Mindanao Could Feed The Whole Philippines! (Last of 3-Parts)

Mindanao Could Feed
The Whole Philippines!
(Last of 3-Parts)
It was a short 26 months that I served as Chairman of the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) after moving to the small regional agency following my resignation as Agriculture Secretary.
But in that short period, I traveled to parts of the Southern Philippines where not very many officials had gone to in an attempt to fully discover the potentials of Mindanao.
I even spent a night in the uninhabited island of Baguan, which is part of the Turtle Islands Group just a few nautical miles from Sabah, to look into the program of government to protect the breeding ground of the giant Green Sea Turtles.
It was then when I realized that if fully developed, Mindanao could actually feed the whole country and even export many of agricultural products.
My stint with MinDA, however, seemed just like a blink of an eye because in October 2021, I responded to the call of farmers groups and launched an unsuccessful attempt to represent them in the Senate.
Looking back, however, as Chairman, Mindanao Development Authority from Aug. 2019 to Oct. 2021, I implemented trailblazing programs at least three of which were institutionalized.
Here is the list of programs which I implemented as MinDA Chairman:
1) Strengthened the IMMTASULA Alliance involving the towns of Impasugong, Malaybalay, Talakag, Sumilao and Lantapan to boost vegetable production with the Search for Outstanding Vegetable Farmers;
2) Designed and implemented the Mindanao Water Program which aimed to facilitate the establishment of Water Systems in the villages of Mindanao;
3) Designed the Mindanao Corn Grains Development Program which engaged LGUs in establishing Corn Storage Facilities with financing from the Development Bank of the Philippines;
4) Designed and assisted the Municipality of Taraka, Lanao del Sur in establishing an Economic Enterprise Office to start livelihood programs for the residents of the town and establish Solar-Powered Water Systems for Irrigation and for Household Use;
5) Organized the Mindanao Bamboo Industry Development Council to develop Mindanao’s Bamboo Sector with the aim of accessing the World Market by supplying engineered Bamboo products;
6) Assisted several Coastal LGUs in establishing Fish Drying Facilities including the organization of the OLTAMA Alliance in Zmaobnaga Sibugay which focused on the development the towns of Olutanga, Talusan and Mabuhay;
7) Designed the Halal Beef Production Program which was presented to the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao for adoption;
8. Designed and implemented the Upland Rice Farming Program for the Indigenous Communities of Mindanao using a new hybrid Rice variety.
Following the unsuccessful Senate run, I went back to farming but even in my private capacity, the advocacy to develop Mindanao’s Agriculture was pursued with the introduction of new products like Sorghum, Soybeans, Bulb Onion and Cattle, Goat and Sheep Raising.
This proved that my advocacies in Agriculture were not skin-deep but causes which formed the core of who I am as a public servant and farmer.
#DeepLoveOfCountry!