DAVAO CITY, Philippines – I would love to start the year 2026 with a sense of hope as we celebrate a decade of serving the farmers of Mindanao. In this column, allow me to share our ten-year journey with MASIPAG Mindanao. I first learned of MASIPAG years ago—as most people in Mindanao do—through “MASIPAG rice.” This popular variety, known for its resilience and high eating quality in the mid-1990s, was so well-known that it even reached the local cooperative where my mother used to work.
Later, at UP Los Baños, MASIPAG was formally introduced to us in our Agri 111 class by our professor, Dr. Oscar B. Zamora, who later became a mentor and a good friend. In April 2010, I joined a protest against the 50th anniversary of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI). During that action, great speakers shared and pieced together the stark ironies and challenges of Philippine agriculture, discussing how IRRI, as an establishment of the “empire”, promotes policies that maintain semi-feudalism in the country. These lessons deeply shaped my convictions, and MASIPAG has held a special spot in my heart ever since.
In January 2016, I began working as the Regional Coordinator of MASIPAG in Mindanao, the youngest worker at that time. At that time, the network was facing one of the most challenging moments in its contemporary history: several staff members and a few leaders no longer adhered to MASIPAG’s principles and eventually bolted out.
The silver lining of this crisis was that those who continued to believe in MASIPAG’s principles stood their ground and took decisive action to re-establish and recover. Even though I started as the only staff member of MASIPAG in Mindanao, I never felt alone. I can clearly recall Anita “Nay Nena” Morales and Casilda “Lola Zelda” Galagala, our NGO member representatives, standing by my side—mentoring and guiding the recovery efforts along with our RMT Chairperson, Marlon “Apol” Recidoro.
As a national network, MASIPAG farmers and staff provided all the necessary support for Mindanao to effectively overcome these challenges. Farmer-trainers from MASIPAG Visayas, such as Tatay Bebot Genol and Rodolfo “Don Don” Cortez (who later became a Director of the National Organic Agriculture Board representing PGS Pilipinas), stayed for more than a month to help us.
By mid-2016, our Regional Secretariat (RS) began to take shape. Although we didn’t have a permanent office, we at least had a printer and several mall food courts that served as our meeting places. Overcoming an organizational crisis is an arduous task, but collective leadership and action became MASIPAG Mindanao’s most effective strategy. For that, we must collectively celebrate our victories!
The results of that decade of collective labor speak for themselves. Ten years ago, we began with 48 People’s Organizations (POs), mostly concentrated in the Davao region. Today, we stand 152 POs strong, organized into seven Provincial Coordinating Bodies (PCBs) and two Ad Hoc PCBs. Our presence now spans 14 of the 27 provinces on the island, stretching from the northern tips of Surigao del Norte to the southern reaches of Sarangani.
As we celebrate these successes, I would like to extend my profound gratitude to all the farmers, leaders, and staff—past and present—who made this possible. Cheers to us, Ate Rarai and GB, as we celebrate a decade in MASIPAG, serving farmers and advancing genuine rural development! (davaotoday.com)
