The Power Of 5 Gs That Made For Hidilyn Diaz The Gold – Our Lesson Working For The Common Good

Above, the entries on the Hidilyn Diaz (HD) cover of the virtual CDO Encyclopedia(image[1] from CDO Encyclopedia) say:

First PH Olympic Medal since 1996
First Filipino to medal in Olympic weightlifting
First Filipina to earn an Olympic medal
First non-boxer to medal for PH since 1936
First Olympic medalist from Mindanao.

CDO is Cagayan De Oro City in Mindanao. Those 5 entries are all Olympic records as far as the Philippines is concerned, and we Filipinos are proud of them, if the honor comes from only 1 person, HD. The whole Philippines is celebrating the Olympic triumph of HD at the Tokyo Olympics 2020 (postponed from last year because of the pandemic lockdown).

How do you celebrate a single Olympic gold since the Paris Olympics in 1924, almost 100 years ago? We shout to the world, and we keep shouting, on social media!

On the significance of that triumph, Lisandro Claudio says, “You’ve Got To Carry That Weight: Celebrating Hidilyn By Becoming Strong[2],” 03 August 2021, Rappler.com). He goes on to say, “The most important thing we can learn from strength is generosity.”

I disagree. I believe the most important lesson we can learn from the story of triumph of Hidilyn Diaz is The Power of 5 Gs. And I say the 5 Gs are good to go as we Filipinos go for the common good, as we should, from A to Z, from the Arts to Zea mays (maize, corn). Thus:

Goal. HD went for the Gold.

Goad.Aside from herself, HD was thinking of bringing glory to her country in the sport she loved. And she received encouraging words from her family, friends, and Filipinos in general.

Grit. She psyched herself. HD had the grit to practice and practice and practice.

Group. HD had the HD Team behind her all the time. She listened to them. “Alone we can do so little; together, we can do so much” – Helen Keller.

Goods. HD was promised rewards, and she had hopes in them for her to press on…..

I say there is a great lesson for each of us, nay groups of us, from The Great HD Adventure. For all Filipinos here and abroad, myself, I will now derive The Power of 5 Gs:

Goal. You must look for your one major goal in life. Then go for it. Go all the way for it.

Goad. You need an inspiration. Maybe not a person but an idea, or ideal.

Grit. No one can give grit to you – you have to assume it and then cultivate it towards your Goal. Grit is “indomitable courage, toughness, or resolution[3]” (The Free Dictionary). Only you can give yourself grit.

Group. You need a group to help you achieve your personal/common Dream.

Goods. In the case of working either for personal or social good, you will have some goods to hope for when you achieve your goal.

Go for the Personal Goal! Go for the Common Good!@517

---

[1]https://www.cdopedia.com/general/sports/hidilyn-diaz-pride-mindanao

[2]https://www.rappler.com/voices/thought-leaders/opinion-carry-weight-celebrating-hidilyn-becoming-strong?utm_term=Autofeed&utm_campaign=Echobox&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwAR2rN5F6o2vBfgq5uY7KtJPsjFwFLggT18wK7R9T94z9OwBjV-vW3LTyAQo#Echobox=1628192819

[3]https://www.thefreedictionary.com/grit

Golden Rice – Alternatives, Approaches, Chances, Choices, Opportunities, Options To Decide On

Golden Rice. Golden thoughts? Olden thoughts too!

From Bangladesh, The Daily Star’s slogan is “Journalism Without Fear or Favor.” I’m ecstatic that thatBangladeshi slogan fits perfectly my Filipino attitude towards science – as my title indicates.

Sharing the topmost image, the Daily Star of 23 July 2021 says, “Philippines’ Approval Of Vitamin-A Enriched ‘Golden Rice’ A Positive For Bangladesh Too[1]”:

The Department of Agriculture in (the) Philippines has approved the release of Vitamin A-enriched "Golden Rice," clearing the way for it to be cultivated commercially in the country.

The Philippines is the first country to approve its commercial cultivation….. The approval came on Thursday after local authorities were convinced with the outcomes of years of research that Golden Rice (was) as safe as any other variety and it could be an effective tool to curb vitamin A deficiency in target demographics.

Earlier, in December 2019, Golden Rice received approval for direct use as food, feed and processing from the Philippine government (that) enabled PhilRice, the national rice research institute in (that) Southeast Asian country, to conduct sensory evaluation research.

Before the sensory evaluation, PhilRice conducted years of rigorous lab research and field trials at research stations to ensure highest compliance with environmental and health standards.

As a genetically modified crop, Golden Rice needed environmental and health safety clearance(s) before it could be tried in the open fields and finally approved for commercial propagation.

Now that Golden Ricehas that overall safety clearance from my government, I ask: “What does Golden Rice promise to do again?”

In the Philippines, around one in five children from the poorest communities (suffers) from vitamin A deficiency, which affects an estimated 190 million children worldwide.

The condition is the most common cause of childhood blindness, as well as a contributing factor to a weakened immune system.

Golden Rice is genetically engineered to provide up to 50 percent of the estimated average requirement of vitamin A for young children, the age group most susceptible to Vitamin A deficiency… in the Philippines.

I note 3 things from my lengthy quotes:

(1)   1 in 5 children in the poorer villages of the Philippines suffers from Vit A deficiency.

(2)   Lack of Vit A weakens the body’s immune system.

(3)   Golden Rice provides a maximum of 50% of the estimated need for Vit A among children.

Based on the above, here are my conclusions:

(1)   With Golden Rice, your maximum target population is 20% of children among poor families.

(2)   Your Golden Rice may be quite acceptable in communities with childhood blindness.

(3)   I doubt poor parents can get the additional 50% Vit A necessary for their children.

And that’s exactly how I treat “Golden Rice” – preference based on one’s conviction, experience and/or knowledge. Same with chemical fertilizers and pesticides – it’s your choice.
(bottom image[2] from Depositphotos.com)

In like manner, it’s my choice as communicator for development to prescribe Olden Rice. Inbred rice, hybrid rice, heirloom rice – all Olden Rice. I like it all natural, not man-made.

Golden Rice? It’s your choice!@517

---

[1]https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/agriculture/news/philippines-approval-vitamin-enriched-golden-rice-positive-bangladesh-too-2135491

[2]https://depositphotos.com/stock-photos/make-your-choice.html

With Secretary William Dar & Paradigm Shifts, PH Agriculture Survives & Thrives

Today, 05 August 2021, William Darcelebrates, with the Department of Agriculture (DA), his 2 years as Secretary of Agriculture. President Rodrigo Duterte appointed him to that position 05 August 2019; that was the year before the pandemic.
(superimposed image taken by me 14 May 2016)

Gumamela Bejarin says Mr Dar has his 2-year report and is ready for the next year: “Agri Chief Reports Progress In Agri-Fishery, Lays Down Plans For Coming Months[1]” (04 August 2021, DA.gov.ph). He has big plans for the DA; first literally, as the DA is huge in itself!

The DA is composed of 1 institute: Agricultural Training Institute, and 7 Bureaus: (1) Agricultural and Fisheries Engineering, (2) Agricultural Research, (3) Agriculture and Fisheries Standards, (4) Animal Industry, (5) Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, (6) Plant Industry, and (7) Soils and Water Management.

The DA has 18 attached agencies: (1) Agricultural Credit and Policy Council, (2) Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority, (3) National Dairy Authority, (4) National Fisheries Research and Development Institute, (5) National Food Authority, (6) National Meat Inspection Service, (7) National Tobacco Administration, (8) Philippine Carabao Center, (9) Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization, (19) Philippine Coconut Authority, (11) Philippine Council for Agriculture and Fisheries, (12) Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation, (13) Philippine Fiber Industry Development Authority, (14) Philippine Fisheries Development Authority, (15) Philippine Rice Research Institute, (16) Quedan Rural Credit and Guarantee Corporation, (17) Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center, and (18) Sugar Regulatory Administration.

If you were looking for proof that the Philippines’ Department of Agriculture could be the largest single leadership headache in government, there you have it!

Now, “we have made strong and hopeful steps forward,” Mr Dar says in his 2-year report of his secretaryship. And I, having watched zealously on the sidelines since Day 1, wholeheartedly agree.

And how did Mr Dar accomplish what looked impossible amid the pandemic? With his visionary and missionary Servant Leadership.

Mr Dar has had a great many years of experience bringing out the best in people he is working with. For 15 years, he was the Director General of the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) based in India, starting when ICRISAT was truly dead last among the 15 international research centers, including IRRI, of the CGIAR – and he brought ICRISAT to #1!

When he assumed office as PH Secretary of Agriculture on 05 August 2019, he already had a management plan that he called “The New Thinking For Agriculture,” of which I wrote: “William Dar's 8 Paradigms For PH New Thinking For Agriculture[2]” (26 August 2019, Communication For Development, Blogspot.com).

Even earlier, former NEDA Director General Cielito F Habito himself wrote about “Dar’s Paradigm Shifts[3]” (09 August 2019, Inquirer.net), saying, “We now have a true and seasoned agricultural expert at the helm of the Department of Agriculture (DA) in the person of Dr William Dar, whose reputation precedes him.”

PH Agriculture never had it so good until we Filipinos made those paradigm shifts with our Servant Leader William Dar!@517

---

[1]https://www.da.gov.ph/agri-chief-reports-progress-in-agri-fishery-lays-down-plans-for-coming-months/?fbclid=IwAR0-iepjITQia28ostbNx4fL68D8VkHbg4exne9rsrnVJAWpK0_CqZBCDeo

[2]https://communicationfordevelopmentphcomdev.blogspot.com/2019/08/william-dar-8-paradigms-for-ph-new.html

[3]https://opinion.inquirer.net/123151/daris-paradigm-shifts

Photography & Journalism – To Trail Your Story, To Thrill Your Audience

My very first essay on “Find-That-Moment Photography” – a term I invented just now. At almost 81, I have found that journalists in print media do not trouble themselves going after “memorable shots” – if they have a camera at all. To thrill or not to thrill, that is the question!

In the upper image, Paul M Gutierrezshares Joe Galvez’ 07-July-2021 Facebook post describing “the best training ground for photojournalists” thus:

In the rites of passage, (people) usually need to undergo only one gauntlet to become what they are. But in photojournalism, it takes more than one baptism of fire to be a full-fledged photojournalist.
(upper images from Facebook)

No problem. I’m thinking of journalists, not Mr Galvez’ photojournalists, taking photographs while taking notes for their stories. Why not? With sophisticated cellphones taking images of excellent quality, journalists should be able to “illustrate” their stories with their own charming photographs of the scene or interview.

The lower image was taken by me 24 June 2018 with my Lumix FZ100, looking “through” the milking carabao shed early morning across the Amancio Farm Hotel in Cordon, Isabela (visit courtesy of Noime Liangco). From color to B&W, still there is drama.

I took many shots of a scene and the whole farm. Behind 50 years of off-and-on taking photographs at that time, having read technical instructions for photography – and having studied the masters of painting at the excellent library of Xavier University in Cagayan De Oro City in 1968 – I look at a scene differently from the “ordinary eye.”

A “smart” photograph like that attracts the eyes of readers, doesn’t it? Even if the story is dull or uninteresting.

To be clear, I’m a journalist – if self-taught and self-styled – but I have always taken any number of photographs to share any number of them since 1980 when I founded and became Editor In Chief of Habitat, quarterly color magazine of the Los Baños-based Forest Research Institute(now Ecosystems Research & Development Bureau), a publication I patterned after the American National Geographic(editorially admitted).

Mr Galvez says:

Photojournalism is not about photography, per se, but a practice that entails risks and even death. Photojournalism is not for the faint-hearted. To become one, he or she needs to undergo a series of trainings and exposures to any given circumstances in order to be competitive with other counterparts. And of course, to come home alive and (unscathed).

I disagree with all of the above!

Right now I have my Lumix FZ100 digital camera with Intelligent Auto (iA) that takes care of my settings: focus, lighting, opening, speed.

With iA and advanced cellphones, quality photography is now point-and-shoot. Yes.

After many observations on how photojournalists work, I have come to the conclusion that the Philippines is so far the best training ground for photojournalists, and the best setting to practice photojournalism in the world.

I leave Mr Galvez to his dangerous photography while I’m cheerful taking countless photographs to trail my story and sometimes to thrill my readers. Even in Agriculture? Yes!@517

“School-On-Lap” Is Best Programming & CREDIT GRAB Is Best For Farm Loans!

Monday, 02 August 2021, Facebook: Secretary of Agriculture William Dar is saying, ”Digital technology with all its novel approaches will accelerate transformation of Philippine agriculture. In fact, digital technology is a game changer in agriculture!”

This time, we have 5 lessons in Extension (Ex): (1) grammar, (2) media, (3) digital technology, (4) credit, and (5) options.

Wikipedia says “School Of The Air[1]” I checked with my favorite dictionary, and yes, the grammatically correct phrase is “of the air[2]” (TheFreeDictionary.com).

Radio & Internet As Media For Extension
I have been reading Carlson B Alelis’ feature, “Unified School-On-Air, A ‘Beginning Of Empowering Rice Farmers’[3]” (17 March 2021, PIA), an initiative of the Department of Agriculture (DA) Region 6 launched in Iloilo City 16 March.

With my background as a BS Agriculture graduate major in Agricultural Education, UP '65, and with my own 40-year old “Theory of Communication for Development,” I can hardly imagine how any PH School Of The Air can educate farmers on the “right smart technologies (that) will surely empower them and make them competitive with (farmers in) other countries.” Radio is limited, all sound and fury – try dramatizing “System of Rice Intensification” via audio!

Internet. Yes, “School-On-Lap” is best programming for aggie extension! Why do you have to think of the farmer as old and/or uneducable?
(Upper image of “Cyber Extension[4]” from Tunza Eco Generation)

CREDIT GRAB
So now I am thinking of the Agricultural Credit Policy Council (ACPC) coming up with a budget of, say, P15 million, for the Agricultural Training Institute (ATI) of the DA to create a digital Knowledge Bank for training. I call it “CREDIT GRAB” – for “Community-Related Ecological Development via Information Technology with Government Resources Aimed at Agri-Business.” A farmer applying for any interest-free loan with ACPC must pass CREDIT GRAB field training, or assessment, before s/he can be granted that loan. This is to make sure that the loan applicant’s farming is more or less guaranteed to be successful as it considers most if not all the technical & resource knowledge options in farming, from seed to spoon. CREDIT GRAB will also package a farmer’s course on credit using quite a few of the credit success stories on record.

Farming Options
What about “PalayCheck?” Options is the digital key. How will the training on farming options via CREDIT GRAB impact, say, irrigated rice?

Fundamentally, the already-existing website Pinoy Rice Knowledge Bank says PalayCheck “presents the best key technology and management practices as Key Checks[5]” (Pinoyrice.com). So, PalayCheck is thinking for the farmer, not the farmer thinking for himself after studying his options in technologies and practices as may be applied in his location!

Game: On his laptop, the farmer has the right to press the Enter key where he thinks best!

Changer: Farming is not all rice; so, the CREDIT GRAB Knowledge Bank must contain rice-basedfarming systems (plural). Today, PalayCheck continues to imprison the farmer with a single outmoded rice technical framework and teach him not tothink more!@517

---

[1]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/School_of_the_Air

[2]https://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/school+of+the+air

[3]https://pia.gov.ph/news/articles/1069802

[4]https://tunza.eco-generation.org/ambassadorReportView.jsp?viewID=11558

[5]https://www.pinoyrice.com/palaycheck/

Organic Powers Small Farms, PGS Powers Small Farmers

This, my 2^nd essay for Extension for Development (Ex4D), has 2 topics: (1) Why the Participatory Guarantee System (PGS) for small organics? And (2) Why use organic fertilizer at all?

Aida Page shares on Facebook what ANN has written, “Participatory Guarantee System Kicks Off To Empower Small Organic Farmers And Fisherfolk[1]” (Author Not Named, 04 June 2021, DA.gov.ph). On that date, the Department of Agriculture (DA) launched the “Participatory Guarantee System (PGS),” which is the key feature of Republic Act (RA) 11511.

At the launching, Secretary of Agriculture William Dar said:

Made possible by the support of our legislators, RA 11511 opened opportunities for our small farmers… who want a sustainable and environment-friendly organic practice through PGS.

RA 11511 amends the Organic Agriculture Act of 2010 (RA 10068). ANN says of the new law:

As defined in the new act, the PGS refers to a locally focused quality assurance system, which is developed and practiced by people actually engaged in organic agriculture.

Quality is assured by common consent and assent of actual organic practitioners.

Built on a foundation of trust, social network and knowledge exchange, the system is used to certify producers and farmers as actual and active organic agriculture practitioners and serve as an alternative to third-party certification.

Third-party certification is very expensive, from P42,000 to P150,000/crop[2] – meaning, a poor farmer has to be rich first to become rich!

The PGS will significantly reduce the cost of maintaining organic certification and actively involve our small farmers and fisherfolk with like-minded stakeholders and advocates of organic agriculture by maintaining the integrity of organic products available in the market.

The new system also directly contributes to the farm consolidation thrust of DA and will increase the local availability of certified organic products of small and medium farmers. Thus, large-scale organic producers could shift to export markets.

Mr Dar is looking at the national agricultural scene like this: With their farms consolidated, small-scale farmers can target the local consumers of organic produce, large-scale farmers the consumers in foreign markets.

During the launch, officials and representatives of the National Organic Agriculture Program (NOAP), Bureau of Agriculture and Fisheries Standards (BAFS), Agricultural Training Institute (ATI), and member agencies of the National Organic Agriculture Board (NOAB) also presented the Philippine Guaranteed Organic Mark for organic products (above image). With NOAP, BAFS, ATI, and NOAB involved, this makes PGS a national community-based policy.

Now, I want to emphasize why organic fertilizers are that important, nay necessary. Seipasasays (17 February 2016, “The Benefits Of 100% Organic Full Fertilizers,” Seipasa.com):

Organic fertilizers improve soil structure, help to retain nutrients, allow carbon fixation in the substrate, and enhance the ability of the crop to absorb water.

Those are 4 functions. From Kenya, Frontiers Sustainable Systems says that 4 farms, “over 4 years tested… a one-time application of organic fertilizers (found) yearly crop edible yields increased overall for maize, sorghum, and sweet potatoes.”

That one-time application for 4 years proves organic fertilizers grow healthy crops – for consumers’ healthy bodies and farmers’ healthy pockets.@517

---

[1]https://www.da.gov.ph/participatory-guarantee-system-kicks-off-to-empower-small-organic-farmers-and-fisherfolk/?fbclid=IwAR3pdCF1jVleFeO6rFCD8VvtywZCTyipDUXjjvOIlbk4AC15QzlvmpAGfBc

[2]https://www.bworldonline.com/affordable-organic-certification-bill-elevated-to-senate-plenary/

Yellow Corn – We Were Looking At It All These 62 Years And Did Not See!

That yellow corn was too good to be true I myself did not see as an A student at the University of the Philippines College of Agriculture in 1959!

(upper image from Facebook[1] Isabela Dry Monitoring Yellow Corn, lower image[2] from Britannica)

1^st Year, in an animal husbandry class (I forget the exact title), we learned that yellow corn was a major ingredient of poultry feed; a great many years later, yellow corn became expensive,

60+ years later, why have UP Los Baños animal husbandry professors not done research on a feed substitute for yellow corn?

2 reasons I can think of right now are:

(1)   The professors did not do much animal research.

(2)   The professors did not think in terms of feed substitutes.

Not surprisingly, birds and pigs and humans love yellow corn because of its bright color and sweet taste. Of yellow corn[3], ANN says (Author Not Named, undated, Specialty Produce):

The less sweet corn is cooked, the better the flavor and texture. Yellow corn can be roasted, grilled, blanched, steamed, or pureed. Its bright and sweet flavors lend well to pastas and salads. It pairs well with tomatoes, basil cilantro, lobster, pork, (chilis), truffles, shelling beans, cream, nutty cheeses, peas, summer squashes, fennel, citrus and scallops. Yellow corn is dried and ground into flour for baked goods, tortillas, cereals and used as a crust/crisping agent for dishes both savory and sweet. Corn is also used for oil, as a sweetener in foods and beverages and as a base for beverage alcohol.

Countless uses as is or ground into flour – How economically important is yellow corn!

Yellow corn is the farm crop that UP Los Baños ignored!

I now consider it a failure of my alma mater, UP Los Baños, in research for development (R4D): The search for an alternative for yellow corn as feed for poultry & livestock – aside from humans.

Here comes the Department of Agriculture (DA) doing something concrete about costs of yellow corn: “DA Reviews Tariff Cut For Yellow Corn[4]” (Catherine Talavera, 01 August 2021, The Philippine Star):

The Department of Agriculture (DA) has created a technical working group (TWG) to study possible reforms in the tariffs of imported yellow corn in a bid to provide a lower and steady supply of the commodity to farmers who use it for animal feeds.

Secretary of Agriculture William Dar creating a TWG means the DA sees imported yellow corn is vital to the health of PH Agriculture: Cost must go down and supply must be stable. We feed on the animals that feed on the corn.

Yellow corn has strategic importance in the livestock, poultry and fishery sectors since it is the major animal feed ingredient. It is estimated that feeds constitute approximately 60 to 70 percent of the total operating production costs.

I go back to my dear old alma mater: “Why has UP Los Baños failed in those 100-years-plus to do research for development in yellow corn?!”@517

---

[1]https://www.facebook.com/Isabela-dry-yellow-corn-monitoring-farmers-choice-2204164049828109/

[2]https://www.britannica.com/plant/corn-plant

[3]https://www.freshproduce.com.ph/veggies/166-patola.html#:~:text=Yellow%20corn%20can%20be%20roasted,%2C%20fennel%2C%20citrus%20and%20scallops.

[4]https://www.philstar.com/business/2021/08/01/2116643/da-reviews-tariff-cut-yellow-corn