Normin showcased CPAR experience By: Jorie C. Valcorza
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – Farmer-leaders in Northern Mindanao convened in Cagayan de Oro city last week for the third Community-Based Participatory Action Research (CPAR) Congress, Product Exhibits and Awarding Ceremony.
The event aims to showcase successes as well as strategies adopted by CPAR farmers in 16 projects sites adapting to coconut-based, ricebased, corn-based, potato-based, and vegetable based farming systems. Department of Agriculture (DA) region 10 Director Lealyn A. Ramos explained that these technologies were generated by the Northern Mindanao Integrated Agricultural Research Center (NOMIARC), mature farming technologies that needs to be out in the field. The approach is meant to utilize fully all available researches that are oftentimes left in the shelves. “The essence is that we clearly see the studies being adopted and that
farmers are following scientific based approach in boosting production. We do not impose this to the farmers, we conducted consultations and listened to their recommendations as well as prepare them socially to be good technology adopters,� Ramos said. DA likewise released P250,000.00 worth of grant in the form of farm inputs to CPAR identified beneficiary organizations in the barangay, and other additional assistance they can tap from the agency. CPAR organizations have also ventured into production of valueadded food and non-food products as among the activities that diversify income for their rural farming households.
DTI-Camiguin releases another set of SSF By: Zita M. Abellare
MAMBAJAO, Camiguin – A shared services facility was turnedover anew by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Camiguin Provincial Office to Balbagon Barangay Council in Mambajao town on 15 March 2016. It includes electrically operated rice grinders and coconut graters to improve the production quality, productivity and efficiency of the suman moron (rice based delicacy)
which is the identified delicacy of the place under the one town product program. Suman moron is a presentable native delicacy with a fine texture,
chocolate twisted flavored wrapped sticky rice cake that originated from the province of Leyte. Working behind the scene are women makers from the Kasamahan ng mga Liping Pilipina (KALIPI)Balbagon Association. DTI said that aside from the popular delicacies like pastel, tablea, peanut brittle, ampao, turrones de mani among others, Camiguin is also proud of its new product lines of processed food or delicacies like the suman moron, now positioned as pasalubong item under the One Barangay, One Product (OBOP)
program. The Mambajao OBOP program advocates that all barangay government units should take the lead in identifying, developing and promoting a specific product or service which has a competitive advantage and marketable in both the local and international markets. Meanwhile, DTI’s SSF is a livelihood assistance program that intends to give Micro Small Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) access to better technology and more sophisticated equipment for marketable production and competitiveness acceleration.
Suspected NPA bandits flag down commuters in Bukidnon By: Norman M. Tagros
IMPASUGONG, Bukidnon – More or less 20 armed persons believed to be members of the New People’s Army (NPA) from Section Committee 89, North Central Mindanao Committee flagged down vehicles along Sayre Highway in barangay Capitan Bayong, Impasugong, Bukidnon, Sunday, April 3, at around 5:30 a.m. The NPA bandits went from one vehicle to another, taking travelers’ vehicle keys and held civilians at gunpoint as they disguised themselves as soldiers and police personnel wearing military and police uniforms
while posting an AFP/PNP Checkpoint signboard along the highway. A witness said, around 5:30 a.m, armed persons garbed in military and police uniforms riding in unidentified trucks, arrived in the area and flagged
down passing vehicles along Sayre Highway. After a while, said armed group declared an AFP/PNP checkpoint and later introduced themselves as NPA members. Immediately, after reports from concerned citizens, troops of the 8th Infantry Battalion together with the personnel of Impasugong Municipal Police Station rushed to the scene, which caused the rebels to withdraw towards the mountainous area, east of Impasugong town, using stolen civilian vehicles. A pursuit operation is now being conducted utilizing specialized K9 tracking Dogs of the 8th Infantry Battalion as it was reported that there were three persons who were allegedly kidnapped by the bandits. Their identity however is yet to be determined. It can be recalled that last March 31, 2016, the 8th Infantry Battalion has issued a public advisory regarding the NPA’s plan to conduct flagging down of vehicles while disguised as AFP or PNP personnel using COMELEC checkpoint signboards. This information has prompted the military to conduct security operations in the areas of Impasugong and Malaybalay City, Bukidnon in order to clear identified NPA consolidation areas. This resulted to a 10-minute fire fight between 8IB troops and elements of Section Committee 89, North Central Mindanao Regional Committee in the forested area of Barangay Manalog, Malaybalay City
at 11:20 a.m., April 2. Spot reports showed the government troops suffered no casualty while undetermined casualties on the NPAs side. Meanwhile, Lt. Col. Lennon G. Babilonia, commanding officer of the 8th Infantry Battalion, in a statement, said “While we have already conducted necessary steps to pre-empt such plans of the NPA to affect our people’s security, it is very unfortunate that this incident still took place. It appears that these bandits came from a different area outside of our area of operations. Nevertheless, we appreciate the prompt reporting of our people, which enabled us to direct our patrols to respond to the incident area immediately or else, these bandits could have further inflicted damages to the vital economic installations nearby as we know that these rebels always resort to burning and bombing of equipment. We condemn this continued act of violence by the NPA bandits that only brings fear and anxiousness among our people. Their deceits and oppression have caused the people so much and so we assure our people that your Army, together with our PNP, will always take the necessary measures if only to secure our communities.”