The eMagazine of Philippine Information Agency 10
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2016
NorMin Quality Corn Achievers recognised
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – Recognizing the agency’s partners in the production of safe and quality corn through contributing to an intensified adoption of good agricultural practices among farmers, the Department of Agriculture – Regional Field Office 10 (DA-RFO 10) recently honored the Quality Corn Achievers (QCA) Awardees during the Regional Achievers Awarding Ceremony, held in the city.
“For this year, the Corn Program is proud to have produced a total of 16 achievers, as without them, it would have been difficult to convey the interventions from the national government down to the grassroots level relative to the corn industry,” Rosell P. Tuba-on, regional corn focal person said. Harnessing local level participation in ensuring the effective implementation of the agency’s programs, projects and services are the region’s commendable corn-producing areas, agriculturists, coordinators and agricultural extension workers (AEWs). Malaybalay City and Don Carlos, Bukidnon emerged as the outstanding corn producing city and town, respectively, with them being led by laudable corn city agriculturist Remedios R. Sarzuelo and commendable corn municipal agriculturist Merlyn C. Los Baños. Also from Malaybalay City, Myra S. Abejuela was named as the outstanding corn city coordinator while Ma. Jorgen P. Soriano, Joan Marien A. Diola, Engr. Richard B. Leono, Elsie Aguilar and Emegen I. Disalan victored as outstanding AEWs. Adding to the roster of honored AEWs are Neptali C. Ambos, Bernido P. Miasco and Kristina P. Soria from Lantapan, Bukidnon, Deofel J. Omagap from Cabanglasan, Bukidnon, Coleen Alva C. Ambos from San Fernando, Bukidnon, and Purita L. Magaway from Don Carlos, Bukidnon.
At the regional level, the QCA were conferred each with a plaque of recognition and a token. “All of our regional awardees were endorsed to the National Search Committee and will vie for the QCA awards at the national level. Should they triumph, project grant worth Php 1 million each for the city and municipality awaits, and cash incentives amounting to Php2030,000 awaits for the outstanding corn agriculturists, coordinators and AEWs,” Tuba-on added. National winners shall receive their project grants and cash prizes during the conduct of the 12th Philippine National Corn Congress, which is slated on November 1518, 2016, in Koronodal City, South Cotabato. Other regional achievers that were honored during the event from other categories include the Organic Agriculture Achievers, Gawad Saka awardees, Rural Women Achievers and Best Performing Food Terminals. (JLO, DA-RFO 10)
Duterte to help ARMM strengthen its anti-poverty drive MARAWI CITY, Lanao del Sur – President Rodrigo Roa Duterte will visit the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao’s (ARMM) seat in Cotabato City on October 29, as the region’s top official sees stronger anti-poverty programs under the current administration. ARMM Governor Mujiv Hataman said President Duterte has previously expressed his desire to help the region’s drive against poverty and hunger. Based on latest data from the Philippine Statistics Authority, ARMM is the poorest region in the country with poverty incidence of 53.4 percent. Lanao del Sur and Sulu, two of the five provinces that comprise ARMM, are considered the poorest and second poorest provinces with 70.2 percent and 61.8 percent poverty incidence, respectively. High on the list of ARMM regional government’s concerns – aside from peace and order – are food security and poverty. These issues are the focus of President Duterte’s first executive order that puts to task 12 government agencies. The 12 agencies on the forefront of the fight against poverty are Cooperative Development Authority; Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council; National Anti-Poverty Commission; National Commission on Indigenous Peoples;
National Commission on Muslim Filipinos; National Food Authority; National Youth Commission; Office of the President-Presidential Action Center; Philippine Commission on Women; Philippine Coconut Authority; Presidential Commission on the Urban Poor; and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority. These agencies will evaluate existing poverty reduction programs and, if deemed necessary, formulate a more responsive set of programs complementing existing ones, and channeling resources as necessary to reduce both the incidence and magnitude of poverty. Representatives of most if not all the agencies listed above are expected to be part of the presidential party and would assess the region’s situation with the objective of determining if new programs and projects are necessary, or existing ones should be strengthened, based on local needs and availability of resources. It should be noted that ARMM is currently undertaking several
programs to combat poverty and these include the ‘Apat na Dapat’ initiative at the household level, and the ARMMHealth, Education, Livelihood, Peace and Security, and Synergy, or HELPS, at the barangay level. “These two programs are specifically designed to address the roots of poverty,” Gov. Hataman noted. Apat na Dapat, which focuses on 600 of the region’s poorest families, was launched in January 2016. “We hope that the national government would help us bridge the gaps in the programs we are currently implementing,” Átty. Laisa Alamia, ARMM Executive Secretary, said. The regional government, she noted, has earmarked P240 million for the implementation of the program in 2015-2016. There will be 15 pilot municipalities – three in every province of the ARMM – with 40 of the poorest families as beneficiaries in each municipality. The program will follow the “fourfor-the-poor formula,” which zeroes
in on the four basic needs, namely food, water, light, and shelter. “Any household that lacks even just one of these four is at great risk of being poor,” Gov. Hataman noted. The program is under the ARMM’s Bangsamoro Regional Inclusive Development Program for Sustainable Growth and Equity, which helps strengthen local governance and empower communities in the region. ARMM-HELPS, on the other hand, is a banner program of the Office of the Regional Governor that aims at establishing a peaceful and secure environment in the region by providing basic social services especially in relation to health, education, livelihood, good governance and peace in barangays. ARMM-HELPS was launched in February 2013 and is designed as a convergence initiative of the regional government. The program’s different components are being implemented by the line agencies. (Bureau of Public Information/PIA-10)
NFA Bukidnon to farmers: Sell palay to the government MALAYBALAY CITY, Bukidnon – National Food Authority (NFA) is encouraging rice farmers in the province to sell their “Palay (unhusked rice)” to NFA in either freshly threshed or dry state.
Mila P. Tanguamos, NFA provincial manager said they are now buying clean and dry Palay at P17.00 per kilogram with additional incentives such as cooperative development incentive fee (CDIF) of P0.30/kg; drying incentive fee of P0.20/kg; and delivery fee ranging from P0.20/kg to P0.50/kg depending on the distance from farm to the buying station. She explained that the P0.30 CDIF is intended only for farmer-members of registered farmers’ cooperatives. Likewise, NFA Bukidnon spokesperson Ma. Socorro S. Mellomida said NFA buys the so-called wet or newly threshed palay with 30 percent grains moisture content at P13.48 per kilogram—or higher based on the dampness—as determined using NFA’s net weight factor matrix. She said NFA is deploying procurement teams especially in
remote areas where survey shows palay-buying prices are low. “NFA also provides post-harvest facilities and equipment as vital components of agricultural production such as mechanical dryers, testing device to determine grains quality on purity, lending of empty sacks, truck scales, and buying stations with 1.1 million bags capacity, among others,” Mellomida said. On the other hand, walk-in farmers like thresher operator, farm workers, and all other agricultural workers without NFA passbooks are allowed to deliver their palay harvest up to 200 bags. For details, queries and information, National Food Authority Bukidnon provincial office can be reached through hotline numbers 09056576831 and 09090141464. (RLRB/PIA-10, Bukidnon)