Month: March 2011

The Philippine Carabao Center at Mariano Marcos State University (PCC at MMSU) based at Batac City, Ilocos Norte, is now ISO 9001:2008-certified and is also the first regional center of PCC recommended for certification that was confirmed on March 2.

According to Minda R. Diloy, PCC Quality Management Representative, the regional center has “completely conformed to ISO requirements.”

Diloy said PCC-MMSU showed conformance to the eight quality management principles required for certification includes leadership, involvement of people, factual approach to decision-making, mutually beneficial supplier relationship, process approach, customer focus, continual improvement, and system approach to management.

She added, “We saw the harmonized the relationship between the staff members and the top management of the regional center is which we can attribute to the leadership of center director Grace Recta.”

The ISO (International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards bodies. It promotes the adoption of a process approach when developing, implementing and improving the effectiveness of a quality management system and enhancing customer satisfaction by meeting customer requirements.

Further, the certification implies compliance of a certain organization or agency to international standards. It also means having quality services at par with international agencies.

The award for certification will be given during the celebration of PCC’s 18th anniversary this month.

The members of the MMSU ISO team are Cesar Arevalo, lead auditor; Florencio Malicad Jr., QMR; Mari Joan Nefulda, document control officer; Merriam Grace Castillo from SGS (Société Générale de Surveillance); and Minda Diloy, Ma. Wynne Pagaduan and Ma. Victoria Abesamis from PCC.

The Philippine Carabao Center’s Technology Board summoned the urgency for the application of Technology Assessment Protocol (TAP) toward further technology promotion and commercialization.

As a concrete step for its realization, the board headed by Dr. Eric P. Palacpac, along with selected staff members of PCC, participated in a four-day training on the use of TAP in evaluating different technologies implemented and promoted by the agency.

The selected staff included technology promotion specialists, economists, sociologists, technically competent experts, and communication experts. These were selected based on PCARRD-Technology Outreach and Promotion Division’s (PCARRD-TOPD) requirements.

The TAP training course, developed by (PCARRD-TOPD), embodies the most recent innovations in technology assessment procedures and processes utilizing the STEEP criteria such as social acceptability, technical feasibility, financial / economic viability, environmental soundness, and political acceptability. It is focused on techniques to determine the necessary and timely interventions for packaging existing technologies to potentially commerciable products/services.

The protocol was also designed to zero in on the reasons why farmers or intended clienteles do not use particular matured technologies to improve carabao and cattle production such as Urea-Molasses-Mineral Block (UMMB) and milk replacer, understand the status of the technologies generated, and identify the necessary actions and interventions for technology packaging, promotion and commercialization.

“We should establish confidence on particular technologies such as artificial insemination so that this kind of matured technology will be reached and understood by its intended clienteles,” said Dr. Liza G. Battad, Planning and Special Projects Division Chief of PCC.

She added, “We should also have quantitative indicators for R&D efforts or how it has been implemented at least at the farmers’ level.”

The four-day training enabled the participants to assess indigenous and new technologies for promotion and commercialization. Principles, concepts and tools of technology assessment protocol, and guides on the formation of a cohesive core team that will conduct technology assessment using the tools of TAP were discussed during the training.

Technologies or innovations using TAP have been categorized into product, process, service and information.

Included in the list of the technologies developed and improved by PCC are Artificial Insemination, Estrus Synchronization, Day Zero Calf Weaning with Milk Replacer, Legume-Grass Pasture for Grazing, UMMB, Urea Treatment of Rice Straw with Molasses, Silage Making, Flushing, Fattening of Water Buffalo for Good Quality Meat, Animal Record-Keeping, Portable Milking Machine and Communal Freezer, Ricotta Cheese, Direct Acidification Method for Mozzarella Cheese, Simplified Production of Yogurt, Probiotic White Cheese, Lacto Juice, and Pastillas de Leche.

Flushing and AI were the technologies assessed during the training.

Dr. Arturo Argañosa, chief of PCARRD-TOPD, headed the team of the facilitators which included Ms. Lucy Lastimosa, Diana Rose Cabello (PCARRD-TOPD) and Mr. Eduedo Magboo (formerly of PCARRD-Livestock Research Division).

With the help of TAP, the technology board is optimistic that the technologies will gain further acceptance among its clienteles.

The training on TAP was held at the PCC National Headquarters Office from February 28-March 3, 2011.

The Philippine Carabao Center (PCC) will be launching another book about the carabao that highlights its significant role in boosting the Philippine economy. The book launch will be held during the agencys 18th anniversary celebration on March 25.

Titled “Businessing the Carabao”, the book is written by veteran development journalist and PCC editorial consultant Dr. Anselmo S. Roque. He also authored the book “Appreciating the Carabao” which was launched during the 17th PCC anniversary.

“Businessing the Carabao” focuses on carabao-based enterprises and its viability to generate more jobs in rural and urban areas. It likewise talks about the programs of PCC, such as the components of the carabao improvement program.

Success stories of carabao raisers and dairy farmers are also highlighted in the book.

The book complements efforts to promote the carabao not just as a source of draft power but also as an important resource for livelihood and jobs generation.

In his foreword, Dr. Libertado Cruz, PCC executive director, said “We deemed it wise to come out with this book “Businessing the Carabao” to underscore a major pathway toward the achievements of one of the more important goals of the Carabao Development Program.”

“The book, however, is not yet a complete documentation of the successes achieved by the people in carabao-based industries but rather a presentation of how a number of people have made good in enterprises involving the carabao with the hope that others can see the light and follow it for their own sake, their families and their communities” he added.

Dairy buffalo farmers can now look forward to additional income with the projected distribution of 11 rice straw baler machines recently acquired by the Philippine Carabao Center (PCC) from Thailand.




The machines can compress hay, rice straw, silage and other raked crops into tightly-packed, easily transportable rectangular or cylindrical bales that can be sold to farmers, resulting in extra income for PCC-assisted dairy farmers.

The machines require five persons each to operate, each performing interrelated tasks that include feeding of rice straw, arranging the bale and compacting.

The user-friendly machine can produce 350 bales per day.



Dr. Daniel Aquino, an animal nutrition expert of PCC, said that these machines are convenient to use, small in size and easy to handle for transport and distribution to recipients.




For years, farmers are used to burning the rice straw at post harvest as an easy means of disposal. However, this practice contributes to air pollution, studies show.

Dr. Aquino said that PCC initiated the acquisition of baler machines to somehow help in coming up with mitigating measures to control air pollution while turning farm waste into productive resource.




He said that rice straws can be put into good use as a food supplement for the carabaos.



Selling baled rice straws, he added, can also be a means of income generation for farmers.



The PCC will soon train farmers on how to operate the machines.