Author: Charlene S. Joanino

Wilma Del Rosario, Philippine Carabao Center (PCC) National Impact Zone (NIZ) coordinator and senior science research specialist, was hailed by the Civil Service Commission (CSC) as one of this year’s Pagasa awardees.

This is in recognition of her commitment and passion in promoting the economic viability of buffalo-based dairy enterprises in the country.

In a span of 22 years, Del Rosario closely worked with farmers in the NIZ to help them pursue opportunities in sustainable carabao-based enterprises.

“Pagasa award is the fruition of my hard work to wholeheartedly help others. I believe that when you sincerely do good, God will bless you. Having my efforts recognized by no less than the President of the Philippines is a lifetime achievement,” Del Rosario said.

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte led the awarding rites at the Malacañang Palace last September 10. Del Rosario received her award with her spouse Renato, and Dr. Arnel Del Barrio, PCC executive director.

Pagasa award is “given to an individual or group of individuals for outstanding contributions that directly benefit more than one department of the government.”

Dr. William Dar, the newly appointed secretary of the Department of Agriculture (DA), visited the Philippine Carabao Center (PCC) to share some of his “new thinking” strategies in the agriculture sector, which he once handled during the administration of Joseph Estrada.

In a program held on August 29 at the center’s national headquarters in the Science City of Muñoz (SCM), Nueva Ecija (NE), the returning DA chief imparted with carapreneurs (a portmanteau derived from ‘carabao’ and ‘entrepreneur’) his schemes to achieve his twin objectives or strategies called “ani at kita” (harvest and income) for clients.

Servant-leader “Manong Willie” as he prefers to be called, tackled in his speech national issues particularly on declining palay farm gate prices with emphasis on Republic Act (RA) 11203 or the “Rice Tariffication Law” that establishes the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Program (RCEP).

He said that RA 11203 allocates Php10 billion per year for RCEP for the next six years. Of the Php10 billion, Php5 billion would be invested for farm mechanization, Php3 billion for the provision of high-yielding seeds, Php1 billion for credit support, and Php1 billion for training of rice farmers.

He also shared the department’s agenda for his first 100 days as agriculture chief such as the proper implementation of the Rice Trade Liberalization Law, skills enhancement of farmers and fisherfolk, meeting with top 30 governors of rice producing provinces and strengthening partnership with the private sector, among others.

In pursuit of inclusive growth and development, Manong Willie had recently put forward eight paradigms that make up the “new thinking” for Philippine agriculture to help realize the DA’s vision of a food-secure country with prosperous farmers and fisherfolk.

These are modernization of agriculture, industrialization of agriculture, promotion of exports, consolidation of small-and medium-sized farms, infrastructure development, higher budget and investments for agriculture, pro-poor legislative support, and road map development.

PCC Executive Director Dr. Arnel Del Barrio, on the other hand, shared PCC’s commitment to the new thinking for carabao value chain players.

He mentioned some of PCC’s program, projects, and activities that are aligned to the eight paradigms. (for further details see http://www.pcc.gov.ph/new-thinking-the-pcc-way/)

Meanwhile, Manong Willie commended PCC for strengthening its alignment with the new thinking for Philippine agriculture.

“PCC is one of the best performing agencies under the DA with support from the provincial government,” he said.

He also opened the avenue for local government unit of the SCM to encourage institutions of agriculture in the city to have a city-wide-agriculture extension system that will be part of the provincial agricultural extension system.

“Bring them together and I’m now directing them to really sustain the image of SCM as a science city and be a model of using modern technology,” he averred.

Present during the program were Agriculture Spokesperson Noel Reyes, Regional Technical Director Crispulo G. Bautista Jr., Provincial Governor Aurelio Umali, San Jose Mayor Kokoy Salvador, SCM Mayor Nestor Alvarez, Senior Technical Adviser Dr. Santiago Obien, Central Luzon State University President (CLSU) Dr. Tereso Abella, Former CLSU President Dr. Fortunato Battad, City Veterinarian Dr. Jerry Rigos, Provincial Agriculturist Serafin Santos, Private Entrepreneur Danilo Fausto, PHilMech Executive Director Dr. Baldwin Jallorina, PhilRice Acting Executive Director Dr. Sailila Abdula, carapreneurs from Simula ng Panibagong Bukas Primary Multi-Purpose Cooperative, Eastern Primary Multi-Purpose Cooperative, Catalanacan Multi-Purpose Cooperative and Pulong Buli Primary Multi-Purpose Cooperative, Lamac Multi-Purpose Cooperative, and PCC officials and staff.

Carabao-based Family Business Owner Leoncio Callo, Lamac MPC General Manager Elen Limocon, and ACDI Multipurpose Cooperative were also invited in the program.

MARAMAG, BUKIDNON—The TÜV Rheinland recently awarded the Philippine Carabao Center at Central Mindanao University (PCC@CMU) with ISO 9001:2015 Certification valid from July 5, 2019 to July 4, 2022.

The center received the official notice of results, Friday, July 5, including the attached copy of audit report. Mary Grace Balobalo, lead auditor together with Rhene Rose Zara led the Stage 2 Certification survey visit last May 2-4, 2019.

TÜV Rheinland is the accrediting company, which worked as an external auditor of the center. According to its website this company is an independent expert’s stand for quality and safety for people, technology and the environment in nearly all aspects of life.

They also inspected the technical equipment, products and services, oversee projects, and help to shape processes and information security for companies.

“This certificate is a proof that what we are doing is good. We will continue to strive harder for our clients who rightfully deserve efficient and effective service,” said Dr. Lowell C. Paraguas, center director of PCC@CMU.

“This is also in response to Executive Order 605 of 2007, which directed all government agencies to adopt the ISO standards as part of the implementation of the government-wide quality management programs,” he added.

The ISO 9001:2015 is focused on risk-based thinking wherein the organizations are now encouraged to use risk analysis in order to address challenges in their business processes besides meeting the customer’s expectations.

The scope of certification includes the following areas: Carabao crossbreeding and strengthening of water buffalo genepool; research for development; enterprise development (provision of social and technical trainings, artificial insemination, bull loan, animal health, semen distribution; supply of various products such as female buffaloes and processing and sales of milk and milk products).

The PCC@CMU`s Quality Management System team was composed of Dr. Paraguas, Vicenta Canatoy, Quality Management Representative (QMR); Thelma Bagongon, Document Control Officer (DCO); Dr. Elena Paraguas, lead auditor and other key staff.

To widen, promote and increase the market of buffalo dairy products in the province, the Philippine Carabao Center at Central Mindanao University (PCC@CMU) inaugurated the first ever dairy box in Bukidnon at the Door 2, Echalico Building, Sayre Highway, Don Carlos, Bukidnon last July 26.

“This opportunity offered by the PCC to all carapreneurs and cooperatives within the locality to promote the dairy products was in response to imminent and growing demand for locally produced milk,” said by Dr. Lowell C. Paraguas, center director of PCC@CMU during the soft opening of the outlet.

According to Dr. Paraguas, the center will manage the outlet within a year, thereafter, it will be turned over to Muleta Side Buffalo Dairy Association (MUSBUDA) and Don Carlos Buffalo Dairy Farmers Association (DCBDFA) as target beneficiaries.

Meanwhile, the main objective of the Dairy Box is to mainstream the locally produced and processed dairy products of its surrounding community. The outlet sells products such as white cheese, pastillas, fresh milk, flavoured milk (ube, pandan, melon,and strawberry) and other consignment products.

Speaking before the members of MUSBUDA and DCBDFA, Leni Baylo, agricultural technician of Don Carlos shared that hardwork, determination and honesty are the keys to success in this kind of business.

“I hope that the associations will take this project seriously since PCC gave their full support and effort to assist them on how to market their dairy products strategically,” she added.

Moreover, Hon. Rex Mercadera, vice mayor of the municipality of Don Carlos also graced the event and mentioned about the request of Dr. Paraguas to build a mini-processing facility for the associations.

“Putting up a mini-processing facility in the area is very essential to the associations for them to process their own products. We will give our 100% support for the sustainability of this project in our municipality,” Mercadera added.

More than a hundred people have attended and visited the outlet during the launch, which also witnessed the blessings of the two-storey building led by Reverend Father Angel Cumabig. The store is open to the public (Monday to Sunday) from 8am to 5pm.

About a hundred participants comprised of researchers, scientists, international experts, and other distinctive guests involved in livestock biotechnology attended the recently concluded 4^th International Livestock Biotechnology Symposium. The event took place at the University of San Agustin, Iloilo City last July 15.  It was organized and spearheaded by the Department of Agriculture-Livestock Biotechnology Center (DA-LBC) with the support of Philippine Carabao Center at West Visayas State University, University of San Agustin, and Department of Science and Technology – National Research Council of the Philippines Division XIII.

In keeping with the theme “Demand-driven Innovation for a Resilient Philippine Livestock Industry”, invited speakers from Japan, Thailand, USA and Philippines have presented their research findings and significant discoveries concerning challenges in livestock production, animal breeding, antimicrobial resistance, food-borne pathogens, and agricultural biotechnology program.

Dr. Claro Mingala, DA-LBC chief, said that the demand for Livestock resources is rapidly increasing at the global scale. This can be attributed to the growing population, urbanization, and economic development. He emphasized that research and development initiatives, and capacity building in these biotechnological approaches will contribute to the efforts in attaining food self-sufficiency and security in spite of escalating demand.

Ms. Marie Joy Christine Jumalon, project management officer of the Department of Agriculture’s Biotechnology Program, mentioned that they are providing scholarship program to 5 different universities (Central Luzon State University, University of Southern Mindanao, Visayas State University, University of the Philippines Visayas, and University of the Philippines Los Baños) and supported 64 scholars since 2014  in line with the need to have more scientists and researchers in the field of agri-biotech.

Symposiasts were given time to ask questions to the presenters during the open forum. One issue was raised for Dr. Yoko Kato of Kindai University about the perception of the consumers on the consumption of cloned animals. She stated that the public are still having a negative insight about biotechnological products, which can be attributed to insufficient information to the society. She expressed that the people should be informed properly on the use and benefits of genetically modified products.

The last part of the event was dedicated to the media for the press conference and one question was asked for Dr. Arnel Del Barrio, executive director of Philippine Carabao Center (PCC). The query was about the influence of PCC in the Philippines and how is biotechnology is interconnected with PCC. Dr. Del Barrio discussed that PCC has a total of 12 centers distributed around the country and that there are more than a thousand of experts performing artificial insemination and crossbreeding intended for better and greater livestock production.

Overall, the symposium was an opportunity for all of the attendees to discuss and understand the issues and possibilities that our community can achieve through research and development with regards to safe and sufficient production of livestock which is beneficial on promoting a resilient, productive and globally competitive livestock industry.

Dedicated to provide quality products and services that are gender and development (GAD) responsive, the Philippine Carabao Center (PCC) capacitated its employees through a GAD training-workshop to serve as primary drivers of gender mainstreaming in the agency.

This, according to Ma. Theresa Sawit, PCC GAD Focal Point System (GFPS) Undersecretary and Senior Science Research Specialist, was the main focus of the training-workshop on Gender Sensitivity, Gender Analysis and GAD tools held last July 10-12 at the PCC National Headquarters and Gene Pool in the Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija.

“Gender mainstreaming is not merely for compliance but an initiative to provide quality services to our women and men clients. It involves the integration of GAD perspective in all agency’s programs, activities, and projects,” she said.

She added that a tool known as Gender Mainstreaming Evaluation Framework (GMEF) is being used to show how well an organization performs gender mainstreaming in four entry points such as policies, people, enabling mechanisms, and programs, activities and projects (PAPs).

“Compliance with the policy, however, would require capacity building mainly because none of the PCC’s GFPS members and program or project leaders have been oriented yet on how to use gender analysis tools designed for program or project implementation,” she said.

PCC invited Arlene Pascual, certified GAD trainer, to orient and train the participants on gender concepts and its application particularly on the use of gender analysis tools such as Harmonized Gender and Development Guidelines (HGDG) and the various checklists to mainstream GAD in all PCC programs, projects, and activities.

“Development is about attaining a full and satisfying life for all and it is a shared responsibility. You are all contributors to it,” Pascual said.

She emphasized that the development projects that PCC will implement should address gender issues by identifying gaps or differences between men and women and understanding why these gaps exist and persist.

PCC Executive Director Dr. Arnel Del Barrio, on the other hand, shared the agency’s compliance pursuant to the Magna Carta of Women (MCW) or RA 9710 and the General Appropriations Act (GAA) on formulating its annual GAD plans and budgets to mainstream gender perspectives in its policies, programs, and projects by allocating at least 5% of its total budget to GAD activities.

“We have existing programs, trainings, and projects that involved men and women clients that’s why we didn’t really start from zero when it comes to implementing GAD activities but the problem is we still have to improve documentation so we can effectively analyze GAD-related data,” Dr. Del Barrio said.

“I can assure that we, at the top management, are very supportive of the GAD projects and programs. We will experience a lot of benefits if we start embracing the full context of GAD,” he added.

Dr. Del Barrio also underscored that carabao, which is the main commodity of the agency, is just a tool for development. It is a tool to help improve the lives of men and women farmers.

The training involved discussions, workshops, and action planning to institutionalize the use of HGDG in PCC’s programs, projects and activities cycle.

It was participated in by PCC’s GAD Focal Point System members, research and development program or project leaders, and ICT and infrastructure project leaders.

Ensuring the congruence of the Philippine Carabao Center’s (PCC) research & development (R&D) efforts to its national research for development (R4D) agenda is an objective that PCC aims to achieve annually in its R4D In-House Review.

This year, 39 researches were evaluated during the review held last July 3-5 at the PCC National Headquarters and Gene Pool in the Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija.

“By conducting this yearly, we are not only able to showcase the outputs of the R4D component of the Carabao Development Program but we are also able to monitor and evaluate both completed and on-going researches,” Dr. Annabelle Sarabia, R&D division (RDD) chief said.

The research papers were grouped into six thematic areas: Biosafety, Production Management System, Product Development, Socio-Economic Dimensions of CDP Implementation, Genetic Improvement-Animal Genomics or Genetic Diversity and Cryopreservation, and Genetic Improvement-Reproductive and Cryopreservation Techniques.

Dr. Caro Salces, PCC deputy executive director, emphasized that evaluation of research papers will pave the way toward determining new strategies that can help usher progress in the carabao industry.

Based on the results of the evaluation, recognitions were given in five categories.

The research “Microsatellite-based parentage verification of bovine breeds in the Philippines” by Melinda Reyes, Noriel Esteban, and Dr. Ester Flores won as the “best paper” in the completed research category; the “Comparison of animal relationships and milk yield breeding values obtained from pedigree BLUP and single-step GBLUP in Philippine dairy buffaloes” by Dr. Jesus Rommel Herrera, Dr. Ester Flores, Dr. Naomi Duijvesteijn, Dr. Nasir Moghaddar, and Dr. Julius van der Werf is the “best paper” in the student category; Lilian Villamor was hailed as the “best presenter” for her presentation of “Genetic Diversity of the Philippine Carabao Using mtDNA (COI) and Microsatellite Markers (FAO STRs)”; PCC-RDD’s Biosafety and Environment Section, and Reproduction and Physiology Section have the “Most Number of Approved Research Proposals for the Year 2018” with four proposals each; and the Animal Breeding and Genomics Section have the “Most Number of Presentations” during the review with 10 presentations.

The external evaluators invited by the PCC were Dr. Amado Angeles, director of Dairy Training and Research Institute (DTRI) of the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB); Dr. Consuelo Amor Santiago Estrella, associate professor at the Institute of Animal Science (IAS)-UPLB; Dr. Ian Kendrich Fontanilla, director of UP Diliman’s Institute of Biology; and Karla Joy Ty, DTRI-UPLB university researcher. They assessed the technical integrity, relevance, and merits of the presented papers.

More than 100 participants attended the R4D In-House Review, mostly employees from PCC National Headquarters and Gene Pool, PCC regional centers, and students of Central Luzon State University.

The last day of the review was capped off with an orientation seminar on the Philippine Technology Transfer Act of 2009 or RA 10055 with the topics on Basics of Intellectual Property Protection and Application, and Insights on Prior Art and Claim drafting.

The act provides for “the framework and support system for the ownership, management, use, and commercialization of the intellectual property (IP) generated from research and development funded by government and for other purposes.”

Atty. Lucieden Raz, Technology Licensing Office head of the Technology Application and Promotion Institute,PCC IP officers Charity Castillo and Kristine Prades served as speakers. Ownership of IP and revenue sharing between researchers or authors are the key stipulations of the act that were discussed.

Dr. Eufrocina Atabay, PCC scientist I and IPR focal person of the PCC Intellectual Property and Technology Business Management (IP-TBM) team, said that PCC is now actively pursuing the commercialization and protection of its technologies through its IP-TBM team.

In 2018, PCC started a partnership with the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic, and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCAARRD) in the conduct of PCC’s intellectual property business operation. Last march, the IP-TBM office and marker at the Livestock Innovations and Biotechnology Complex in PCC National Headquarters and Gene Pool were formally launched.

Against the backdrop of increasing number of youths who are more inclined to pursue other disciplines than agriculture, the Philippine Carabao Center (PCC) initiated a campaign that would inspire the “second liners” in carabao-based farming businesses.

This, according to Dr. Liza Battad, chief of Planning and Information Management Division (PIMD) and the lead organizer of the activity, is the main objective of why they conducted a one-day orientation on cooperative youth development program at the PCC national headquarters last July 4.

“We want to inspire the cooperative members and officers to start developing a program for their sons and daughters or the youths in their community so that they will be prepared to take on the responsibility as the “successor” or “second liner” in the farming business,” Dr. Battad said.

PCC invited three youth leaders from the Lamac Cooperative Youth Planet (LCYP) to share their proven framework in cooperative youth development. Justine Lynn Limocon, LCYP youth coordinator, and LCYP staff members Kevin Paslon and Adner David Repollo have been leading a strong force of some 14,000 active youth members in Parian, Cebu City.

Limocon and Paslon said the LCYP implements a five-component youth development framework. These are “aflatoun”, capability building, hub, gender equality and sustainable agricultural education program (SAGEP) for the youth.

Each component strategically prepares and nurtures the youths to imbibe the core values that are essential to empowerment. At an early age, they are taught to save money, discover and enhance their talents and skills, gain profits, conceptualize and realize a business, and become gender sensitive.

“With these preparations, our members are also trained to see that agriculture has a future and they are consequently ushered to cultivate that passion for agriculture within them,” Limocon said.

LCYP, according to Dr. Battad is an outstanding youth cooperative which was established in 2004 and operating under its mother cooperative—Lamac Multi-Purpose Cooperative (LMPC). Currently, LMPC has 84,000 members and operates multiple businesses.  With over 14 branches across the Visayas, LMPC has Php1.7 billion total assets.

After the orientation on LCYP, the speakers facilitated a planning workshop for the conduct of a youth camp for the children of cooperative members in August. The said workshop is aimed at creating an atmosphere for the cooperative’s youth participants to appreciate their family dairy business, inculcate the values and principles of the cooperative movement, and build individual character, confidence and leadership skills as a way of preparing them to be the next line leaders of their cooperatives.

“Being young is not an excuse to do great things,” Paslon said. He explained that at a very young age, the youth should already be trained because they believe that “there is no success without successors”, which means that sustainability of any development initiative cannot prosper without continuity.

“Cooperativism is a very meaningful movement. Through this, we can develop and transform the nation,” Limocon happily said.

The orientation was attended by officers and members of various dairy cooperatives in Nueva Ecija such as the Catalanacan Multi-Purpose Cooperative, Licaong Dairy Producers Cooperative, Eastern Primary Multi-Purpose Cooperative and PCC Multi-Purpose Cooperative, and Simula ng Panibagong Bukas Cooperative.

The Local Government Unit (LGU) of Ubay recently launched the country’s first ever Alternative Learning System – Basic Education and Skills Training (ALS-BEST) on Dairy Buffalo Production.

ALS, being the flagship program of the Department of Education (DepEd), provides a viable mechanism to reach Filipino youth as well as adults who are unable to access or who have dropped out from formal schooling.

“This ALS-BEST is a modified ALS system that aims to produce completers who are not only able to catch up with basic education, but have also acquired technical competencies suitable for immediate employment,” said Mario Limocon, Project Focal Person of the LGU during the launching program on June 8, 2019.

The municipality of Ubay, being the only LGU proponent of the program, selected the Dairy Buffalo Production as the skills training to be married with the system. This was after the result of series of consultation-workshops with different stakeholders in the town. The presence of Philippine Carabao Center at Ubay Stock Farm (PCC@USF) and its established programs and outputs helped a lot to hasten the drafting of the project proposal.

Gaudioso Calibugan, Agriculturist II of PCC@USF and one of the skills facilitators, said that carrying out the ALS-BEST program is very timely coinciding with the implementation of PCC’s Farmers Livestock School on Dairy Buffalo Production or FLS-DBP, of which he said, will be the guiding module for the skills training.

FLS-DBP, which originated from the PCC national headquarters, is a learning modality that offers technology options to farmers. It includes topics focused on dairy buffalo raising, feeding and health management, milk and meat processing, waste management and financial management. It is participatory, hands-on and interactive and conducted right at the farmers’ locality.

“Originally, this FLS-DBP runs for more than 30 weeks, just in time when the academic requirements of the ALS module are completed,” Calibugan added.

The ALS-BEST project is a collaborative effort with a total budget of Php2.7 million. The DepEd ALS- Office of the Secretary allocated an amount of Php1,074,645. This was transferred to the Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP) then to the proponent. The remaining Php1.6 million is shared among LGU-Ubay, PCC@USF, and DepEd-Bohol.

“There are 50 enrollees for this project coming from the different barangays in Ubay. They are out-of school-youths and adults who have not finished nor entered high school and with at least one carabao to start off,” Limocon said.

“Aside from the academic lectures and skills training, it also has values and life skills interventions such as sports activities, festival of talents, anti-drugs campaign, HIV/AIDS awareness, and lectures on climate change mitigation, risk reduction and management, and GAD/Child trafficking,” he added.

Hon. Constantino Reyes, the municipal mayor of Ubay, expressed his full support, through Edwin Reyes, who represented him during the launching activity, as he believed that this effort could alleviate the livelihood of the Ubayanos.

On the other hand, Dr. Gundolino P. Bajenting, officer in-charge of PCC@USF, challenged the learners to do their best especially in ensuring their 100% attendance to all the sessions and maximize this privilege not just for their own sake but for their contribution later on to the local dairy industry once they start milking.

Assisting Limocon and Calibugan in the implementation of this project are: Amalia Cutamora of LGU as the admin assistant; Romeo Mariño and Rocelita Soria, ALS teachers; Elsa Hingpit of DepEd-Bohol; Leinefe L. Aton and Dr. Bernard Bacule, FLS accredited facilitators of PCC; Annabelle Jayco and Marissa Tuazon, staffs of Sustainability and Participation Through Education and Lifelong Learning (SPELL); Maxwell Cutamora of LGU Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO); David Cutamora and Benedicto Bicada of ALSC; staff from Philippine National Police (PNP) – Ubay; and other values and life skill resource persons which will be identified later on.