BUTIG, LANAO SUR FARMERS START RICE FARMING STUDY

Ten rice farmers and agriculture technicians from the conflict-wracked town of Butig, Lanao del Sur yesterday started a 4-day training program in modern rice farming in the PhilRice Center in Muñoz, Nueva Ecija.

Flying from Cagayan de Oro City, which is about four hours by land trip from Butig, the Muslim farmers and technicians some of whom are travelling outside of their town for the first time, the group will undergo a rice farming technology short course under PhilRice Executive Director Sailila Abdulla, who is also a Muslim.

Their training is part of the interventions I committed during the visit of the Biyaheng Bukid team to Butig on Feb. 9 to address the chronic poverty in Lanao del Sur Province which has the highest poverty incidence in the country at 74.3%.

Butig is now being claimed by ISIS-inspired Philippine Extremist Groups like the Abu Sayyaf and the Maute Group as the de facto capital of the Islamic Caliphate in the country.

Fighting between the Extremist Groups believed to be now under a foreign terrorist named Isnilon Hapilon of the Abu Sayyaf virtually destroyed the town.

During my official visit to the town on Feb. 9 accompanied five officials of the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (DAF), including Undersecretary Eduardo Gongona, and two security officers, I inspected the agricultural area of the town.

I was impressed by the potentials of the town for food production are it has about 3,000 hectares of rice lands of which only about 1,000 is irrigated, and almost 2,000 hectares of corn fields.

During the forum with local officials led by Mayor Dimantang Pansar, I committed the support of the DAF Central Office to the agricultural rehabilitation of the town.

Among the commitments I made were:

1. The training of farm technicians and farmer leaders in modern rice farming in the PhilRice Center in Muñoz, Nueva Ecija;
2. The delivery of 3,000 bags of hybrid rice seeds and 1,750 bags of white OPV corn seeds;
3. Two 100-HP farm tractors for the corn farmers, four units of 45HP tractors for the rice fields, five rice power tillers, two units of rice harvesters, two units of corn harvesters and a rice processing facility complete with packaging equipment;
4. Marketing assistance for their products.

The whole project, however, was almost jeopardized when after the trip, the female engineer who was in the team with me complained that she was improperly touched in the behind by two members of the municipal council of Butig while she was taking pictures during the visit.

The incident angered me and I publicly demanded an apology from the two councilors involved.

The two councilors issued a lame excuse that the "touching" was not intentional and offered a public apology.

While my female staff was not happy with the lame excuse, I asked her to let the incident pass and take into consideration the greater mission that the DAF is involved with which is to lift the people of Butig and Lanao del Sur out of poverty.

When the training of the farmers is completed, the DAF will start of the rehabilitation of the irrigation system in Butig and the delivery of the corn seeds and farm tractors.

After the harvest of the rice crops of the farmers now which are still in the vegetative stage, the DAF will start delivering the farm equipment and the rice seeds.

I have also directed Undersecretary Gongona, who heads the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) to start seeding the lakes of Butig and the huge Lake Lanao with Tilapia and Bangus fingerlings to make food available to the residents as part of our anti-poverty effots.

Fiberglass fishing boats will also be given out to fishermen in the lakes.