina to England to the Philippines, in schools or in homes, in private schools or SCUs: Students are taught facts – which is unmindful teaching! Facebook sharing: In the Philippines, Mila Concepcion (not her real name) is saying, “I have declined to teach in 3 universities where I (taught) before the pandemic, because I am not sure I will be as effective as in the traditional face-to-face-interaction in class.” Ms Concepcion typifies teachers who think teaching is imparting knowledge 100%. Ms Concepcion, hindi ka nag-iisa. You are not alone; there are millions and millions of you. Here’s news for everyone! “Educators Around World Seek To Take Axe To Exam-Based Learning [1] ,”  says Bethan Staton (23 January 2021, Financial Times ). Her lead sentence is: “Covid era prompts push to ditch one-size-fits-all approach i

Here’s re-inventing the Tagalog expression “Asa aka pa!” from the negative, “Don’t bother, don’t hope!” to the positive, “Hope for more!” As acronym, ASA KA PA!: “Advancing Sustainable, Appropriate, Knowledge-Aligned, Pinoy Agriculture!” While this blog is not to disparage other religious beliefs, I must confess from the start that I am a Roman Catholic. I just created this blog today, ASA KA PA! and I just found out that on this date, the 24 th of February, St Francis “received his vocation” in Portiuncula, Italy – in other words, it dawned on him that his life’s role was as a preacher.  (image of St Francis [2]   from  On This Day )  And yes, I was born on another important St Francis date: September 17, which today is celebrated by Catholics as “The Feast of the Stigmata of St Francis of Assisi.” Stigmata: St Francis was the first person recorded “who bore the marks of the crucified Christ (on) his hands, his feet, and (on) his side [1] ” ( Sacred Heart Catholic Church ).  As a

Roman Catholic faith works! From Faithfuls to Farmers: “Tondo Parish Turns Soccer Field Into Vegetable Farm [1] ” ( Karl R Ocampo, 17 February 2021, Inquirer.net ). Above is the soccer field at St John Bosco Parish in Tondo, Manila, all of 1 ha transformed into a giant garden, all vegetables. Now serving the 17,000 households in 17 barangays in that parish. Last January, P 17,000 worth of vegetables were sold. (“FaithWorks” image [2] from FaithWorks.org ) Now, the number “17” has a special meaning to me: I was born September 17. In numerology, “17 represents compassion, self-confidence, spiritual consciousness, and strength [3] ” ( Numerology Nation ). That describes that Tondo parish in their gardening project! Yes, it was started by the priests of St John Bosco. Parish head Fr Gaudencio Carandang says: It all started with suffering. We were giving consistent relief to members of our community during the lockdown. They would knock on the parish’s doors and ask for food, and we cou

Servant Leader: Leni Robredo, is a 134-page volume published by San Anselmo Press, Manila, December 2020. I have my copy, thanks! I say neither author, Ed Garcia , nor Editor, Danton Remoto , foresaw it, but here is my review in 5 words: Ah, a book of love! Ed Garcia’s name is on the cover, signifying authorship; actually, he wrote many of the chapters, yet he composed the book including 13 other writers: Aida Robredo, Bam Aquino, Chit Roces-Santos, Dean Mel Sta Maria, Doods M Santos, Fr Albert I Alejo SJ, Gay Ace Domingo, Gemino H Abad, Hazel Lavitoria, Jim Pascual Agustin, Leni Robredo, Philip Dy, and Tricia Robredo. Browsing, I find that the most telling – pun intended – is Chapter X, titled “Leni Speaks,” specifically pages 92-93, which contain her entire online address to the graduates of 2020 delivered via Radyo Katipunan 87.9 FM, 08 May 2020. She speaks for herself best. It’s a total of 1055 words, author and title included. It’s Taglish. (For my free English translation,

This essay arose from several Facebook comments on my earlier essay “07, The More The Merrier – P 1B From DA Supportive Of 10 Bataan Model Farms Leading PH Agriculture [1] ” (21 February 2021, BrainScapes ). This is my comment in that essay that readers mainly commented on: I don’t know why, but 60-year old foreign-funded IRRI and 35-year-old PH-funded PhilRice have advocated neither high-value crops (HVCs) after rice nor fertigation, when these technologies are not that new. Joy Duldulao said: “ PhilRice advocates HVCs thru its Palayamanan and FutureRice programs.” Eufemio Rasco replied: “ PhilRice should not limit itself to advocacy. Advocacy is for those who don’t have the resources. Show by example how the challenge of scaling up can be done in its own farms! Mainstream Palayamanan!” Roberto Acosta said: “ Joy Duldulao, maybe it’s high time to change the success measurement matrix of PhilRice – from increasing rice yield to increasing rice farmers' income and better lives

Very optimistic – and excited – was Secretary of Agriculture William Dar after visiting 2 model 1-ha farms in the villages of Daang Bago and San Simon in the town of Dinalupihan, Bataan, Friday, 19 February 2021. He said in the DA news release “Bataan Model Farms Demonstrate Future Of Philippine Agriculture” (20 February 2021): I am thrilled to have seen the progress of this rice-high-value crops diversification system evolving in the Municipality of Dinalupihan. We were here when the idea was being conceived in 2019 and now it has really started its journey, its development. As an agriculturist and a communicator for development in the last 45 years, I know: That it is all markedly historical for the Philippines. The cropping calls for rice in the wet season, and high-value crops (vegetables) in the dry season, with fertigation (fertilization via irrigation). And the technology-setup is replicated 10 times in the same municipality. (I don’t know why, but 60-year old foreign-funde

Forward the 800! Meanwhile, I am seeing Double. As a cockeyed optimist, that’s what I am doing with the launching by Secretary of Agriculture William Dar of the “Mentoring and Attracting Youth in Agribusiness” (MAYA) Program of the Department of Agriculture (DA). How is that? One: Youth learning agriculture as a business – happily. Two: Adults & Seniors learning agriculture as a way of life – unhappily. How? Seeing is dis/believing! The news release from the DA says, “Thousands Apply For Youth Agribiz Mentorship Program [1]”  (11 February 2021, DA.gov.ph ). On 09 February 2021, MAYA had announced the opening of 800 youth scholarships. Immediately, “The online system was deluged with interested individuals, exceeding by four-fold the required number of interns.” Wanted: 800 MAYA scholars. Responded: 3,000 applicants. (upper image [2]  from DA website) The young would-be farmers connect! Already, the 800 are winners: Each MAYA scholar is entitled to a monthly allowance of P

Yes, under PH Secretary of Agriculture William Dar, the Department of Agriculture (DA) will have 17 provinces leading the DA program “ Province-Led Agriculture & Fisheries Extension System” (PAFES) nationwide, when in full initial blast, 1 lead province in each of the 17 regions of the Philippines, and here they are, from North to South: Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) Ilocos Region (Region 1) Cagayan Valley (Region 2) Central Luzon (Region 3) National Capital Region (NCR) Calabarzon (Region 4-A) Mimaropa (Region 4-B) Bicol Region (Region 5) Western Visayas (Region 6) Central Visayas (Region 7) Eastern Visayas (Region 8) Zamboanga Peninsula (Region 9) Northern Mindanao (Region 10) Davao Region (Region 11) Soccsksargen (Region 12) Caraga (Region 13) Bangsamoro (BARMM) But isn’t that too many leads – you know, “Too many cooks spoil the broth”? No. The variations in the cooking will be minimal. Science works if you follow the rules – and it will be the same science from Regi

To write one solid, smooth-reading, 1000-word essay on several unrelated topics, I will now directly use my writing inspiration The More The Merrier (TM 2 ) on somebody else’s multiple topics. Let me apply TM 2   to the problem of PhilStar Global columnist Cito Beltran in his published column of 12 February 2021 titled “Pigs, LTO, Hospitals, Et c [1] ” ( PhilStar.com ). His piece is all of 991 words, including title and author. His lament is the very first sentence of his column: “So many topics, so little space!” I will now write an essay using TM 2 , which I invented Sunday, Valentine’s Day. (Which reminds me; The More The Merrier is my Valentine’s gift to columnists, communicators, editorialists, preachers, speakers, and writers of any kind. TM 2 enables you to say more with less. Proof: This whole essay is only 517 words, almost 2x smaller than Mr Beltran’s.) The image I show above, self-titled “ The More The Merrier,” is sexual in orientation, so why did I choose it? Because