During the last quarter of the year, people were preoccupied with decorating their homes, schools, workplaces, and parks in preparation for the holidays.
Earlier last week, while most of us are into the slapping fiasco between presidential candidates Mar Roxas and Rody Duterte, the peasants in Compostela Valley are fighting for their land, fighting for their lives.
Three years ago, our dear province of Compostela Valley and the nearby province of Davao Oriental were devastated by Typhoon Pablo (International name Bopha), damaging billions of properties and claiming thousands of lives mostly of poor farmers in Compostela, New Bataan, Monkayo, Boston, Baganga and Cateel.
It was a fine day in a village inside a banana plantation when the serenity of the cold morning was broken by the hovering sound of a plane.
Davao City’s stand when it comes to GMO is a good one, the ban on GM crops in Davao City should serve as an inspiration to the various local government units throughout the country.
The El Nino phenomenon that we are experiencing right now scored the highest for the past 65 years. According to US scientists, the dry spell, which is expected to last until December, will leave our fields dry and risk the productivity of our poor farmers.
A good friend and teacher once wrote: “Agriculture is culture. Culture is people”.
Davao region was alarmed recently by the inflow of fake rice in the market and subsequently with fake bihon. Concerns on food safety were raised.
The streets were filled with posters, streamers and red flags from more than ten thousand people who paid their tribute to Leoncio Pitao popularly known as Kumander Parago Sandoval or Tatay for the people of Paquibato District.
Presidential adviser on food security Francis Pangilinan is out of his mind in declaring rice importation as a “pro-poor move”.
