CSC’s 110th Anniversary

CapSU Burias personnel plant 137 coconut trees

By Niño Saavedra Manaog

Photos by Rector Latoza

To take part in the celebration of the 110th Anniversary of the Philippine Civil Service, some 52 non-academic personnel of the Capiz State University (CapSU) Burias Campus led by Dr. Virginia Lachica, OIC campus administrator and Dr. Ludovico Olmo, chairman for production, joined in the tree planting of 137 coconut plantlings across the 2-hectare lot of CapSU Burias Campus on September 27, 2010 in barangay Burias, Mambusao, Capiz.

According to Ms. Emily Launio, personnel officer, the tree planting sought to create awareness among their personnel on how they could help address the problem of climate change nowadays.

The initiative was also undertaken pursuant to the mandate of the Civil Service Commission which this year works under the theme “In a R.A.C.E. to Serve: Advancing Responsive, Accessible, Courteous and Effective Public Service.”

The tree planting drew a number of responses from the CapSU Burias personnel. Minerva Victoriano, administrative officer at the financial and accounting office, said the activity made her sweat out and exercise which could thus benefit her health. Rex Berganio, personnel staff, likewise saw the need for personnel like him to be conscious of the effects of climate change.

Benjamin Gutierrez, university research associate, is optimistic about the initiative. He said this will make the area ultimately productive, because the land planted to coconut has been left unproductive for some time. Gutierrez, a trained coconut expert, said the monitoring will be done every three months starting from the planting period. During these periodic visits, the personnel will also help out in the cultivation including fertilization and similar maintenance activities.

According to Ms. Launio, the coconut trees planted will be individually monitored by the personnel in the coming days. CapSU personnel also made the resolve to replant those that might die even before they bear fruit.

Reaping the Fruits of Hard Work

The Story of Jose Mabaquiao

Magsasaka Siyentista (MS)

Farmers Information and Technology Services (FITS) Center

Hamtic, Antique

By Doris Paz Discaya, Regional Applied Communications Group Representative, La Granja and Rylan Mabaquiao, Information Services Specialist, FITS Center Hamtic

Photos by Rylan Mabaquiao

In life, hard work is key. Such is the story of Jose G. Mabaquiao, a 67-year-old farmer of Sitio Panoon, Buhang, Hamtic, Antique.

Nong Arce, as he is commonly called, harvests his string beans at 4 p.m.. After which he dips the produce in a container of water for a few minutes, puts them in bamboos that serve as hangers and leaves them there overnight. The next day when he brings the vegetables to the market some nine kilometers from his farm, they will still be as fresh as newly harvested.

For 40 years, farming has been Nong Arce's way of life. Starting only with rice and having 10 children, he thought of other means to provide for all of them. Thus, diversification became his option. With an area of 2 hectares, he started growing corn and vegetables including okra, string beans, tomato, eggplant, ampalaya, pepper and squash.

Because rice is a staple commodity, Nong Arce thought of growing it in the 0.75 hectares of his farm. As if these were not enough, he ventured in poultry production and planted calamansi, guyabano, banana and fruit-bearing trees. He did not leave an area in his farm untilled. He also started his own fishpond where he now breeds tilapia.

Mabaquiao did not have any formal education in agriculture. Having finished fourth grade, however, did not hamper his aspirations for his family. His love and dedication to farming coupled with hard work and willingness to learn have been his advantage.

All these efforts did not go unnoticed, however. In 1987, he was awarded Outstanding Farmer in Integrated Upland farming at the Malacanang Palace. Success did not come easy, though. There were always the problems on insect pests and diseases. There were also instances of crops being stolen in the farm. Before, his farm relied solely on the use of commercially made pesticides for crop protection. But now, Nong Arce has been gradually switching to farming practices that do not harm the environment.

Farming is in Nong Arce's blood. Among the siblings, Nong Arce was one of the four who made agriculture as their source of livelihood. And this love for farming didn't fail him. His income from the farm alone was able to support the education of his children. Seven of them have already finished in college and three are still in school. One of his daughters is now an Agricultural Technician at the Farmers Information and Technology Services (FITS) center of Hamtic, while two of his daughters are working abroad.

All his hard work has been paying off. In 2009, WESVARRDEC recognized him as Magsasaka Siyentista, one who can share his farming practices to other farmers. From his farm income he was able to buy a Kubota hand tractor and build a better house. He was also able to avail himself of access to Internet, through which he can further his knowledge in farming, which is his life's endeavor.

Things are looking up for Nong Arce. Through linkages with the local government unit and the FITS center, he continues to grow as a farmer. His daughter now serves as his agriculture teacher having been formally educated. Nong Arce also attends seminars and trainings to enhance his knowledge. He is also becoming more popular as people have been expressing interest in his farming practices.

In life and in farming, indeed, one only reaps what he sows.

Note

This article was an output of the authors who attended the feature writing training led by the Regional Applied Communications Group on September 1-3, 2010 at UP Visayas, Iloilo City.

FITS CapSU trains high schoolers on mushrooom cultivation

Some 230 students of the Jagnaya National High School in Jagnaya, Jamindan Capiz were taught mushroom cultivation by Training Coordinator Eduardo Navarra of the Capiz Extension Institute in the Supetran Hall of the said school on September 25, 2010. The students represented the barangays of Jagnaya, Sto Rosario, La Paz, Caidquid, Esperanza, San Jose, Caridad, Bunga and Barrio Fe, all of Jamindan town.

After lecturing on the advantages of growing straw mushrooms (Volvariella species), the materials needed and the steps to take in its proper cultivation, Navarra, Techno Gabay Team Leader of the Farmers Information and Technology Scervices (FITS) Center based in Capiz State University Mambusao Campus, conducted an actual demonstration for the students and teachers.

Bella Ignacio, third-year home economics teacher of the said school said that students need to be monitored on their learning from the lecture workshop. Ignacio said they can follow up on how students were able to apply what they learned in their own school projects.

Technology and Livelihood Education (TLE) teacher Rolando Llamelo, meanwhile, committed to integrate his classes with Ignacio’s even as both teachers expressed to conduct follow-through activities and monitoring scheme before the semestral break in October for the learning the students gained from the initiative.

The extension initiative featured in coincidence with the JNHS’s Science & Technology Week was made possible through the support of students and administrators of the said school represented by Lovely Geco, president of the Youth for Environment in Schools Organization (YES-O); Lea Llanes Lacson, Science and Technology Coordinator; and Enrique Barinos, principal.

RACG reps, ISS study feature writing

By Niño S. Manaog, Regional Applied Communications

(With reports from Vishia Mae Tolcidas, FITS OPA Negros Occidental)

Some 15 quality feature articles written by 12 RACG representatives and 15 Information Service Specialists (ISS) which are ready for publication by the WESVARRDEC Regional Applied Communications Group (RACG). These comprised the output from the first RACG capability building initiative this year titled “Utilizing the Mass Media to Popularize Technical Information and Research” held on September 1–3, 2010 at the Audio-visual Room of the Graduate and Continuing Education Bldg. at the UP Visayas, Iloilo City.

After providing the participants the Western Visayas mass media profile, Prof. Allen del Carmen, a journalist and media practitioner based in Bacolod, taught them feature writing skills and assigned them workshops based on the same. Del Carmen also conducted one-to-one workshop with the participants on how to improve their articles. The last day engaged participants on how to make good scientific posters and visual materials.

The capability building initiative drew good feedback from the participants and hosts. Ms. Hope Patricio, RACG representative and faculty of the Central Philippine University commended Del Carmen for not holding back anything or any knowledge from us. “I‘m glad he was very helpful and patient to all of us,” Patricio said. Jose Nacionales, FITS manager of OPA Iloilo considered the training indispensable to them and personally preferred for an extension of the sessions with Del Carmen.

Jeoffrey Gervacio, ISS of FITS Altavas had to say that he learned in two days what he could possibly learn in one semester, saying, “It’s like one semester nga learning. Sa agriculture kita but naging journalist in only two days” (It is like one semester of lesson. We work under agriculture but we became journalists in two days). Gervacio also appreciated the speaker’s approach even as he worked with each participant in improving the articles. “This way, we can compare with our old notes and have an idea how to do our work better,” Gervacio said.

RACG Coordinator Cora Navarra commended the resource speaker, and hoped that, “we will treasure our learnings here. Navarra also said that now “we have better articles for pcarrd,” and likewise said that all participants use the learned skills in the three-day training.

The training was well supported by the consortium, particularly Administrative Officer Suzette Peñaredondo and the wesvarrdec staff.

20th RSRDH research winner featured on CPU’s “AgriTalk”

By Hope G. Patricio
RACG Representative
Central Philippine University

Prof. Mizpah C. Villalobos, first prize winner in Research Category at the consortium’s 20th Regional Symposium on Research and Development Highlights (RSRDH) was featured in the August 18, 2010 episode of Central Philippine University (CPU)'s “Agritalk: Angtanay sa Panguma,” a weekly program aired over Channel 8 of the SkyCable.

TANGLAD TALK
(From left to right) Dr. Reynaldo Dusaran, Prof. Mizpah Villalobos, Engr. Aries Roda Romallosa discuss the benefits of the winning lemongrass tea research.

Presenting her winning paper on the antioxidant activity and citral content of different tea preparations of the above-ground parts of lemongrass, Villalobos, a faculty of CPU’s chemistry department, shared the healthful benefits that can be obtained from tanglad. Villalobos also enumerated various researchable areas on lemongrass and possible collaborative efforts with other units departments in CPU.

“AgriTalk” is a weekly cable program is hosted by Dr. Reynaldo Dusaran, Engr. Aries Roda Romallosa, and Dr. Hector Peñaranda. Dusaran and Romallosa are both connected with CPU College of Agriculture, Resources and Environmental Sciences and are CPU’s WESVARRDEC Techno Gabay Team Leader and RMISG (Regional Management Information System Group) representative, respectively. Peñaranda is connected with the Department of Agriculture-Regional Field Unit 6.

Training on Writing for a Refereed Journal