kristheldalanon

[kristheldalanon]

The Struggle behind every Grain

“Mas magayon na passion mo talaga ang pagfafarming.”

In a world of engineers, doctors, lawyers, and other professionals, the Philippines have forgotten the ones who put rice on our tables, who are working hard endlessly to put our country on the map in terms of rice production. They are the so-called farmers, the forgotten farmers.

Mr. Norberto Nore Ortile, 53, a farmer of San Isidro, Irosin and the Director of SORECO I – Irosin District of Electric Cooperative narrates his struggle as a farmer.

Even though he graduated from Bicol College with a degree in Bachelor of Secondary Education, he still pursued farming even before having his own family.

“Mas magayon magfarming ning vegetable kung icocompare mo siya sa paroy, lalo na ngunyan na mas dakulaon ang epekto kang rice tariffication law na buminagsak ang price kang paroy. Ang barakalan ngunyan sa Irosin nasa P13.50 ang per kilo,” he said when asked about how difficult it was for him to continue farming given the everyday problems that they are experiencing.

The Struggles

Renting almost three hectares of land which was being divided into one hectare for the vegetables and the other two for the rice grains, Mr. Ortile has been using intercropping which is a technique of changing the crops or vegetables depending on the season to be able to recover from the losses.

One of the huge factors that affects farming may it be vegetables or rice grain is the weather, especially during the times that there are typhoons.

He also discussed that financial stability is a dominating factor in farming, without having enough capital, a lot of farmers are resorting to borrowing money from their neighbors or from the bank. But their struggles are not just ending there, during harvest, the prices of these commodities are on its lowest, leaving the farmers with no choice, but to sell their products with that condition. And this cycle has been repeating endlessly.

Rice Tarrification Law

Being a farmer in the Philippines is one of the hardest jobs, Mr. Ortile states on how the new law affects small farmers like him.

“Ang batas kang rice tariffication magayunon kuta kasi ang purpose kang gobyerno is makatabang sa mga farmers. Ang problema lang ang implementation kung gaano kasigurado na makakaabot duman sa mga farmer, kasi sabi ninda ang tax na makokolekta, ipapagibong mga irrigation dam, mga water system or mga kagamitan. Pero ako personally, ang hiling ko, basi ang piso maging salapi na sana ang makakaabot o baka kulang pa.”

The biggest problem that they are facing right now is the implementation of Rice Tarrification Law on the country. Farmers like Mr. Ortile have doubts if this will really help them in making their lives easier or will just add up to the piling struggles that they already had.

It is very ironic that in the country where one of its provinces is called the rice granary of world, here comes the farmers like Mr. Ortile who has been suffering and having problems in spite the fact that they’ve been working hard in order to provide the necessities of their families.

Farming as a Passion

“Mas magayon na passion mo talaga ang pagfafarming. Siguraduhon mong passion mo talaga siya para mahalon mo man ang trabaho mo tapos tratuhon mo siya as a business,” he stated when asked about how motivated he is in continuing farming.

With all the struggles that they’ve been experiencing, and the idea that not all Filipinos are appreciating what work they have nor the government is doing enough for their benefits, Mr. Ortile is a living testament that even without enough profit or compensation, farming is still his best option as a source of money as well as in life. He firmly believes, that loving what you do is more than enough in making everything works, in his case, farming.

“Sana dakul pa man din ang mga young farmers na magfarm kasi kung wara na ki farmers, wara na ki kakanon ang mga Pilipino,” that was one of his parting words when asked about an advice for the younger generation.

Today, he has been managing a humble sunflower farm-slash-garden called Green Thumb which became one of the tourist destinations in Irosin. This becomes his family’s main source of income and the reason why he was able to send his children to college.

In a world of engineers, doctors, lawyers, and other professionals, here comes the farmers who put rice on our tables, who are working hard endlessly to put our country on the map in terms of rice production. They are today’s hero, they are the Filipino farmers.

[kristheldalanon]

CHED opens application for AY 2020-2021

Commission on Higher Education (CHED) announces its new application period and policies last January 15 for the aspiring students who are planning to be part of the new breed of scholars.

Salvador M. Mediavillo, Chief Administrative Officer V said that there was some changes especially in the type of scholarships and the amount that is going to be distributed to the new scholars.

“It was renamed into CHED Scholarship Program or CSP and it is composed of full merit, half merit, Private Education Student Financial Assistance (PESFA) and Tulong Dunong. PESFA, ito yung nasa private school. Yung full merit, half merit pwede sa public, puwede din sa private,” Mediavillo answered when asked about the difference between all the scholarships that the CHED is offering.

From the P15,000 that the full merit scholars are receiving every semester, it increased to almost P30,000 per semester.

“P20,000 is for the allowance ‘yung P10,000 is for tuition fee. Tumaas kasi previously P15,000 doon sa full merit, sa half merit P7,500 then doon sa PESFA P7,500 din. Ngayon pinarehas na sa UNIFAST sa TES,” he added.

These new regulations are for the new applicants only; scholars who apply prior to the new rules are entitled to the previous policies and amount given by CHED.

Though there are no exact numbers on the applicants, Mediavillo stated that there are priority courses that the CHED listed and these are categorize into Science, Technology, Engineering, and Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.

He also mentioned that the application period will run from March to May and this was patterned due to the changes brought by the new academic calendar.

The students who are planning to apply may bring the following requirements, certified photocopy of form 137, certificate of good moral character, certificate of indigency from the barangay or income tax return from BIR if the parents are employed.

[kristheldalanon]

Nasaan ang Alaala?

Naalala mo pa ba ‘yung tunay na mga halakhak? ‘Yung walang limitasyon at bahid ng pamumulitika? Tila ba wala na, sapagkat bawat kilos dapat may pruweba. Kailan tayo babalik sa simpleng pag-uusap at hagalpak na mga tawa?

Kahit saan ka pumunta, hawak nila ang maliit na kwadrado na tila ba nagdidikta ng buhay nila May kasama man o wala, nasa ibang dimensiyon pala sila Pilit kang pinapaniwala na ang atensiyon nila’y nakalaan... Nakakatakot dahil kayang mangusap ng kanilang mga mata at paniwalain ka.

Ito na ba ang kapalit nang kasalukuyang panahon? Ito na ba ang sakripisyo na kailangan upang tayo ay maging maligaya? Bakit parang kulang? Bakit parang hindi totoo? Bakit parang hindi natin maramdaman? Nasaan na? Pilit kong hinahanap pero bakit hindi ko masilayan?

Sana maaari pang bumalik sa nakaraan Sana maaari pang balikan ang mga alaala na hindi nakadepende sa kuha ng kamera Sana maaari pang mag-usap nang nakikita ang mga sigla sa mata Sana hindi pa huli ang lahat upang makita nang iba ang totoong kahulugan ng saya.

[kristheldalanon]

Deathline

Are you tired of waiting for the jeepney? Did you already count how many times you tried to entertain yourself just because of traffic? Did you find a new friend in the line while waiting for your turn in the enrollment? In short, are you tired of waiting in the lone or for your turn in life?

No matter how old or young you are, you’ve already experienced waiting in different aspects or situations. It is the most tiring word that was created – waiting. Waiting for the semester to end, waiting for all the problems to be solved, waiting for a phone call from a family member or from the company that you applied for, waiting to be appreciated, waiting for the board exam results, and for the justice that everyone deserves. Well, who would like to exert time and effort to something or someone who will never reciprocate it?

Isn’t is so hard to have a crush or to like someone but not getting the same feeling in return?

It is like waiting for a plot twist at the end of the semester, waiting for your crush to notice you, to add you on social media sites and have conversation but unfortunately, not everyone is lucky to have the year-end gift or starter pack for the new year that they’ve been waiting for.

Have you ever wondered how were the families are all doing after years of waiting for the justice that their loved ones are longing because of the unjustifiable killings? 

The justice system in the country has its long way in terms of progress, it still takes couple of years for a case to be sentenced while consuming someone’s resources. They are waiting all their lives just to achieve the justice that they deserved, and giving their loved ones the peace that they’ve been looking for.

Did you even ask if how hard for those activists to wait and rally in front of the government offices just to get an answer or even a respond from the officials in relation to the issues they are raising?

They do not care about what kind of weather condition there is or how many policemen are in the barricades guarding their posts, they do not mind eating or sleeping in the streets just to show their dedication and seriousness about the societal issues that our country are facing. But answers nowadays are difficult to find and instead of peace talks or meetings, riots and chaos are the things that we see in the news headlines. These becomes the dinner of every Filipino family, how the people strive in combating societal issues in the Philippines by voicing it out publicly.

The headlines of every news program shows how a student fight for their rights, how they learned to walk under the scorching heat of the sun just to let out their sentiments, how families mourn the dead bodies of their children as the police officers recover it in the crime scene and how they demand the government to act for the justice to be serve, or how the Filipino people all wait for their line – the death line to be the next main character of their own story.

So, if you are tired of waiting for the jeepney, keep in mind that others are just walking to reach their destinations. If you don’t know what to do with the traffic problems, keep in mind that others are staying calm despite the fact that some of them are experiencing life and death situations. If you already find a friend while waiting for your turn, keep in mind that friendship starts in the most unexpected ways. 

In short, if you are tired to be at the death line, do not forget that the best storyline happens when a person learns how to wait while working in progress to achieve the plot twist that they truly deserve.