MINDANAO REVIEW The Official Publication of the Mindanao Development Authority Volume 1 Issue 1 July to December 2019
WORKING TOGETHER FOR A COMMON CAUSE. A memorandum of agreement on biosecurity and road access in Sto. Tomas, Davao del Norte was signed between the Provincial Government of Davao del Norte, the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor), and the Tagum Agricultural Development Company (TADECO) last October 22, 2019 at the MinDA Office in Davao City. The MOA provides concessions on all parties by putting prime on protecting the banana industry while ensuring that the welfare of the people remains a top priority. Arrangements on this agreement were facilitated by MinDA. In photo are (L-R): Engineer Jean Ravanos, DavNor PLGU, Governor Edwin Jubahib, MinDA Secretary Emmanuel “Manny” Pinol, Mr. Anton Lagdameo and Mr. Zeus Vadil of TADECO, and Mr. Albert Blanca of the BuCor. Photo by MinDA.
MinDA intervenes to resolve TADECO, LGU- Davao del Norte rift
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ANABO CITY, DAVAO DEL NORTE – MinDA Secretary Emmanuel Piñol steps in to resolve the row between Tagum Agricultural Development Co. Inc. (TADECO) and Provincial Government of Davao del Norte due to the planned demolition of the former’s three plantation biosecurity facilities along El Canto road, in an October 9 meeting held at TADECO Road, Panabo City. “Problem has been resolved. Governor Edwin Jubahib agreed to diffuse the situation by heeding the request of President Rody Duterte, and Senator Bong Go to settle the problem amicably,” Piñol announced. He further stated that equipment sent by the Provincial Government to destroy the barricades against Panama diseaseinfected banana farms in the said road
were withdrawn already.
WHAT’S INSIDE?
“Also, a local court issued a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO), but even before the TRO was issued, the Governor already relented,” he emphasized. Last 7 October, Governor Jubahib agreed with the request of Secretary Piñol to hold in abeyance the scheduled demolition until officials of the two entities have met.
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First MinDA Fruits Festival generates 1.1 M Php sales; Piñol to met fruit farmers, airline executives
TADECO Assistant Vice President for Human Resource Zeus Vadil said that the supposed demolition by the Provincial Government is part of road clearing operations, following the Department of the Interior and Local Government’s 60day order to local governments to clear and reclaim public roads. (continuation on page 6)
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MinDA launches Mindanao Water Supply Program
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Mindanao hog raisers call for ban on entry of pork
First MinDA Fruits Festival generates 1.1 M Php sales; Piñol met fruit farmers, airline execs
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SUSTAINABLE FRUIT MARKET. MinDA Secretary Piñol formally signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong which opened access for Mindanao fruit farmers to Cordillera markets as well as allow exchange for their products to be sold in Mindanao markets. The trading link will increase agricultural productivity and help fruit farmers earn decent and sustainable income. Photo by MinDA.
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AGUIO CITY – The 1st MinDA Fruits Festival in Baguio City generated an estimated sale of PhP1.1M pesos following the selling of some Mindanao fruits last 24 – 25 August 2019 at Session Road, according to the City Government. “I am amazed by the interest shown by the people of Baguio. In fact, nahiya nga ako eh dahil mukhang hindi lahat makakatikim. Na-underestimate namin ‘yung acceptance ng mga tao sa programa. But I would like to apologize and I would like to assure the constituents of Baguio that this will be a continuing program. Mas marami pong prutas ang dadalhin namin dito,” said MinDA Secretary Manny Pinol. The event was able to generate 200,000 foot traffic in four hours, from 6-10 AM of Aug 25. A total of 22 tons of assorted fruits carried via air freight from Davao to Clark, travelled via land trip and sold last Sunday in Baguio. These fruits were durian, rambutan, mangosteen, lansones, and pomelo from Davao and SOCCSKSARGEN regions. “Ang objective nito is to be a weekly event. But siguro bigyan niyo muna ako ng two weeks para ma-improve ang sistema. Aayusin natin lahat. Magiging trading partner na natin ang Mindanao. Kaya nga itatayo natin as suggestion of Secretary Manny ang Economic Enterprise Office para sila na mismo ang magha-handle ng trading activities
natin with Mindanao and also Visayas tulad ng carrot, potato, and strawberry,” Mayor Baguio City Benjamin Magalong pointed out. The project aims to offer the fruits at 20-30 pesos lower and the eradication of trading layers. “Ang presyuhan at tiers of trader and middle men dito ang main objectives natin. Dapat mas mababa kasi useless din if same price at mabawasan ang layer for the benefit of our producers and consumers,” the Secretary stressed out. Following this, Sec Piñol met officials of Mindanao fruits farmers’ organizations and airline executives in Davao City to discuss supply volume, logistical and financing requirements, and a special air link arrangements to sustain the said project. “Given the turnout, siguro 15 tons of durian, 15 tons of pomelo and tingnan namin ang capacity ng mga commercial airline companies to carry fruits from Davao to Clark. We will haggle with them the cost of transport as the limiting factor,” he explained. Secretary Piñol and Mayor Magalong signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between MinDA and the City Government to formalize partnership in the conduct of the project.
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LANDSLIDE. MinDA gathers data using drones to determine the extent of damage to the communities which was struck by the recent series of earthquakes. Some pose eminent danger of landslide. Photo from Secretary Manny Piñol’s Facebook page.
MinDA sets up Disaster Command Center, database in Kidapawan
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IDAPAWAN CITY – The Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) set up its Central Command Center and announced its full operation on Monday (November 4), here. Situated in JCX Convention Center, the database would coordinate relief operations and gather data on the extent of damage due to the earthquake last October 16, 29 and 31. The Command Center will serve as a coordinating unit for relief assistance and rehabilitation efforts for the earthquake victims, which badly hit Davao and Cotabato areas. “The Central Command Center will cover all earthquakeaffected areas in Davao and Cotabato Regions to aid swift relief response and data gathering,”Secretary Emmanuel Piñol said. With the use of drones and digital technology on the mountainside communities, MinDA would determine the extent of damage to communities, and areas which need to be abandoned due to landslides. “Many of the communities in the City of Kidapawan, Magpet, Tulunan and Makilala in North Cotabato and Magsaysay, Bansalan and Matanao in Davao del Sur may have to be abandoned by the residents,” Piñol said. MinDA will soon complete a database that will register all victims and assistance needed.
“The database will register all victims, the damage they suffer, locations and the damage in their communities, and the support they needed,” Piñol emphasized. MinDA Chair Piñol further said that the database will guide donors in giving out reliefs and the line agencies in crafting post-disaster interventions to assist victims as they go back to their normal lives. “We will recommend rehabilitation plans of the affected communities using the data gathered,” said Piñol, adding that, it will be given to the Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, who is the Martial Law Administrator and officer-in-charge of government operations to help the victims. Furthermore, MinDA accepts donations of relief goods and assistance for the quake victims in all its offices in Zamboanga, Butuan, Cagayan de Oro, Koronadal, and Davao City. The donations gathered will then be coursed through the proper agencies to avoid duplication of distribution efforts and ensure that all affected areas are reached and assisted. “We will request coordination meetings with all agencies involved in the relief efforts to ensure that assistance is provided to the victims effectively and adequately,” Piñol stressed.
SUSTAINABLE WATER SUPPLY IN MINDANAO. (L-R, seated) Department of Interior and Local Government Secretary Eduardo Año, MinDA Secretary Emmanuel “Manny” Piñol, and Development Bank of the Philippines President Emmanuel Herbosa sign a tripartite memorandum of understanding (MOU) for the Mindanao Water Supply Program. The purpose of this MOU is to establish the basis for collaboration and cooperation between MinDA, DILG and DBP in creating a project which is aimed at providing potable drinking water to waterless communities of Mindanao, especially the remote Indigenous People’s communities and also irrigation water for the communities’ agricultural activities. Photo by MinDA.
IN PHOTOS
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LAUNCHING OF THE MINDANA
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AVAO CITY – The Mindanao Water Supply Project was officially launched last December 6, 2019 at the Acacia Hotel in Davao City. It is a response to the need for provision of water supply for drinking and irrigation in the thousands of waterless barangays in Mindanao. This led to this partnership forged between MinDA and the Department of Interior and Local Government, with the Development Bank of the Philippines as the loan facility provider. The Mindanao Water Supply Program forms part of Secretary Piñol’s thrusts as the new MinDA Chairman, which are: poverty reduction, peace with equity, and agricultural productivity. STRENGTHENING PARTNERSHIPS. Other partnerships witnessed during the launch of the Mindanao Water Supply Program include: (1, above) a partnership agreement among MinDA, the Local Government of Magsaysay, Davao del Sur, the Tagum City Council of Women Foundation, the Filipino Chinese Catholic Women’s Organization, and the St. Mary’s College of Bansalan for the provision of potable water in Magsaysay; (2, lower left photo) a partnership agreement between MinDA and the Kidapawan Water District for financial support in rehabilitating water supply facilities in Kidapawan; and (3; lower right) the ceremonial handover of the Metro Davao Urban Master Plan to the local chief executives of the Davao Region. All photos by MinDA.
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AO WATER SUPPLY PROGRAM WHAT IS THE MINDANAO WATER SUPPLY PROGRAM?
It is a package of technical and financial assistance that aims to contribute to attaining peace and prosperity in isolated and remote areas in Mindanao and Palawan through provision of water supply for drinking and irrigation.
PROGRAM FRAMEWORK
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ONE STEP AHEAD. MinDA Secretary Emmanuel “Manny” Piñol emphasizes the need to have a high state of readiness for any threat to livestock productivity in Mindanao given the island’s significant contribution to the overall hog production of the country during the Mindanao Hogs Forum in Davao City. Among the risks presented is the collection of swills or leftovers from unsanitary places like restaurants and shipping vessels. Photo by MinDA.
Mindanao hog raisers call for ban on entry of pork
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on the entry to their respective provinces of pork and processed pork products from ASF- affected areas.
Eduardo So, president of the Hog Raisers Association of Davao, said the move should not be taken as a form of trade restriction but an urgent quarantine measure to protect the multi-billion peso hog industry of the Southern Philippines.
The group has also prepared thousands of information materials for distribution to various areas, which tackle ways to prevent the entry of ASF in Mindanao.#
AVAO CITY - Mindanao hog industry stakeholders today urged local governments in the island, especially those hosting international airports and ports, to immediately institute measures to prevent the entry of pork and processed pork products from areas affected by the African swine fever.
“This is not an attempt to restrict trade and the free flow of food but an act to protect a huge food production industry which provides income and livelihood to thousands of families,” So said in a statement, which was issued following the Mindanao Hog Raisers Forum on Sept. 18 held here. In the same forum, the hog industry stakeholders also urged the local government units to exercise their powers to stop “swill feeding” their hogs. Swill feeding is the practice of backyard hog raisers to feed their hogs with food wastes from hotels, restaurants and docked foreign vessels. “This is the biggest risk that we face because the food wastes could include contaminated pork contained in canned goods,” he said. The ASF cases in Luzon were reported in areas near the dumpsites where the business of gathering food wastes sold to backyard hog raisers is thriving. “Mindanao Governors should follow the lead of Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia and Bohol Gov. Arthur Yap,” he said. Both Gov. Garcia and Gov. Yap issued ordered a ban
Mindanao hog raisers with the support of the Mindanao Development Authority, the Department of Agriculture and the LGUs are set to start provincial and municipal level information drive on ASF and other hog diseases.
MinDA intervenes... On the other hand, Vadil explained that the purpose of the biosecurity facilities is to protect the plantation from the quick spread of Fusarium wilt-infected banana farms, which are just across the El Canto Road where the facilities were established. “Fusarium wilt is just within our backyard. From the highway to the back of the El Canto road, once you cross that entire deep, you will see all affected banana farms, [all the] banana trees [have been cut down]. It is just a stone’s throw from our farm; it is just across the street,” Vadil explained.
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Vadil also shared that the removal of biosecurity measures such as foot and tire baths for “road clearing” means risking TADECO of being infected by the Panama disease. TADECO is one of the country’s largest banana exporters, managing about 6,000 hectares of banana plantation yielding around 28 million to 30 million of bananas annually, which are all shipped abroad. TADECO alone accounts for at least 11 percent of the country’s total cavendish exports reaching 3.4 million metric tons last year.
MinSuPala Games opens in April 2020 in Davao
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AVAO CITY – MinDA partners with Philippine Sports Commission to host the first Mindanao-Sulu-Palawan (MINSUPALA) Games tentatively scheduled on 20-24 April 2020 in Davao City. MinDA Secretary Emmanuel Piñol aims to revive the golden era of Mindanao as the home of sports icon. “Badjao Sama swimmers, Maguindanao sprinters, Manobo long-distance runners, and Tausug spikers will be among the indigenous sports talents in action in the firstever Mindanao-Sulu-Palawan (MINSUPALA) Games to be held next year in Davao City,” Piñol said. The event will be in partnership with the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC). “Chairman William Ramirez has pledged to support the Games, being also the Philippine-lead agency for Mindanao and Palawan’s participation in the biennial BIMPEAGA Friendship Games which will be hosted by Davao and Tagum City next year,” he said. Mindanao is an abundant reservoir of sports talents that have been mainly undiscovered owing to the bias against indigenous athletes. He said that for most sports officials who belong to the elite, it is simply unthinkable for a brown-haired Badjao kid born and raised in the sea to compete for side by side with a fair-skinned International Schooleducated lad from Forbes Park. When asked about the objective of the Games, the Secretary emphasized that it is expected to discover indigenous sports talents in swimming, track and field, volleyball, and other non-contact sports. “The MINSUPALA Games will be the first step in the institutional sports development program for the Southern Philippines. It aims to discover and develop indigenous talents that do not have formal
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MINDANAO SPORTS. MinDA Chairman Secretary Emmanuel “Manny” Piñol emphasizes that the proposed MINSUPALA Games will highlight indigenous sports talents in various sporting events in Mindanao and Palawan. Photo by MinDA
training in their field of discipline yet excels mainly due to their natural talents,” he added. Citing some underrated Mindanawon homegrown sports talents in the past, he specifically talked about 1962 Asian Games Maguindanao sprinter Mona Sulaiman who later became a policewoman and Summer Olympics Tawi-Tawi swimmers Parsons Nabiula and Jairulla Jaitulla.
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Jaitulla qualified for the national swimming team with ease and competed at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Germany and the 1984 Summer Olympics in the United States. Nabiula competed in two swimming events at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia representing the Philippines. To attract participants all over Mindanao and Palawan, the Secretary said that MinDA and PSC would invite the Governors and Mayors to be official partners and send representatives in the selected sports contested areas. The Secretary is confident that in a few years, MINSUPALA could see the birth of more Mona Sulaimans, Parson Nabiulas, Jairulla Jaitullas, and Tokal Mokamads, among others. The MINSUPALA Games will serve as a precursor and elimination activity of Mindanao and Palawan delegates, and winners represent in the 2020 BIMP-EAGA Friendship Games in Davao and Tagum City, and to 2021 Arafura Games in Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia. Some of the games to be contested on are Pencak silat, karate, swimming, basketball, athletics, beach volleyball, table tennis, lawn tennis, sepak takraw, futsal, and lawn balls. Cultural events will also happen as side activities of the Games.
BEYOND BORDERS. As the Philippine Coordinating Office for the Brunei Darussalam Indonesia Malaysia the Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area, MinDA continues to be at the forefront of advancing subregional integration among member and partner countries through participation in various events including the Senior Officials and Ministerial Meeting, and the Budayaw Festival of Culture and Arts in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia. All photos by MinDA.
ALTERNATIVE LIVELIHOOD FOR FARMERS – MinDA Chairman Secretary Emmanuel “Manny” Piñol calls on banana farmers from Davao del Norte to look into sorghum farming as an alternative source of livelihood while the banana industry takes its toll from the effects of fusarium wilt during the Banana Fusarium Wilt Management Forum in Tagum City. Piñol highlighted that buyers from Thailand are willing to purchase the product at 12 pesos per kilo as well as seedling donors from the United States to assist farmers in the province in pursuing this venture.
Piñol urges banana farmers to consider sorghum farming
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AGUM CITY - With the onslaught of Fusarium wilt or Panama disease in the province of Davao del Norte, Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) Chairman Secretary Emmanuel “Manny” Piñol urged the banana growers on Friday, to consider sorghum farming. Speaking during the Banana Fusarium Wilt Management Forum in Tagum City, Davao del Norte, Piñol said that sorghum is an ideal crop to grow while banana plantations recover from the effects of the fusarium wilt. “Planting sorghum does not require you to overhaul the terrain of your fields so it will be easier to grow, and these are guaranteed to grow in your fields with lesser maintenance,” he said. He also noted that sorghum produces thrice the amount of yield from one planting alone. It can also be used to feed livestock, which is another source of livelihood for the farmers. “A hectare planted with sorghum can feed at least twenty heads of livestock in a year,” he stressed. Piñol also assured farmers who will venture into sorghum farming that a startup capital will be made available from a private company in the United States (US) which committed to donate seedlings.
“This is why we are working with the Department of Agriculture (DA) in developing tissue culture varieties which will counter fusarium wilt in the long run so that our farmers can go back to growing bananas,” he said. He assured that assistance and support will be provided should they consider the crop as an alternative measure. “We will be channeling some of our calamity funds to purchase backhoes, to help you start with sorghum farming,” Jubahib said. However, the governor also urged the banana farmers to look for other options.
MINDANAO REVIEW
Editorial Staff
Publisher SECRETARY EMMANUEL “MANNY” PIÑOL Editorial Board UNDERSECRETARY JANET LOPOZ, CESO I ASSISTANT SECRETARY ROMEO MONTENEGRO DIRECTOR REYZALDY TAN
As to its market, Piñol also assured that a company from Thailand is willing to buy sorghum at PHP12/per kilo.
Editor-In-Chief DR. ADRIAN TAMAYO
“Unless we give access to the farmers, there will never be progress in the countryside,” Piñol added.
Editorial Staff JIMMY MUSA SAMUEL PONSICA ROSEMARIE BAGUIO RICHARD DUCAY IRIS MAE QUIZO FRITZ FLORES
Davao del Norte Governor Edwin I. Jubahib noted that alternative crops are some of the short-term measures that will ensure a stable income for the farmers while the fusarium wilt issue is being resolved.
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