“Did You Know PH Had A ‘Golden Time’ During Ferdinand ‘FM’ Marcos’ Presidency? Asking As A Friend!” – Frank A Hilario

This is an FBI speaking, full-blooded Ilocano, with grandfather roots from Rosario, La Union. I'm proud to say I voted for Ferdinand “FM” Marcos Sr in the 1965 elections. Today, amidst all the sad & bad talks & thoughts, as an agriculturist (UPLB ‘65), I reminisce about “Masagana 99” – I call the “Golden Years of PH Agriculture: 1973-1978.”

We exported rice in 1977-78 (“Masagana 99,” Wikipedia, en.wikipedia.org). (21 Sept is also “World Gratitude Day” – God, thank you for even the little things!)

ANN says, “Masagana 99 Both A Success And A Failure, Experts Say” (Author Not Named, 30 Sept 2020, University of the Philippines Los Baños, uplb.edu.ph):

In 1973, an agricultural program aimed at solving the country’s then-worsening rice shortage was developed. It was called “Masagana 99,” after the Filipino word for “bountiful” and the target number of cavans per hectare of rice to be produced under the program.

According to Edgardo Quisumbing, former deputy implementer of the program, “Masagana 99” was at its core… in response to the severe rice shortage due to pests and natural disasters occurring at the time.

This package, he said, was made up of high-yielding rice varieties and low-cost pesticides and fertilizers, alongside a supervised credit scheme that enabled the farmers to purchase [those technologies].

“Masagana 99” succeeded, and PH exported rice in 1977-78. We showed the world Filipinos could produce the rice we needed, and then some!
(“Masagana 99” from youtube.com)

I was Editor In Chief of the 3 publications of the Forest Research Institute (FORI) at that time – monthly newsletter Canopy, quarterly technical journal Sylvatrop, and quarterly color magazine Habitat. FORI showed the world even self-taught Filipino writers & editors could produce the publications we needed, and excel. Today, why not show the world the intelligence we have?

I know one “good reason” why “Masagana 99” “went bad”– as the number of cavans of rice multiplied, the number of farmer-borrowers defaulting on credit also multiplied!

The major lesson that I see is this: “Government must have faith in the farmers, while the farmers must show faith in the government.”

Today,  21 Sept 2022, the 50th Anniversary of PH Martial Law, some activists and contrarians bring out anti-Martial Law placards (like, “Never Again, Never Forget”) and their hate.
(“Never Again” from UP-OVCSA,.facebook.com)

They are entitled to their grievances – but what about those who must never forget to live on and hope? What about the farmers and their families who want to live in peace – and prosperity?

That is why some 57 years ago when I discovered it for myself, I embraced the philosophy of Organic Agriculture, now enlarged to Regenerative Agriculture (RA). Today, given Climate Change, enjoying their rights, farmers have the duty to themselves and their country to follow the science of RA that promises to bring them out of poverty and at the same time bring society out of the dangers of Climate Change.

Farmers must enjoy their rights – they must also contribute to the good of society!@517

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Lessons Learned From Roman Catholic “Father Acong” About Successfully Building Basic Ecclesial Communities (BECs) With Enduring Love

Image
I have been reading & rereading the book “ Father Ciriaco Alberto Sevilla, Jr – MSK Trailblazer” (242 pages, published 2010 in Lucena City, edited by Milwida S Reyes ). A 12-year-old book – is the content still relevant to come up with a new version? My answer is, “Yes!” Personally, I want the book to highlight the love for the poor parishioners that Father Acong showed, as he had single-mindedly created 400+ Basic Ecclesial Communities (BECs) in the far-flung villages of Quezon Province before he died Oct 2007. If that is not love for the poor, I don’t know what love is! About the BECs, Msgr Lope C Robredillo, VG, says [“An Overview Of The Basic Ecclesial Communities (BECs), From The Other Side Of History , msgrlope.blogspot.com ]: The Second Plenary Council of the Philippines devotes two paragraphs to describe the BECs… “They are small communities of Christians, usually of families who gather together around the Word of God and the Eucharist.” As Roman Catholic, an edit
Read more

“Creative Freedom” – UP, Time To Replace Your Symbol Of Academic Freedom!

Image
It occurred to me today, Sunday, 16 October 2022, that changing the symbol of the University of the Philippines System (UP) is long overdue – because the Oblation (smaller but sunnier image) has ever inspired disapproval , even radicalism, and never creativity ! This is a creative person writing, self-taught in communication and in digital media – yes, I am a UP alumnus, 1965. The bigger image is my photograph (taken 29 July 2016) of the fiberglass sculptural piece of Maria Pureza Escaño , which she titles “The Rose Of Marya: Service Through Excellence” ( Maria Pureza Escaño , weebly.com ). Commissioned by the Sigma Delta Sorority , “Marya” is now a landmark at the UP Los Baños Alumni Plaza. Ms Maria says of it: Recently, Maria Pureza Escaño was handpicked by the University of the Philippines for her concept and rendition of "The Rose of Marya: Service through Excellence," an allegorical seven-foot fiber glass sculpture celebrating100 years of excellence and service to
Read more

SOLVE As A Way Of Speech & Blogging As A Way Of Write

Image
Searca Tuesday, 28 April 2020, 10:00 AM, embarks on a Southeast Asian voyage of discovering and/or uncovering pieces & sets of knowledge on food security given the global coronavirus outbreak.  It is a webinar series to “ highlight concrete actions in agriculture and rural development in Southeast Asia.” The series to be launched is called “Searca Online Learning & Virtual Engagement,” acronym SOLVE, which is Searca’s “effort to break boundaries, both physical and conceptual, to strategically disseminate just-in-time solutions.” It is ambitious, but the times call for it. Searca Director Glenn B Gregorio says of it: The new normal brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic has firmed up Searca’s resolve to embark on new modalities and use technology-mediated platforms of interactions to effectively deliver context-relevant and valuable services to its stakeholders, including farmers and the public. SOLVE is virtual but the learnings are real. Mr Gregorio said: SOLVE particularly hi
Read more