Month: May 2022

One hundred twenty champion-partners in the carabao development program (CDP) implementation were honored during the “Pistang Parangal sa mga Kaagapay na Magkakalabaw sa Nueva Ecija” in celebration of the National Farmers’ and Fisherfolk’s Month on May 16.

This year’s celebration is anchored on the theme “Buwan ng Magsasaka at Mangingisda 2022: Modernisasyon at Industriyalisasyon Tungo sa Masaganang Ani at Mataas na Kita.”

During a program organized by the Knowledge Management Division-Learning Events Coordination Section in collaboration with the DA-Philippine Carabao Center at Central Luzon State University (DA-PCC at CLSU), partner-carapreneurs who are members of dairy cooperatives and associations, private farm owners, and family module beneficiaries received plaques of recognition from the DA-PCC for their resolute hard work and dedication in helping advance the growth of the carabao dairy industry in the countryside.

They were also recognized for their strong partnership with DA-PCC in achieving the goals of the agricultural sector, especially in improving the economic and social well-being of farming families and ensuring food security even during a pandemic.

DA-PCC OIC Executive Director Dr. Ronnie Domingo urged the farmer-carapreneurs to scale up their production and upgrade their products’ quality in order to be more competitive in the market domestically and even internationally. He went on to say that success should be about getting better every day.

“The DA-PCC will rally behind you in your modernization and industrialization efforts,” he assured.

Dr. Domingo presented the highlights of accomplishments of the Ahon Lahat, Pagkaing Sapat Kontra COVID-19 (ALPAS COVID-19) project of the agency, which was launched during the National Farmers’ and Fisherfolk’s Month in 2020.

The DA-PCC implemented this in four project components: Creating Opportunities Through Value Innovations and Development (COVID), Unlad Lahi Project (ULaP), Gatas, Isda, Gulay, at Karne (GIGK), and Cara-Aralan with a total of 38,684 beneficiaries.

Specifically, there were 9,795 beneficiaries provided with carabaos, incentives, technical and veterinary services, a crop-forage integrated system, technical, mechanization, and market support for food and feed production under ULaP.

In GIGK, a total of 28,357 beneficiaries received clustered vegetable and livestock forage production and market assistance, logistical support, or farm mechanization assistance; while 100 beneficiaries received up-scaled technologies, innovations in food production, processing, and value-adding in the COVID project component.

Under the Cara-Aralan project component, there were 432 beneficiaries provided with e-learning or webinars focused on farm solutions, learning modules in AVPs, digitized IEC and training materials, multimedia promotions, and communication support services.

Meanwhile, farmer representatives gave their respective testimonies on how the DA-PCC’s program helped them improve their way of life.

Catalanacan Multi-Purpose Cooperative chairperson Ferdinand Cueva shared how the income from the dairy enterprise enabled their cooperative to become entirely debt-free; Rosalie Mendoza of the Isla Buliran Farmers Association thanked the DA-PCC for providing technical assistance and enriching their knowledge in dairy buffalo production; private farm owner Ernesto Padolina, who currently owns 100 dairy carabaos, expressed his gratitude to DA-PCC for convincing him to venture into carabao dairying, which eventually provides him sustainable income; and family module beneficiary Apolonio Serrano proudly narrated how his three children were able to graduate from college with the income he earned from raising dairy carabaos.

In 1989, the month of May was declared as Farmers’ and Fisherfolks’ Month under Presidential Proclamation No. 33.

The DA-PCC through its regional center hosted by the Visayas State University (VSU) conducted a Facilitators’ Learning Workshop on Farmers Livestock School on Dairy Buffalo Production (FLS-DBP) from April 25 to May 6, 2022 at the VSU, Baybay City, Leyte. It was the first time that such activity was conducted outside the DA-PCC national headquarters.

Thirty-one participants from different municipalities of Eastern Visayas consisting of partners from the Coconut-Carabao Development Project (CCDP) farmer-beneficiaries, Local Government Unit (LGU) technicians from Northern Samar, Leyte, Samar, Southern Leyte, and Biliran, and some DA-PCC at VSU staff members attended the learning workshop.

The FLS-DBP is an innovative approach that is anchored on participatory and adult learning methods and principles. The 15-day intensive activity aimed to equip participants with the necessary skills and competence in implementing the FLS-DBP in their respective localities, making them effective facilitators of learning for other farmers after the season-long learning experience.

Aside from the lecture sessions, the training course included experiential learning processes through exercises, games, fieldworks and case analysis.

Courses discussed throughout the training were focused on mobilizing communities for FLS-DBP, raising healthy and productive dairy buffalo, building enterprises from buffalo, participatory technology development, and participatory tools to measure the FLS-DBP effects and its impact. The DA-PCC’s Knowledge Management Division (KMD) headed by Dr. Eric Palacpac, together with module developers from the national headquarters facilitated the said learning activity.

Resource persons included Director Francisco G. Gabunada Jr. of DA-PCC at VSU and module developers from the national headquarters (Dr. Palacpac, Ms. Rovelyn T. Jacang, Dr. Phoebe Lyndia Llantada, Dr. Cyril P. Baltazar, Dr. Ester B. Flores, Dr. Peregrino G. Duran, Dr. Renelyn M. Labindao, Ms. Mina P. Abella, Ms Patrizia Camille Saturno, Ms. Teresita Baltazar, former DA-PCC R&D Division Chief Dr. Annabelle S. Sarabia, and former KMD staff Mr. Erwin M. Valiente).During the culminating ceremony, Dr. Caro B. Salces, DA-PCC’s Deputy Executive Director for Administration and Finance, gave his inspirational message by sharing success stories of previous FLS-DBP graduates who ventured into the dairy buffalo business particularly in supplying the milk for the milk feeding program.

The participants expressed their gratitude, as they gained knowledge about dairy buffalo production, business aspects, and technology transfer. It gave them an opportunity to disseminate their knowledge to farmer-beneficiaries of the CCDP Project. Further, they presented their re-entry plans for the implementation of a full-scale FLS-DBP in their respective localities.

Thirty personnel of the DA-Philippine Carabao Center (DA-PCC) have been designated as the agency’s official first aiders should emergencies arise after completing the four-day training course on basic life support and standard first aid on May 2-5.

Through its Management Systems Audit Office, the DA-PCC organized the said activity in compliance with the Occupational Health and Safety Management System’s rule on the required training for the agency’s first aiders and health personnel.

The DA-PCC tapped the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) Nueva Ecija Chapter to conduct the training wherein the participants acquired several life-saving skills. They were trained in first aid basics, particularly on how to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) with an automated external defibrillator (AED).

Aside from a series of lectures and discussions, the participants also underwent practical exercises on effective emergency procedures such as the safest first aid methods of moving and lifting a patient, bandaging and splinting, and immobilization, among others.

Rey Lovell Sabado and Jean Pascual of the PRC served as safety service instructors during the training. They emphasized the importance of having the ability to act in an emergency and save a life because “minutes matter.”

Ismael Gajonera, DA-PCC administrative assistant and one of the participants, said he was grateful to the management for giving him the chance to learn how to deal with emergencies with confidence and be able to give life-saving care when it’s needed most.

After the training and evaluation, the PRC will issue valid ID cards and certificates of competence to the participants.