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coolblog2stuff-blog · 6 years ago

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The way to Ephrathah: Story of Ed Cañuto

It was a Friday afternoon when the CPU Agrifair 2017 team left Barangay Sariri in Badiangan, Iloilo. Earlier, the team walked through a beautiful landscape of Ephrathah Farms. It is a sprawling 7 hectare farm that surrounds an inland resort, rolling hills, and magnificent natural scenery.

Eddie Cañuto considers God as the owner of this land and himself as only the steward.

Cañuto is a Centralian Engineer who became very successful in farming. His farm includes a greenhouse for vegetables, an area for aquaculture, a mini-zoo, and a papaya plantation. He also has a plantation for sweet “pitahaya,” otherwise known as dragon fruit.

Earlier, Cañuto invited the team at the resort’s pavilion. He offered native coffee and shared interesting stories about Ephrathah Farms. Asked why he named the farm Ephrathah, Cañuto said that it is the old name of Bethlehem, and it means “fruitful.”

Ephrathah Farms was realized through patience and hard work. It took Cañuto 35 years to realize his “agri-tourism farm,” making it a popular tourist destination, not only in Western Visayas, but also in the country. Ephrathah is visited by thousands of tourists every year, not only for the luxurious resort within the farm, but for the abundant organic fruits and vegetable grown and managed by Engr. Cañuto.

‘Ed’ was a work student assistant at the CPU library and engineering laboratories from 1966-1969, and in 1969-1970, respectively. He finished his Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering at Central Philippine University in 1971. He ranked 7th place in the Philippine Board Examination for Civil Engineers in 1972. He then took up Master in Construction Management at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines in Manila. He finished his Master’s degree in 1980.

After his retirement from professional work, Ed returned to their farm in Badiangan with his wife. Inspired by the biblical promise of God in Micah 5:2, he worked hard and developed Ephrathah Farms. He expanded the business by building an inland resort within the productive farm.

Not only was he rewarded by God for his dedication, he was doubly compensated for his selfless efforts to help the local farmers. Ed recalled that his friends in the barangay admitted that without him, they would not be able to earn much from their farms. With his success in farming, Ed shares his knowledge and management skills to the people needing technical and financial assistance for their own farms.

In his keynote speech during the opening program of CPU-DA Agrifair 2017 in CPU on November 21, 2017, Ed emphasized that “there is money in agriculture.” He encouraged everyone to invest in agriculture, saying that there is a big local consumer demand for organic fruits and vegetables, particularly in Iloilo where local producers supply only 15% of the demand for vegetables. Ephrathah Farms is one of these producers, supplying big volumes of fruits and vegetables to SM Supermarkets.

Ed has also served in various capacities, such as a consultant for some corporations and as president, vice president, and general manager for different businesses in Metro Manila. He was a member of Central Philippine University, Corporation from 2010-2012, and a member of the CPU Board of Trustees from 2016 up to the present. He is also a lecturer on many different topics in different symposia in the Philippines and abroad.

Behind this success, however, is his unfailing devotion to and enduring faith in God. He has a wide range of involvement in the Christian ministry as church administrator, national president, international trustee and member of Gideons International—an association of Christian business and professional men in 200 countries.

Engr. Eddie P. Cañuto is married to Rosalinda Velado Cañuto, also a Centralian, with three children who are now professionals: Ed Roderick, Ainah Rose, and Jonathan Ed. The three children have specific responsibilities in the farm and resort. Two of their three grandchildren are studying at the CPU Elementary School. The whole family now resides at the Ephrathah Farm.

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