Author: Ma. Cecilia Irang-Mariano

The DA-PCC at Central Mindanao University (DA-PCC at CMU) and LGU-Don Carlos, Bukidnon signed today a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) for the implementation and launching of the Supplementary Feeding Program.

Said initiative aims to combat and eventually eradicate the problem of undernutrition among children in the locality.

A total of 266 severely wasted children in Don Carlos will each receive a Karabun and 200 ml pasteurized carabao’s milk daily for 90 feeding days.

Child wasting, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), refers to a child who is too thin for his or her height and is the result of recent rapid weight loss or the failure to gain weight.

Severely wasted, meanwhile, is a very thin child whose body mass index-for-age is below -3 z-score line based on WHO-Child Growth Standards.

Present in the activity were DA-PCC at CMU Center Director Dr. Lowell Paraguas, Carabao-based Enterprise Development Coordinator Dr. Elena Paraguas, Municipal Nutrition Officer Lenie Baylo, Municipal Mayor Ma. Victoria Ontanillas-Pizarro’s representative and executive assistant Rex Mercadera, and select beneficiaries.

A delegation from the Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences (MATE) visited the DA-Philippine Carabao Center (DA-PCC) headquarters yesterday on future cooperation and expert exchange.

Dr. László Máthé, head of External Relations and Coordination Centre and Dr. Gábor Lehőcz, deputy head of Mission for the Hungarian Embassy in Manila, led the team.

The visit to the agency was part of their itinerary to tour the different government agencies in the Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija.

DA-PCC Executive Director Dr. Liza G. Battad and Deputy Executive Director for Production and Research Dr. Claro Mingala led the welcome party.

Drs. Battad and Mingala in their welcome message emphasized on the agency’s pursuit of strengthening ties with international institutions to further partnerships on research and development.

Dr. Mingala had initial talks with the university on possible collaboration in these areas and a signing of Memorandum of Understanding during his visit to Hungary in May with Dr. Marvin Villanueva, OIC chief of the Research and Development Division.

Drs. Máthé and Lehőcz positively responded to the warm welcome and said that they commit to any other future undertakings between the two countries.

Following a luncheon, the visiting party heard a short presentation from DA-PCC given by Dr. Excel Rio Maylem, Senior Science Research Specialist and head of the Reproductive and Physiology Section (RPS) of the RDD. Said presentation mentioned possible areas of research collaboration with the Animal Biotechnology and Embryo Breeding Lab MATE and the RPS and RDD of DA-PCC.

A quick tour of the DA-PCC facilities including the National Livestock Cryobank, National Gene Pool, Milka Krem, and the Central Dairy Collecting and Processing capped the team’s visit.

In continuously fulfilling the mandate of the Department of Agriculture-Philippine Carabao Center (DA-PCC) to be a lead agency in livestock biotechnology research and development, the Research and Development Division (RDD) hosted the 2022 R4D In-House, MFO-Oriented, and Special Projects Review at the DA-PCC National Headquarters, last September 21-23.

Aside from its mandate to conserve, propagate, and promote carabao as a source of livelihood and nutrition for rural farming communities, the DA-PCC proves to be a premier institution for livestock research through its various completed and ongoing R4D initiatives.

“In this activity, there will be active discussion and thorough evaluation of the researches that will be made, reassessment, and refocusing on research priorities in directly addressing the industry problems, strategizing for a more holistic approach in doing research, and establishing connection or collaboration, especially with the peer evaluators,” underscored by DA-PCC Scientist and RDD OIC Chief Dr. Marvin A. Villanueva.

Dr. Villanueva pointed out three things that the researchers must inculcate: the focus that helps in assessing the most important, the innovation that generates continuous development including the technology transfer, and the collaboration inside and outside the agency for a more holistic approach to the projects.

Said event presented 28 R4D studies with the seven thematic areas of reproductive biotechnology, animal nutrition, institutional development, breeding and genetics, animal health, socio-economics dimensions of CDP Implementation, and product development, wherein 13 are completed and 15 are still ongoing.

The papers were evaluated by the research experts and notable professors from the different campuses of the University of the Philippines (UP), namely Dr. Jessica D. Rey, Assistant Professor from UP-Diliman; Dr. Lotis E. Mopera, Director and Associate Professor VII from UP-Los Baños, and Dr. Pedcris M. Orencio, Associate Professor from UP-Open University. Along with them is another research wizard, Dr. Santiago T. Peña, Dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine at the Visayas State University (VSU).
Through the in-depth critiques of the evaluators, the winners for Best Completed Paper and Best Oral Presenter in the 2022 In-House Review were declared on the third day of the event.

Best Completed Papers were awarded to Ms. Laarni Parungao for the development category, Ms. Jonalyn Delos Santos for the biotechnology category, and Ms. Lilian Villamor for the student thesis category. Also, Ms. Villamor was acknowledged as the Best Oral Presenter.

The event also recognized Dr. Lawrence Belotindos as the earliest researcher to submit a paper; for that, he received the Early Calf Awardee. This additional recognition encourages all participants to submit their papers on time.

Meanwhile, DA-PCC Deputy Executive Director Dr. Caro B. Salces also inspired young and prominent researchers by sharing strategic plans to continuously align the R4D studies until the next generation, in which he mentioned the significance of career growth and economic growth.

“We have the opportunity to review our works. We need to analyze these studies to acquire change and improvement, as well as answer the industry questions,” said Dr. Salces.

The R4D in-house review is annually conducted to track the status and showcase the achievements of the DA-PCC’s livestock studies, which benefit its stakeholders, clients, and partnered agencies.

The Department of Agriculture-Philippine Carabao Center (DA-PCC) and Department of Agrarian Reform-Nueva Ecija (DAR-NE) sealed their commitment on Enhanced Partnership Against Hunger and Poverty (EPAHP) program with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).

EPAHP is a strategic collaboration of government agencies to battle hunger, food and nutrition insecurity, and poverty.

DA-PCC Executive Director Dr. Liza Battad, DA-PCC at Central Luzon State University Center Director Dr. Ericson Dela Cruz, DAR Provincial Agrarian Reform Program Officer (PARPO) II Eden Ponio and PARPO I Josephine K. Aguinaldo signed the said MOU today at DA-PCC Milka Krem, Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija.

“One priority agenda of the current administration is on boosting food production which will ultimately lead to food sufficiency,” Ponio said.
The MOU specified that both agencies will provide the participating Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Organizations (ARBOs) or Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) with support services for improved farm productivity through capacity building and technical support, infrastructure and facilities, access to financial assistance, and market assistance.

The participating ARBOs/ CBOs will be linked to prospective markets primarily the national feeding program of DepEd and DSWD which addresses malnutrition among Filipino children, as well as promotes the local dairy industry.

Five initial ARBOs and CBOs in Nueva Ecija were identified as beneficiaries to include: Eastern Primary Multi-Purpose Cooperative, Simula ng Panibagong Bukas (SIPBU) Multi-purpose Cooperative, Catalanacan Multi-Purpose Cooperative (CAMPC), Bongabon Agriculture Cooperative, and Delaen Farmers Agriculture Cooperative.

“Sa lahat po ng ating magiging engagement, we can share with you whatever we have in terms of capacity building kasi iyon po ang strength namin. Sa DAR, we put premium importance on people as the lead or prime movers of development,” Ponio said.

Dir. Battad also added that qualified ARBOs/CBO’s under the Supplemental Feeding Program and related feeding programs will be accommodated soon with small-scale groups as priorities.

“Be assured na maliban dito sa limang nabanggit ay mayroon pang iba. Actually they are our champion cooperatives, kaya’t partner po tayo on helping build up relatively newer cooperatives because that is where assistance will be mostly needed,” Dr. Battad underscored.

Anyone who bets on a new business venture would be more than willing to do what it takes to predict its end game.

Having a clear foresight on how the venture will sustainably grow gives an entrepreneur confidence in the business. This is the overarching message of “Masaganang Benta Doble Kita”—the tagline for the recently launched “Dairy Box Investment Calculator” via Zoom last August 18 at the DA-Philippine Carabao Center headquarters, Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija.

Said tool, developed by the Planning and Information Management Division (PIMD), assesses the feasibility of opening a Dairy Box in a particular location. It will serve as a management tool to examine the cost and sales strategy of the market, to assess the profitability of the business, and to set a daily sales target.

Using the calculator, an investor will be able to see the actual amount of investment that is circulating in the business. This data can help the investor firm up a decision on whether to pursue or proceed with the venture or not.

PIMD’s Jan Czarina Salas, Mica Lindain and Aira Soriano, who introduced the calculator, said investors would save up on software development and accounting fees if they knew how to utilize the system.

“Dairy Box to me is an analogy of viability and continual improvement. I look at it as a model to elevate the business confidence of our assisted cooperatives and private investors that they may sustainably champion what the Dairy Box is meaningfully advocating for,” said DA-PCC Executive Director Dr. Liza Battad.

The highlight of introducing the Dairy Box Investment Calculator is that investors can visualize the potential of the dairy business in the market, as it provides the numerical presentation of demands and revenues for the products.

PIMD’s Joshua Villanueva, who developed the calculator, said that their team aims to support the investors of dairy box outlets to analyze the entire process and progress of the business. Having knowledge in deliberating and measuring plans for the business helps in the long run.

Meanwhile, Salas, DA-PCC’s focal for the Dairy Box, discussed the Objective Key Results (OKR) that are set for the operation of the dairy outlet including decrease in monthly “days with flagship product stockout”, increase in average daily foot traffic, and increase in average transaction size.

These OKR, in combination with the Dairy Box Investment Calculator, could potentially grow the business exponentially. The developers said this is a strategic move toward fulfilling the ambition of the Carabao-based Business Improvement Network (CBIN) project in establishing an inclusive, sustainable, and highly competitive local dairy industry.

In dispelling the myths and misconceptions that carabao’s meat is tough and darker in color, thus hindering market acceptability, the DA-Philippine Carabao Center’s (DA-PCC) experts stressed that buffalo meat can be equal to, if not better than, the more popular and widely accepted beef. 

Attesting to this are the results of a series of studies conducted by the research team of the DA-PCC to compare the slaughter yields and carcass characteristics of crossbred buffalo and crossbred cattle at the same age and diet. It was found out that based on carcass quality evaluation, buffalo meat is comparable to beef in terms of carcass yields, processing traits, and sensory characteristics. 

Dr. Arnel Del Barrio, former DA-PCC executive director, reechoed such findings in his presentation on “Potential of Buffalo Meat as Beef” during the Livestock Philippines Expo 2022. 

“The DA-PCC promotes buffalo as a good source not only of milk but also of quality meat. If the male buffaloes are not fit for breeding, then they are qualified to be fattened and marketed for a good quality meat. The agency already has initiatives to develop a breeding program for buffalo meat production as well,” Dr. Del Barrio said.

As for the economic viability of carabao’s meat, the Head of DA-PCC’s Business Development and Commercialization Unit Zadieshar Sanchez assures potential investors of carabao fattening and Kardeli retail business that, through collaboration and available technologies, there is a ready market for their products and the economic potential of this venture is very promising. 

Kardeli is the DA-PCC’s brand of premium carabao’s meat. It is available at the Milka Krem in the Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija.

Sanchez was also invited as one of the resource persons at the expo wherein he tackled the economic viability of value-added carabao meat products.

“According to our ongoing study, there is a ready market for carabao’s meat and opportunities for this commodity are many. To fully realize this potential, more carabao fattening farms need to be raised,” he stated.

The DA-PCC has also conducted studies and breeding technologies for this purpose and ensures that the market is ready to absorb fattened animals that are about to be produced in the future. 

To further prove the agency’s claims about the good quality of carabao’s meat, a cooking demo hosted by DA-PCC was also held at the Livestock Expo with Chef Francis Sibal, Executive Chef of CZ Ranch Restaurant. 

Chef Sibal demonstrated how to cook different cuts of carabao’s meat featuring signature dishes from Kardeli’s cara-riblets, kielbasa and Hungarian sausage, and tenderloin steak. Immediately after, he offered a free sample of the prepared dish to hundreds of visitors who flocked to the booth to witness the demo.

“To see so many people shocked that what they were tasting was carabao’s meat only shows that there’s so much more room to grow for this local product. Don’t conform to the norm, carabao’s meat is more than just tapa, just wait and see,” Chef Sibal asserted. 

The DA-PCC was among the roster of more than 200 exhibitors who showcased their products, services, technologies, and other innovations to more than 3,500 participants from all walks of the livestock industry during the three-day Livestock Philippines Expo 2022 held on August 24-26 at the World Trade Center Manila, Pasay City.

Senator Mark Villar graced the event and expressed his fervent support to help boost the livestock, poultry, and dairy sectors in the country.

“As a government official and legislator, I want to express my full support for this livestock summit and trade fairs. I believe it is through these trade fairs that we will quickly move to the development of our agriculture sector and the whole economy as well,” Sen. Villar said. 

The Livestock Expo is considered to be the premier international trade platform for industry stakeholders. It is organized by the international exhibition expert group Informa Markets and is hosted by the Department of Agriculture.

The DA-Philippine Carabao Center (DA-PCC) flexed about the beneficial impact of the Milk Feeding Program on nation-building and stakeholders’ well-being, citing that the program provided a total gross revenue of PHP1.9 billion to 45 assisted cooperatives nationwide from its inception in 2019 to the first quarter of 2022.

This was reported by Joel Cabading, DA-PCC’s milk feeding coordinator, on the first day of the two-day program titled “#WeFlex: Stakeholders Milk Feeding Program Achievements and Policy Consultation” held on August 22-23 at the agency’s national headquarters and gene pool in the Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija. It was participated in by officials and employees of the Department of Education (DepEd), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), DA-PCC, and some partner-carapreneurs. 

Rolly Mateo, chairperson of Bantog Samahang Nayon Multipurpose Cooperative (BSNMPC), and Janice Domingo, general manager of Nueva Ecija Federation of Dairy Carabao Cooperatives (NEFEDCCO), corroborated the report and shared their respective testimonies and success stories regarding the program.

Mateo averred that their income from the Milk Feeding Program enabled them to purchase vehicles for the delivery of milk, a packaging machine, a baking facility, and six hectares of farmland. It also created employment opportunities as they hired 116 workers for the venture.

Domingo proudly shared that the Milk Feeding Program had helped their federation’s assets increase from PHP8 million in 2018 to PHP28 million in 2021. It even provided jobs to 200 people in their community and with the income they earned, they were able to renovate their office to a three-story building. She also admitted that the program helped them bounce back as they were ensnared in financial distress before they ventured into the feeding program.

“It’s not about the DA-PCC but rather the effects that we planned to create side by side with our accountability partners that is to help curb the nutritional deficiencies of children and at the same time create livelihood opportunities for farmers through the National Feeding Program led by the DepEd and DSWD,” DA-PCC Executive Director Dr. Liza Battad said.

Meanwhile, DepEd-Bureau of Learner Support Services Director Dr. Lope Santos III and DSWD Supplemental Feeding Program (SFP) Unit Head Ma. Elena Carreon gave their respective messages of support for the implementation of the 2022 School-Based Feeding Program and 12th SFP Cycle, respectively.

A policy consultation will be held on the second day wherein among the slated topics for discussion include Food Science of the Milk Feeding, Updates of Costing, Standardization of Milk Formulation, and Different Milk Product Terminologies.

The participants will also present the draft revised Milk Feeding Program Policy and Guidelines for finalization and approval. The stories of the BSNMPC and NEFEDCCO are only two of the many successes in the implementation of the Milk Feeding Program. They serve as concrete proofs of the planned effects of the national feeding program that are worth flexing and sustaining.

To provide easy access to its knowledge products and information about the Carabao Development Program (CDP), the DA-Philippine Carabao Center (DA-PCC) has set up CDP KIOSK (Karunungan, Impormasyon at Oportunidad sa Kalabawan) units at the select clients in the agriculture sector.

The CDP KIOSK, initiated and facilitated by the Knowledge Management Division-Learning Events Coordination Section, is one way of supporting the dissemination of information anent the DA-PCC’s dairy buffalo production programs, services, and technologies, as well as the distribution of the agency’s knowledge products.

Currently, two CDP KIOSKs were already installed at the Municipal Agriculture Office in Surallah, South Cotabato and Caraga State University in Butuan City. Other strategic areas identified for CDP KIOSK installation include the Municipal Agriculture Office in Mati, Davao Oriental, Municipal Agriculture Office in Carigara, Leyte, and the Provincial Agriculture Office in Albay.

The CDP KIOSK comprises three materials, i.e., portable display panels, a table with a brochure holder, and a magazine rack.

The identified recipients will enter into a Memorandum of Agreement for the installation of the CDP KIOSK, which also aims to transfer the accountability of the installed facility to the recipients.

Referred to by historians as “a little piece of paradise”, Jalajala, Rizal is soon to boast yet another attraction aside from its scenic landscape formations. 

Soon to rise in the town is the first-ever Dairy Box in CALABARZON.

The chosen site is close to Laguna de Bay, the country’s largest lake, making it the backdrop for the soon-to-rise carabao-based products outlet. For tourists who love to experience the calming waves of the lakeshore, including recreational activities during weekends, the Dairy Box is a good stop over for that fresh and natural dairy delicatessen. 

The Llano Farmers Multi-Purpose Cooperative (LFMPC), which started dairy processing in 2006, will oversee its operation. Through the DA-Philippine Carabao Center at the University of the Philippines Los Baňos (DA-PCC at UPLB), 45 members of the LFMPC were entrusted with crossbred carabaos, of which 19 are already pregnant.
LFMPC, with over 200 members to date, has been serving as a channel of blessing to the locals whose main source of income is agriculture. They buy fresh milk from dairy farmers at PHP70 per liter. 
“Lubos ang pasasalamat namin kasi naging kaagapay kami ng aming mga kababayan sa paglutas ng problema ng unemployment. Hindi po namin ‘yon magagawa kundi rin sa tulong ng iba’t ibang ahensya ng gobyerno na laging nakasuporta sa amin,” shared Tagumpay Panguito, manager of LFMPC.
They are also an active partner of the Department of Education (DepEd) in the implementation of the national milk feeding program. 
A groundbreaking and ceremonial entrustment of dairy carabaos was done in Bayugo, Jalajala, Rizal last August 15. 
The father of the town, Mayor Elmer Pillas expressed his support for the project. Saying that this will not only create livelihood for the locals but also help boost tourism and promote local products.

Rizal Governor Nina Ricci Ynares, former Executive Director of DA-PCC Dr. Arnel del Barrio, DA-PCC’s Deputy Executive Director for Administration and Finance Dr. Caro Salces, and a representative from the Office of Sen. Cynthia Villar Engr. Renz Aquino graced the event.

Various national agencies and local government units such as the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) IV-A, Department of Agriculture (DA) IV-A, Department of Trade and Industry IV-A, Department of Agrarian Reform-Rizal IV-A, Office of the Municipal Mayor, and Office of the Provincial Governor also attended the occasion each with their own pledge of support to the project.

The construction of the Dairy Box is a component of the project Carabao-based Business Improvement Network (CBIN) or popularized as Accelerating Livelihood Assets Buildup (ALAB) Karbawan of the DA-PCC. It was funded by the Office of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Food, and Agrarian Reform through its chairperson Senator Cynthia Villar and is geared towards providing income opportunities to farmers and progressing the carabao dairy industry.