Honorio Clemencia from Brgy. Balong, Tabuk City is the region’s nominee for the national level search for Integrated Rice Based Farming System along with four prospects from other regions of the country.
The award is given by the Department of Agriculture to recognize outstanding farmers who have exemplified excellence in rice based farming using new technologies.
Clemencia who was extolled on June 29, 2018 at Baguio City during the regional awarding ceremony received P50,000.00 cash incentive and a plaque of recognition.
In an interview, Clemencia, who started farming since 1997 narrated that his integrated farm is a big help in supporting the educational needs of his five children; three of them have already finished college and are now working.
Like a typical story of a farm family, Clemencia was forced to stop schooling after high school because of financial predicaments. Now 60, he still considers himself lucky for having a dutiful wife who helps him in the farm where they derive their income.
Now his third time in the national competition, Clemencia also emphasized that some of his innovations in winning the national accolade include production and use of organic fertilizer; local and regional trainings attended; a tree planting project initiated; fruit bearing trees and seedling production; sloping agricultural land technology and a sustained profit.
Having flourished due to farm techniques he learned from his father, Clemencia also raises pig and duck, maintains a fish pond and owns a two-acre mango plantation planted with other fruit varieties like lanzones, Philippine lime and rambutan.
Also the president of Burayukan Pagrang-ayan Movement Inc., a people’s organization hailed as being the best implementer of an 87-acre Community Based Forest Management by the Department of Environment and National Resources-CAR in 2017, Clemencia revealed that if he wins, he will spend his cash prize by constructing a small water impounding system to improve his integrated farm.
Clemencia’s integrated farm was also accredited as a learning center in 2017 by the Agricultural Training Institute-CAR and in 2016 by the Technical Education Skills and Development Authority (TESDA) for Agricultural Crop Production-National Certificate II.
With 21 students for the second batch deployed in his farm for a 360-hour training, including Agriculture graduates from the Kalinga State University, Clemencia teaches and supervises them on mushroom production, planting legumes, grafting seedlings and plants and other agricultural activities.
The panel of national validators include Chairman Dr. Manuel Jose Regalado of the Philippine Rice (Phil Rice); Dr. Henry Carpiso, chief of National Seed Quality Control Services Division (NSQCSD) ; Rosemarie Dulla, Agricultural Training Institute (ATI)- Department of Agriculture (DA) Central Office; Rosalina dela Cruz, National Irrigation Administration Central Office; Rizal Corales of (Phil Rice); Samuel Contreras of the Bureau of Soils and Water Management; Don David Julian, Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (Philmech); and Krizia Mae Palma, also of the (DA) Central Office.
The criteria in selecting this year’s national winner are 50% farm (should not be less than one hectare integrated and diversified rice-based farm); 35% farmer (application of new strategies and modern technologies in farming); and 15% social contribution (ability to share knowledge to fellow farmers).
Other nominees are James Longcob of Lala, Lanao del Norte; Rizal, Cagayan resident Leomar Acldy Jr.; Romeo Ganiron of Batac, Ilocos Norte; and Fidel Patricio Sr. of Sto. Domingo, Nueva Ecija.
Regalado revealed that the national winner shall receive P250,000.00 cash and a plaque of recognition. Earning at least 90% average from the initial deliberation and validation, the 11 national nominees were shortlisted to five before deciding the top three entries to select the national winner.
Validation of the five national entries will end on August 10. Deliberation and presentation of top three national finalists shall likewise be held before the national awarding ceremony to be announced soon.
City Agriculturist Julibert Aquino is hopeful that Clemencia wins in the national level next to Engr. Theodoro Kub-ao from Brgy. Bulo, this City who bagged the national award in 2012.** Darwin S. Serion/Tabuk City Information Office
