As Davao del Norte basks in its glory of being adjudged as this year’s regional champion of the Gawad Saka awards, the province is now training its guns on becoming a hall of famer.
Gov. Rodolfo del Rosario bared this as the province won the regional tilt, for the second time, clinching 11 of the 18 regional Gawad Saka awards.
But, he said the province is expected to work harder to be able to bag the championship next year and receive the hall of fame award.
“Hopefully, we will again win next year so we will become the Hall of Famer in the region,” he said, after receiving the championship recognition during the Regional Gawad Saka awarding ceremony at the Grand Regal Hotel, Davao City on Friday.
Gov. del Rosario acknowledged the generous help of the Department of Agriculture to Davao del Norte’s food security program.
He said with DA’s help, the province was able to provide funding, technical assistance, trainings and other quality support mechanisms that enable the farmers in the province to excel in the thrust of improving agricultural productivity.
He also recognized the crucial partnership of empowered farm-based organizations, highly-skilled farmer individuals and families, as well as government agencies and non-government and people’s organizations in agricultural development.
“Our objective is to be self-sufficient in food and we are trying to educate our farmers to become global in their farming strategy,” he said.
The 11 farm individuals and organizations who won in this year’s regional Gawad Saka competition include: Rodrigo Cabico, San Vicente, Asuncion – High Value Crops Farmer Adopting Integrated Farming System; Joel Bayanay sa New Visayas, Sto. Tomas – Small Animal Raiser; Aundanao RIC, Aundanao, Samal, IGACOS – Outstanding Rural Improvement Club; Noel Dura, Cogon, Babak, IGACOS Outstanding Young Farmer Adopting IFS; Mr & Mrs. Paulono Laab, Jr., Katipunan, Kapalong – Outstanding Farm Family; Panabo City City Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Management Council – Outstanding FARMC; Davao Multi Purpose Seed Producers Cooperative (DAMSEPCO); Visayan Village, Tagum City – Outstanding Small Farmers Organization/Cooperative; Waling-waling 4th Club, Cogon, Babak, IGACOS – Outstanding Young Farmers Organization Club; Rodham Cacho, Fish Culture; Arsenia Casuga, Catagman, Samal, IGACOS, Outstanding Rural Women – Gender and Development (GAD); Barangay Aumbay Bagsakan Center, Aumbay, Samal.
Making this year’s competition more exciting is the inclusion of Cabico, who already won a national Gawad Saka award in 2005 for the Small Animal Raiser Category.
The Gawad Saka was institutionalized in the late 1990s as a joint undertaking of the DA, LGUs and agriculture and fisheries councils to recognize the best efforts shown by farmers and fisherfolks in raising agricultural production.
Under the leadership of Gov. del Rosario, Davao del Norte has already produced six National Gawad Saka Awardees.
Davao del Norte contributed the most number of Gawad Saka awards for Region XI during the National Gawad Saka competition in 2006, receiving four awards and a citation.
Last year, Ireneo Espartero and family of B.E. Dujali town got the Outstanding Farmer/Fisherfolk Family in the national search, bringing home P120,000 cash award, a Presidential Citation and a Trophy.
Gov. del Rosario assured to give priority to the agriculture and fishery sector, as he refocuses his programs on education, health and livelihood and employment opportunities for the next three years.
