DA, PIA forge partnership for agri program info
drive
By Nora L. Molde
BUTUAN CITY, July 8 (PIA) – With
the aim to heighten community awareness on the programs of the Department of
Agriculture (DA), a talakayan in partnership with the Philippine Information
Agency (PIA) Caraga dubbed as Caraga INFOcus: Agri Hour was launched
Monday.
Its pilot episode centered on
Republic Act 11203 or Rice Tariffication Law, “An Act Liberalizing the
Importation, Exportation and Trading of Rice, Lifting for the Purpose the
Quantitative Import Restriction of Rice, and for other purposes” with guests
from the DA and Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) located in the
municipality of RTR in Agusan del Norte.
The talakayan's first episode
focused on Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Program (RCEP) – Seed component. DA
Caraga Assistant Regional Director Nestor Burgos expressed his gratitude to the
organizers for coming up with the kind of Talakayan, an effective platform to
bring the information to the community.
Burgos is positive that with this
kind of talakayan, the programs of the agency such as the newly-enacted rice
tarrification law will be fully disseminated to the intended beneficiaries.
“Rice tariffication law will help
make our farmers become competitive and will help improve their quality of
life,” Burgos said. It has different components, to include: the Mechanization,
Seed, Extension and also Loan component, he said.
Meanwhile, Dr. Genevive NemeΓ±o, Supervising
Science Research Specialist of PhilRice, said the RCEP – Seed component will
help increase the adoption of certified inbred rice seeds and its corresponding
integrated crop management. It will also improve the quality, availability of
and access to certified inbred rice seeds of our farmers, she said.
“The RCEP Seed component will also
increase the utilization of certified inbred rice seeds in areas with high
potential for increasing farmers’ competitiveness,“ said NemeΓ±o.
NemeΓ±o, further, said that farmers
may avail of the fund, but they should be a member of an organization/group.
Funding support/assistant to farmers will only be released if they are
organized as a group. “Nobody will be left out even if they only own
a portion of farm lands. A 40kgs seed will be allotted to them per
hectare," she assured.
Also, Marisa Garces, DA Caraga
Rice Program Focal Person, said their agency will not just look on how they are
going to assist the farmers but they will also make sure that all qualified
farmers can avail of the services of the agency. (NCLM/PIA Caraga)
Coastal clean-up opens NDRM observance in Caraga
By Venus L. Garcia
BUTUAN CITY, July 8 (PIA) -- Known
as one of the areas identified to be prone to geologic and seismic hazards,
Caraga region is further strengthening the awareness campaign on disaster
preparedness, prevention, and resilience as a proactive action for this year’s
observance of the National Disaster Resilience Month (NDRM).
Led by the Office of Civil Defense
(OCD) Caraga and Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council
(RDRRMC), government employees, responders and other stakeholders joined in a
motorcade going to barangay Sto. NiΓ±o, Magallanes in Agusan del Norte for the
coastal clean-up.
The pupils of the different
schools in the municipality of Magallanes actively showed their support by
waving white flaglets as a convoy of vehicles joining the motorcade passed
through their school. Other pupils also conducted their own local parade.
These were just some of the
obvious display of increased consciousness and giving value on disaster
preparedness among the children and locals.
The event formed part of the
series of activities lined up for the month-long NDRM observance in Caraga
region.
According to OCD Caraga regional
director Liza Mazo, the theme, “Kahandaan sa Sakuna’t Peligro Para sa Tunay na
Pagbabago,” is suitable as it brings a message of owning up the responsibility
to apply the right skills and knowledge in order to achieve a resilient and
safe community in times of disasters.
“NDRM is an annual event and I’m
grateful that our line agencies have institutionalized this activity that is
why many are getting more involved,” said Mazo.
Meanwhile, Department of Science
and Technology (DOST) - Caraga regional director and RDRRMC vice chairperson
Dominga Mallonga cited the importance of knowing the correct information; to
practice what has been learned; and to set a proper mindset in order to
appropriately respond to any eventualities or prevent from becoming victims of
disasters.
“It is vital to know the right
information such as identifying the different hazards in the community.
Practical applications of the principles of disaster response and emergency
management could also be of great help,” said Mallonga.
Department of the Interior and
Local Government (DILG) - Caraga assistant regional director Donald Seronay
also urged the local government units to strengthen their respective DRRMC.
Meanwhile, at his very young age,
JM Bustillo willingly spent his time cleaning up the coastal area. He said he
has learned the impacts of litter on the environment and even in health.
Also joining the kick-off activity
was National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) - Caraga regional director
lawyer Bonifacio Uy together with his team. “As we pursue our quest to be more
disaster resilient, may we be firm in our conviction that disaster risk
reduction (DRR) and climate change adaptation (CCA) is everyone’s concern and
responsibility, from the least to the most vulnerable individual in our
community. Preparedness is indeed very critical. It implies whether we have
zero, minimal, or numerous casualties,” Uy said. (VLG/ PIA-Caraga)
