Skip to main content

02, The More The Merrier – 1,200+ Community Farmers In PH Tourist Siargao Island Successfully Inspired By The Police!

Lower image says, “Stories That Prove Filipino Police Are Heroes[1]” (from Newsgraph). That explains my choice of photograph to illustrate my story. The news comes from Down Under by Celeste Macintosh, “Police-Led Farming Program Becomes Covid Lifeline For An Island Voted ‘Best In The World[2]’” (13 February 2021, SBS Filipino).

Ms Celeste says:

After being recognized in 2019 by the readers of Conde Nast Travel as the “best island in the world,” Siargao Island drew even more tourists and surfing enthusiasts from around the world. As tourism picked up in (this) southern Philippines island, more farmers and (fishers) “abandoned their traditional livelihoods to earn fast cash from foreign tourists,” and petty crimes flourished in the key island municipality of General Luna.

Easy come, easy go. Farming is easy if you ask this farmer’s son who is also an Agriculturist, UP '65, but fast cash is more tempting by selling something, anything. Goodbye carabao, hello tourists! Hello petty crimes.

Fortunately for Siargao, a year before the island became the toast of tourists, says Ms Celeste, Police Captain Wise Vicente Panuelos “realized that despite the steady growth in local tourism over the years, residents were still struggling to make ends meet.” What did he do?

He investigated a new idea, connecting Food with Peace.

“In 2018, defying convention, he decided to train the police in community organizing and address local food insecurity in pursuit of peace and order.” He thought, “If people have hungry stomachs, they might have angry minds.” He was thinking of more crimes.

So, Chief Panuelos sought the assistance of community-conscious businesses and individuals and started “Hardin ng Pagbabago” (Garden of Change). This was community farming. Ms Celeste says, “The innovative program was quick to get local backing within its first year.” There were an initial 12 community farms in San Isidro.

There is a white stranger in this story. Ms Celeste says:

Siargao-based, ex-military Brett Johnson of the Australian Special Forces is one of the pioneer supporters of the (Garden of Change) program. Mr Johnson and Captain Panuelos met almost three years ago when Mr Johnson moved to the Philippines straight out of retirement from the military.

Different peoples and different perspectives, yet they blended. Mr Johnson said, ““I became good friends with him (Captain Panuelos), as my background and (his) being (Police Chief were) a good mix and we could understand each other and relate.” Law and Order of a different kind!

Mr Johnson came from a farming background in Western Australia where his family had grown wheat and raised sheep. “When Captain Panuelos decided that the program was ready for a full-scale approach, he asked Mr Johnson to be a sponsor, and he adopted 3 farms.” He was a farmer first, police next, farmer last.

Once a farmer, always a farmer. Apart from providing financial support for local farms; Mr Johnson also trained the farmers on soil rehabilitation, a Very Important Point (VIP) – I will write on this VIP another time.@517


[1]https://www.newsgra.ph/1856/stories-that-prove-filipino-police-are-heroes/

[2]https://www.sbs.com.au/language/english/audio/police-led-farming-program-becomes-covid-lifeline-for-an-island-voted-best-in-the-world?fbclid=IwAR3gJ8VtErYpOsHo0keLXjGitrGBjlG_1FwF1DgBWUpaH0oUxFEZVfxuQgc

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Historical PH 1st Holy Mass: Mazaua Or Limasawa? Fr Amalla Vs Maria Serena Diokno Vs Ambeth Ocampo – And The Priest Is Right!

We Filipinos celebrate 500 years of Christianity today Wednesday, 31 March 2021, Christianity brought to pagans by Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan sailing the seas for Spain. The historical question is: Where was the first Holy Mass celebrated: “Limasawa” (in Leyte) or “Mazaua” (in Butuan)? Catholic priest Fr Joesilo C Amalla has just published the book (above), An Island They Called Mazaua, that argues the island of “Mazaua” in Butuan is the “true site of first Holy Mass in the Philippines [1] ”  and not “Limasawa” in Leyte (ANN, 07 January 2021, Manila Times ). The declaration and discussion are made by Butuan-based Fr Amalla in his 644-page book. Among other things, he writes: The truth is that the prevailing state- and church-affirmation and multiple reaffirmations of the island of Limasawa as the site of that first Holy Mass have no factual, historical and geographic (bases) whatsoever nor any shred of evidentiary support from cartographic studies, navigational info...
Post a Comment
Read more

The PhilRice Drum Seeder Looked Good In April 2018 – Where Is It Now?

Above, top image, the Antique ricefield looks very promising in yield. Here is the story as shared on Facebook by PhilRice (my translation in English): TINGNAN! Unang palayan sa Sta. Ana, Tibiao, Antique na natamnan ng 60kg binhi kada ektarya sa pamamagitan ng sabog-tanim. Look! First ricefield in Santa Ana, Tibiao, Antique that was planted with 60 kg seeds per hectare by way of broadcasting. Sa kauna-unahang pagkakataon, natunghayan ng mga magsasaka sa nasabing lugar na kayang-kaya ang 60kg kada ektarya gamit ang seed spreader machine (granular applicator) at certified seeds mula sa RCEF. For the first time ever, farmers in that area witnessed that 60 kg/ha is quite enough using a seed spreader machine (granular applicator) and certified seeds from RCEF. Makikita sa larawan na magaganda ang naging tubo at mabubulas ang mga itinanim na palay. What can be seen in the picture is beautiful growth of and robust rice plants. Ayon sa ulat, namangha ang mga magsasaka rito na kay...
Post a Comment
Read more

Davao De Oro Rubber Has Elasticity And Should Be Able To Bounce Back!

  The caption above says, “DA-PRDP turned over the Village Level Rubber Processing and Marketing Enterprise to SARPHIL CARP Beneficiaries Multipurpose Cooperative (SACARBECOM) in Monkayo, Davao De Oro last 11 March 2021.” Rubber being produced in the Philippines, a non-traditional commercial product. We are competing with Indonesia and Malaysia? From the story by Joy M Montecalvo , the caption needs explanation. Not the enterprise itself, the Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP) of the Department of Agriculture (DA) turned over a village-type rubber sheet facility that can process 192,000 liters of latex yearly. Miss Joy says, “The 124 members of SACARBEMCO will now be able to produce 55 to 60 MT of rubber sheet per annum and increase their income to at least 5 percent per year or a total of 30 percent in six years.” Hopefully, I say. (The SACARBEMCO is the SARPHIL CARP Beneficiaries Multi-purpose Cooperative based in Monkayo, Davao De Oro.) Miss Joy says in the headlin...
Post a Comment
Read more