The Wizard Of Os @

Saw this one today, 27 February 2020, on Facebook: “Nurturing Ani At Kita” it says on the bulletin board. This is derived from the Department of Agriculture, DA’s slogan “Masaganang Ani At Mataas Na Kita” ( Bountiful Harvests And Bounteous Income , my translation). Here are early 2 Facebook comments: Robert Domoguen: “Nurturing… and sustainable development. Great theme, Sir. Ravindra Joshi: “The focus is crystal clear and targets bulls-eyed. Philippine Agriculture is now starting to make great (strides) under Secretary Dr William Dar’s leadership. Key is everyone needs to be fully (engaged) and be passionate. Congratulations to the DA Team.” With/out meaning to, Secretary of Agriculture William Dar/Manong Willie has proclaimed a new symbol for the emergence of a vibrant PH Agriculture under his headship at the Department of Agriculture, DA: “Nurturing Ani At Kita” – literally, Nurturing Yield & Income . This comes from the slogan for Manong Willie’s ““New Think

I see the new PH Agriculture under the leadership of Secretary of Agriculture William Dar/Manong Willie as the biggest challenge to Philippine journalism – many-layered, complicated. Simplifying: If farming is growing food, journalism is growing ideas in a fertile mind! I thank God I’m running 80. Now, how could I have been blogging about PH Agriculture every single day since the middle of last year when I am essentially a work-at-homer? “There is no unfertile soil with a fertile mind.” How do I cultivate my mind to stay fertile? Easy – I read. And read. And read. So I can be Good, Better, Best! (Above, superimposed image of some books to read/review in my bedroom-workroom.) In this digital age, as a journalist you must always collect enough background materials; save your files, then read them. Read, not memorize. (In Microsoft Word , turn on Track Changes – click Review, Track Changes – and write down your thoughts as you read. You go back to them when you

IMOD. William Dar/Manong Willie as head of the Department of Agriculture, DA, avidly leads his “New Thinking for Agriculture” where an embedded ideal is Inclusive Market-Oriented Development, IMOD. If you want farmers to rise from poverty and stay up there, you must do the IMOD.  IMOD as the ideal for local & national growth was developed at ICRISAT, based in India, when Manong Willie was Director General, from January 2000 to December 2014, 15 years – IMOD as ideal became real. So, if you want your farmers to be blessed with “Masaganang Ani, Mataas na Kita” ( Bounteous Harvest, Bountiful Income , my translation), the current mantra of the DA , you must do the IMOD. With IMOD, the development is real – distributed to everyone, especially the poor farmers. IMOD as ideal: “Find the ideal in something not ideal” – Robert Denning [1] . As a farmer, is it ideal to think rich? You have to think rich; you also have think real. Now, let’s consider Eva Visperas’ 09 Januar

For PH Agriculture, nobody is asking for my advice, so I’m giving it! Go Native, Go Nature – Go Na! And: Yes to Export – No to Import! Here are 2 major losses in PH Agriculture today – mango to “kurikong” and pig to African Swine Fever, ASF. Mango: I can’t find data for export losses, but it has been reported that “kurikong” can cause 70 to 100% loss in yield [1] – that translates to your loss in export. Here is indirect data: Gabriel Cardinoza reports in Inquirer.net (17 March 2018) that Lito Arenas, former President of the Federation of Mango Growers & Handlers Association of Pangasinan, and others visited Guangzhou City in China and “were surprised there were no Philippine mangoes being sold there.” That translates to zero export. Pig: “There are opportunity losses for the hog industry estimated at about P 1 billion ($19.5 million) a month,” Noel Reyes, spokesman for the Department of Agriculture, DA, is quoted as saying [2] . Huge! For swine, go n

Sometimes, we do not know how to take good care of the one we love, whether family, or friend – or fruit! One reported problematic fruit is mango, Mangifera indica ; one reported problematic province is Pangasinan, where I was born, and whose mango I believe is the sweetest in the Philippines. The unripe fruits are being infested on the trees by the cecid fly , which looks like a mosquito, and which causes those galls or swelling tissues on the skin, those black splotches on the green. (Main image from ABS-CBN News [1] ) In Quezon City, concerned with the gall problem, locally called kurikong , during the First Luzon Mango Congress held 20 February 2020 at the Bureau of Soils and Water Management, according to the press release “DA To Help Mango Farmers Solve ‘Kurikong,’ Increase Production And Exports” from the Department of Agriculture, DA, Secretary of Agriculture William Dar/Manong Willie said: Together, let us harness the power of science and technology to pro-activ

Note the crosses behind the exotic pig: Death to the swine industry!? I am looking at what Jasper Y Arcalas of Business Mirror sees: “PHL Winning Battle Vs Swine Fever But May Lose The War [1] ” (20 February 2020). He means we may defeat the ASF, simultaneously bring down with it the swine industry. (Main image above accompanies his article) I will now look at the situation as the Wizard of Os. This: Applying my 5 Os, using Mr Arcalas’ eyes, I see: Mr Arcalas’ Obstacles – ASF spreading, killing thousands of pigs. Swine raisers and pork dealers taking advantage of a bad situation for their own good. Everywhere. Mr Arcalas’ Opportunities – Save the uninfected; contain the spread of ASF. Mr Arcalas’ Options – Business as usual if successful; goodbye swine industry if unsuccessful. Mr Arcalas’ Outputs – Healthy pigs or uninfected saved. Some money collected from government for all pigs depopulated. Mr Arcalas’ Outcomes – If national campaign against

You are looking at The Bridge to Prosperity found in Asingan, Pangasinan – Ilocano-wise.  How do you like it: That your Secretary of Agriculture, William Dar/Manong Willie, is an agriculturist and Ilocano? That your science writer, Frank A Hilario, is an agriculturist and Ilocano? That the Ilocanos are known to be industrious and frugal? I love it! Except: We Ilocanos are not frugal in farming. We Ilocanos have to be taught what we already know! To do that, for my hometown of Asingan, Pangasinan, I have been thinking of an agri-tourism program with our Nagkaisa Multipurpose Cooperative’s 4.2 hectares of land down the Sinapog Bridge (beautiful scene above). Under the bridge, Nagkaisa has authority over those hectares. The other day, I discussed with Nagkaisa Chair Roger Daranciang my proposal for a “Farmer-Friendly Agriculture, Ilocano-Wise” techno-demo program involving Asingan’s 21 barangays. When you find the formula for prosperity, please multiply it! Not

Rene E Ofreneo writes “Dar’s ‘Leveling Up’ Vision: Will It Work?” in the 20 February 2020 issue of Business Mirror , a total of 1,032 words including title [1] . And it’s not pleasant. I am The Wizard Of Os, yes? I can see Manong Rene: Sees the Obstacles Sees Not the Opportunities Sees Not the Options Sees Not the Outputs Sees Not the Outcomes! How did my favorite British wit Oscar Wilde put it again? Between the optimist and the pessimist The difference is droll. The optimist sees the doughnut, The pessimist the hole! With that column at the Business Mirror, it turns out Manong Willie is the Optimist and Manong Rene is the Pessimist! When William Dar/Manong Willie became PH Secretary of Agriculture, he came out with his “New Thinking for Agriculture” with “The Eight Paradigms” to give it flesh – all for “leveling up” PH agriculture. Manong Rene says: (William) Dar blames the terrible collapse of agriculture to the failure of the average Filipino

Are we in the Digital Age or not? Towards the end of last month, Roi Anthoni Lomotan tells us that Secretary of Agriculture William Dar/Manong Willie discussed the Department of Agriculture, DA’s program to attract the youth to engage themselves in the business of farming. Indeed, the DA has 3 programs for them: Agribusiness Incubation ; Kapital Access for Young Agripreneurs , KAYA; and the Agrinegosyo Loan Program – setting aside P 2.5 Billion meant to be cash grants. Now, the news Mr Lomotan reported happened last month yet, during a forum held at the Negros Oriental Convention Center on 28 January 2020 (PIA [1] ); his report is dated 11 February 2020, or 2 weeks late! In these digital times, I can only explain this news delay as lack of interest. Kaya; kaya lang, hindi kinaya. Has the ability, but sorry, did not bother. From his Facebook page, I learn that Mr Lomotan is a young man. The above tells me that the youth have not sensed by themselves the Opportunities i