SRO Is Legendary Winner Over Rice. Next Challenge – Rice-Based Farming Systems!
Santiago Rigonan Obien, SRO, made history with the Philippine Rice Research Institute, PhilRice. The award was given on 27 November 2020 as part of the “2019 Rice Achievers Awards” ceremonies held at the headquarters of the Bureau of Soils & Water Management in Diliman, Quezon City.
Historically, Executive Order 1061 signed by President Ferdinand E Marcos on 05 November 1985 created the Philippine Rice Research Institute, PhilRice[1]; President Corazon Aquino affirmed the creation on 07 November 1985; and in June 1987, Santiago R Obien was appointed PhilRice Director (Wikipedia.org),
PhilRice was born only once, that’s for sure – but as Executive Director, SRO saw PhilRice was born with a double challenge:
(1) Be the national agency worthy of the national staple food of Filipinos.
(2) Be recognized world-class.
Before PhilRice, SRO had been FAO consultant not for nothing.
Now then, an Ilocano farmer and with a doctorate degree in agriculture from the University of the Philippines’ College of Agriculture, now UP Los Baños, SRO went to work twice as a Builder:
1st, Builder of Men –
As PhilRice Executive Director, SRO selected his PhilRice people and diligently encouraged them to improve themselves further by sending them to graduate school – to gain more knowledge and to gain more confidence in themselves. He was building them as middle managers of PhilRice. History tells us SRO succeeded here. Those SRO recruits fulfilled their promise and became leaders of the different units, or leader scientists, of PhilRice.
2nd, Builder of PhilRice –
At the start, the headquarters of PhilRice at the village of Maligaya in the City of Muñoz in Nueva Ecija was the usual government building of a rice research experiment station – the building was inherited from the Bureau of Plant Industry. Not good enough for his dreams of umpire – he wanted to elevate the game of local rice research into one of international reputation. So, he campaigned for and was awarded funds by the Japanese International Cooperation Agency.
SRO as builder of individuals and PhilRice succeeded mightily – when he retired in 2000 on his birthday 25 July, PhilRice was at the top; it had become recognized as world class and was even more popular than the International Rice Research Institute, IRRI!
Above, the Legacy Award errs in saying SRO was Executive Director of PhilRice starting 1968; the correct year is 1987. I also want to correct the imbalance of focusing too much on rice:
We Filipinos cannot live on rice alone!
PhilRice’s Palayamanan – literally, rice-based riches,
we must make national!
SRO is now 85 years old; he continues to work assiduously for his country. As a Senior Consultant to Secretary of Agriculture William Dar, SRO can be the Godfather of OpAPA – Open Academy for Philippine Agriculture – and I look at it as digital, where this 80-year old can help zealously.
Mr Dar himself is the Father of OpAPA;
now, fast, digital OpAPA
must promote riches-based farming systems
providing wealth & welfare to Filipino farming families!@517
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