Adolfo Bravo, 51, of Tabuk City was inaugurated as Cordillera’s first Small Water Irrigation Systems Association (SWISA) president to aggressively push for the wider coordination and cooperation of the association to support the vision of the Department of Agriculture for food sufficiency and sustainable agriculture in the country on April 10 at Baguio City during the Regional SWISA Convention.
Bravo said that being the first president he asks the members of SWISA for regular meetings in order to assess each other’s performance and see the gaps and holes of the association in order to come up with appropriate remedial measures. Another move is the attendance to trainings, seminars and workshops to further build up their knowledge.
He added that considering there are a lot of participants in the said event manifests that members in every province are really interested in reviving the association in the region.
Bravo garnered 50% votes of the election board consisting of the SWISA president per province, including himself. Pedro Dulawan from Ifugao was elected as the vice president; Anita Madarang (Benguet) as secretary; Janette Luya (MP)’ treasurer; Rolly Alliang ( Apayao), auditor; and, Mario Turqueza (Abra), PRO.
While Blesida Concepcion, SWISA Luzon cluster coordinator, clamored that within the five years that SWISA has been operating, the region remained inactive during national meetings and trainings. Thus, she challenges the new president to have the will and passion to take responsibility of his title that even without pay, he should be willing to sacrifice his time and effort for the unification of all members in each province. “Ako ay positibo na muling babangon ang CAR,” she added.
On the other hand, the convention was able to strengthen linkages among officers and members of SWISA all throughout the region as it intends to provide an avenue for participants to discuss issues and concerns, share and acquire knowledge and skills that will further enhance their connections. Also, officers and members were updated with new projects and programs and their implementation with the department’s interventions and the Philippine Crop Insurance Council.**JMD
