Frank A Hilario "A New Beginning"
07 October 2025
01 December 2021
Double The Aggie Budget, Leni Robredo Promises. What About PH Visionary Leadership?
I am
reading Mara Cepeda’s Rappler news report, “Robredo To Give At Least P116 Billion For Agriculture If She Wins In 2022[1]” (29 Nov 2021):
If Vice President Leni Robredo becomes the next
Philippine President, she plans to allot at least P116 billion for agriculture on her first year, more than double…
what President Rodrigo Duterte’s government gave the pandemic-hit sector in
2021.
Repeat: “More than double” what PRRD has given to
Agriculture this year. Very Good! I say. But not good enough, as I will explain
in a little while.
To be fair, Leni does point out that the Department of
Agriculture (DA) had requested a total budget of P284.4 Billion for 2021; but what was approved was only P68.6 Billion, not even half of the
request. I say our legislators do not
give much value to PH Agriculture, while our Vice President is playing her
guts, coming from the boondocks, which she terms “laylayan ng lipunan” (fringes
of society). She sympathizes; she empathizes.
Leni’s Big Budget for DA will go into “funding more climate-resilient crops that
farmers can (grow) in their provinces.” As an agriculturist and a warrior
writer & blogger for climate change in the last 21 years, I say focusing on
“climate-resilient crops” is a very intelligent choice. I must say Leni has in
her team a good mind or two thinking agriculture for development!
Now then,
she talks about the distribution of that budget (from hereon, I am translating
her freely):
When we say it’s justified, where are the
opportunities? Which ones are the most resilient subsectors of agriculture? Where
there are those opportunities, we should give more, we must give bigger
allotments.
Now she’s
talking much sense! “Where are the opportunities?” Naturally, she equates the
opportunities with the climate-change resilient sectors of Agriculture. What
did school dropout-turned-billionaire-Virgin-Group-owner British Richard Branson say about solving
problems? “Don't See Obstacles, See Opportunities[2].”
We have not been giving more focus to budgeting
for the more climate-resilient crops, as far as agriculture is concerned.
Because we are always taking into consideration the per-province basis, what
are the climate conditions there? What are the types of soils there? What
should be the budget for the more climate-resilient crops, we must look into
that.
Ms Mara says,
“The Vice President then pointed out the need to fund more climate-friendly
crops (that) farmers can harvest (more from), depending on conditions in their
provinces.” Yes, Ma’am, your Total Agriculture budget must be farmer-friendly,
and the crops cultivated pocket-friendly!
Nonetheless,
as an agriculturist, I declare that even with that Agriculture Budget trebled to P348 Billion, I am not yet convinced to vote for her as President! Why?
First
& above all, I must know where she is coming from, what is her Vision for the whole Philippines – her
Guide for her Leadership, a near-future Philippines
we can all be excited about? A leader without Vision has only Ambition!@517
[1]https://www.rappler.com/nation/elections/robredo-to-give-billions-agriculture-if-she-wins-2022-polls?utm_term=Autofeed&utm_campaign=Echobox&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwAR1zN5Ezc6RldxF8fsYpMRBAMOAKZzz7oN8jAYiJNU4KsSiR7bGQFVF-e-8#Echobox=1638158327
[2]https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/richard-branson/richard-branson-business-advice_b_1931712.html
30 November 2021
Bonifacio As Hero Exaggerated By Agoncillo. (Never Mind, Let’s Invent Our Own Big-Little Hero!)
Sorry to disappoint you, whoever you are, FBI or not, but
Andres Bonifacio is not much of the hero
that historian Teodoro A Agoncillo
portrayed him to be!
I knew that 24 years
ago yet. How did I remember all that? I bragged & blogged about it, 28
Dec 2007, “Inventing A Hero. Each Of Us Looking Through The Mirror Of Everyday[1]” (A Magazine Called Love, Blogspot.com). This is part of what I
wrote:
(book cover image[2] from amazon.com)
I final-edited the
book by Glenn May published in
1997 by New Day (Quezon City,
Philippines): Inventing A Hero.
The subtitle tells you enough of its contents: The Posthumous Re-Creation Of Andres Bonifacio. The author casts
doubts on much of the bits and pieces of information we know of Bonifacio, the
second most popular national hero of the Philippines, by questioning the
integrity of the sources, both persons and papers. The historian in Glenn May
makes a very good case in putting to doubt the historian in Teodoro Agoncillo in his account of
Bonifacio, his hero. Bonifacio was a hero, May says; one must not doubt… it;
but an erudite one? Bonifacio’s intellectual genius has not been established.
One must not think about it.
30 November 2021 is the 158th birthday of this
Filipino hero; he founded the society called Kataastaasan,
Kagalanggalangang Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan, or Katipunan, that which fought for and eventually
obtained the Philippines’ emancipation from Spain (but not from the United
States of America, which is another story). No doubt Bonifacio was a hero, but
we must deconstruct him from Agoncillo’s hero-making.
In my “Inventing A Hero” essay of 2007, I also said:
Rizal was a hero for
peace, Bonifacio was a hero for war. Peace for peace, war for peace. Rizal
stood for progress by way of reformation; Bonifacio stood for progress by way
of revolution. Do you advocate the Rizal hero or the Bonifacio hero? Will you
do a Rizal or a Bonifacio?
I’ll do neither. I
speak for myself – I wouldn’t think of dying for my country like Rizal did. And
I wouldn’t think of dying for my country like Bonifacio did either. In any
case, it’s too gory for me. I never liked the sight of blood, especially my
own.
Nonetheless, each of us can be a little hero. It’s simple –
and not so simple:
Love
more.
Give more.
Help more.
Contribute more.
Forgive more.
Be more considerate.
Be more gracious.
Be more gallant.
Be more kind.
Be more forgiving.
Each
one of us can be a little more heroic to our own family. A little more heroic to
our neighbors. A little more heroic to strangers. Then the world will turn into
a lovelier place because of more little heroes like us!@517
29 November 2021
Any Of PH Presidential Candidates Has Head Towards Heaven & Eyes Towards The People?
ANN says today, Sunday, 28 Nov 2021, a day of obligation for
Roman Catholics, “CBCP Releases Prayer For The 2022 Elections[1]” (Author Not Named, Rappler.com). ANN
counts 24 lines and I count 214 words total. Meaningfully, Angelic Numbers say
The… number 214
encourages you to regain control of your life. You may have lost your bearings
due to something unexpected, but this is not enough reason to completely lose
control of your life.
How prophetic is that!? Since the filing of candidacies by
those running for President in the 2022 elections, we Filipinos have been razzle-dazzled
by the 3 frontrunning presidential wannabes – Bongbong
Marcos (Ilocano), Isko Moreno (Tagalog),
and Leni Robredo (Bicolano) – that
is, Bongbong by parades of red
(people & vehicles), Leni by gatherings of people in pink & buildings glowing in that
color, and Isko by his presence in plentiful places to please people with
promises.
I am extremely glad that my church, through the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines
(CBCP), has released a prayer “for all Catholic churches in the Philippines to
recite ahead of the 2022 elections.” ANN says:
The prayer is 24 lines
long and calls for a fair and just election and (wishes) that "genuine
fear of God and love of neighbors" would guide officials who would be
elected. The prayer is seen to be recited by millions of Filipinos even at a
time when attendance to masses has been reduced under the pandemic.
I will now quote some parts of the prayer:
Leader:
Let us pray together:
Response:
Hear us, Lord
That conscience may always be our ultimate norm...
That the common good may always be our highest goal...
That human dignity may be respected all the time...
That the poor and the weak may always have the priority...
That care for creation may never be ignored...
That solidarity may guide the path of peace and development...
That genuine fear of God and love of neighbors may guide those who seek public
office...
The
CBCP prayer implies how the candidates are or should be behaving – I find that I must add to the qualifications what and how
the candidate should be thinking for the common good of the people when
s/he wins!
More than 2 months ago, I began writing in my blog Communication For Village Development (CoVID21) about
how we Filipinos can wisely choose our President; here are 4 of my essays:
08-10-2021 – “Filipinos, How You & I Can Choose Our President
In The 2022 Elections”
22-10-2021 – “Polls, Pulse, False: Presidency Is Not Popularity, It’s
Leadership”
14-11-2021 – “What Does Agriculture & Apolinario Mabini Have To Do With PH
Presidential Candidates?”
18-11-2021 – “Isko Moreno Shows The Way For The New Filipino – Including
Agriculture & Digital!”
What
did the world’s genius say about all that? “Science without religion is lame,
religion without science is blind” – Albert Einstein.@517
28 November 2021
PH Aggie Plan – Only Isko Moreno Is Thinking & Talking Somewhat About It!
(inset aggie images[1] from Aciar.gov.au)
Nobody has expressed any PH Vision in the next 25 years at
least – and I firmly believe: “Kung wala kang Bisyon, puro ka lang Ambisyon!” (“If
you have no Vision, you are only pure Ambition!”)
And: Only Isko Moreno is talking about agriculture, he who has risen from among garbage
food-seekers in Manila.
So he talks about a “Long-Term Plan Para Sa Agrikultura Ng
Bansa” on Facebook (“Long-Term Plan for the Country’s Agriculture” – my
translation) on 27 Nov 2021. He says:
Let us pursue a medium
and long-term plan and fund to boost the Philippines' agricultural sector.
Bigyan natin ng kapanatagan ang mga magsasaka at mangingisda. (“Let us give
peace of mind to our farmers and fishers” – my translation.)
He was speaking during a dialogue with agriculture advocates
at the Manila City Hall, at the “Halalan 2022 Para sa Agrikultura” (Elections
2022 for Agriculture). Present during the interchange were the following: Alyansa Agrikultura Chair Ernesto Ordoñez, Federation of Free Farmers Chair Leonardo Montemayor, Chamber
of Agriculture & Food President Danilo
Fausto, Coalition for Agriculture
Modernization in the Philippines Chair Emil
Javier, and Bayanihan sa Agrikultura
Coordinator Hazel Tanchuling. Isko
Moreno must know what he’s talking
about because, among other things, he graduated from the International Academy of Management and
Economics, a private business school in Makati (Wikipedia).
He also said:
I think this pandemic
taught us a very good lesson on how we should give much attention to food
security. And it’s high time for us na magising ang liderato ng mga ahensya ng
gobyerno na pagtuunan ito ng pansin. (…that the chiefs of the agencies of
government pay attention to this)
Isko Moreno is wrong if he thinks Secretary of Agriculture William Dar has been remiss in planning
for food security. When he was confirmed by the Commission
on Appointments on 17 December 2019, on Facebook he talked about food security for consumers as well as higher
income for farmer
How important are the Filipino farmers? The FAO says
Agriculture plays a
significant role in the Philippine economy. Involving about 40 percent of
Filipino workers, it contributes an average of 20 percent to the Gross Domestic
Product. This output comes mainly from agribusiness, which in turn accounts for
about 70 percent of the total agricultural output…
You cannot dismiss Agriculture as “small town” talk, because
there are millions of farmers and, no, nobody eats anything anywhere if there
are no farmers!
Great leaders don’t
set out to be a leader… they set out to
make a difference. It’s never about the role – always about the goal” – Rachel Ngom.
So,
is Isko Moreno my President? No, not until he offers a shareable single goal
for 7,641 islands!@517
[1]https://www.aciar.gov.au/media-search/blogs/partnership-shared-trust
[2]https://www.facebook.com/secretarywilliamdar/photos/all-for-aniatkita-dr-william-d-dar-vowed-to-transform-the-agri-sector-through-hi/163295171703882/
[3]https://www.fao.org/3/ae946e/ae946e03.htm
27 November 2021
Let Maria Ressa Go To Oslo! Plus+ Nobel Prize For THiNK! Journalism, What Do You Think!?
The news by Lian Buan
is, “Calida Blocks Maria Ressa’s Travel For Nobel Prize: She’s A ‘Flight Risk’”
(25 Nov 2021, Rappler.com):
Calling the Rappler
CEO a "flight risk," Solicitor General Jose Calida has filed an opposition with the Court of
Appeals (CA) seeking to bar Maria Ressa
from traveling to Oslo, Norway, in December to personally receive her Nobel
Peace Prize.
An unkind Christmas present! No, I do not approve of Maria Ressa’s Truth
Journalism, but a world prize is a world prize! And this is the first
for a Filipino.
I call mine “THiNK!
Journalism.” Preferentially, my kind of journalism is derived from Zig Ziglar’s THINK advice, a very rich lesson
from one of the world’s greatest motivational speaker, who said:
Think before you speak:
Is it True?
Is it Helpful?
Is it Inspiring?
Is it Necessary?
It is Kind?
(Above inset image[1] from Twitter.com)
I am a self-styled, self-taught journalist, formal education
being a BSA major in Ag Edu from UP Los
Baños, ’65, with a Civil Service Professional eligibility, '64.
I have been browsing the world at leisure at home since the
early 1990s when the Internet came to the Philippines. I am a work-from-home communicator.
The creator and donor of the Nobel Prizes, Alfred
Nobel said:
Home
is where I work, and I work everywhere.
And
so do I. Thank God for the Internet! And thank God for Agriculture, the biggest
industry of our age.
Nobel also said, “Second to agriculture, humbug is the
biggest industry of our age.” Humbug means
deception, pretense – American Heritage Dictionary. In my
self-imposed role as promoter of THiNK! journalism, the deceptions in
agriculture may not be intentional but they must be pointed out necessarily –
towards the adoption of Regenerative
Agriculture (RA), thanks to Robert
Rodale of the Rodale Institute for coming out with this concept.
Let me apply my journalism to Hilario’s regenerative
agriculture, on field cultivation:
True?
I break the soil shallowly with
a rotavator, blades cutting to pieces both soil and crop refuse and mixing them
in one rotating motion, creating a surface
mulch all over the field. (In contrast, a disc plow breaks the soil into
clods that dry up easily.)
Helpful?
With the vegetative compost already applied on the field, I farmer
already have an organic mulch
automatically applied on my farm! This will result in a bountiful harvest.
Inspiring?
Above, so much labor and so much organic fertilizer applied with little labor
should be inspiring to any farmer.
Necessary?
The above steps are necessary for me the farmer to decrease costs and increase
net income!
Kind?
The above Hilario’s regenerative agriculture technique altogether is
also kind to the environment as there is no chemical fertilizer or pesticide
applied!
Give
me regenerative agriculture anytime!@517
26 November 2021
Regenerative Thinking… Regenerative Agriculture In The Philippines
Yes! I’m trying to get more attention from more people – in
telling more than the truth!
As I say in my Profile About
Me: “Not Maria Ressa’s type, mine is THiNK! Journalism: True+ Helpful+
Inspiring+ Necessary+ Kind!” Instead of constantly criticizing, which is being hurtful, we should go beyond being truthful. We happily open our mouth to hurt, but we hardly open our hands to help!
Yes, the other day, Wednesday, I recreated myself, in a
manner of speaking! I did not know it previously, but it so happens that in
history, on that date was published the book Origin
Of The Species.
History.com Editors
say[1] that
on 24 November 1859, Charles Darwin published
Origin Of Species, saying “that
man and ape shared a common ancestor. He was said to be a heretic, but his theory
was scientifically sound” (“This Day In History: 11/24/1859 – Darwin’s Origin
Of Species”).
Without changing the Internet address, I changed my blog’s name
“Communication for Development (ComDev);” now it marks the origin of a new species of communication:
“Communication for Village Development (CoVID)” – to which I have added the
year of origin, hence “CoVID21.” Scary? Wonderful!
The name-concept change came about when I saw what my son Virtual Careers author & master Jomar Hilario said Wednesday, 24 November
2021, in one Facebook come-on post, as his advice to would-be Virtual
Assistants (VAs) in order to increase their chances of attracting work-from-home
(WFH) business offers. Jomar has elevated the art of being VAs to the art of Virtual
Careers (VCs) – where “VCs” emphasizes making virtual assistance a profession, not simply an it-comes-when-it-comes affair.
My son Jomar said: “You
create your ‘place in this world’ and you jumpstart your ‘online influencer
presence.’"
And that made me decide that I want to create my place in
this digital world and jumpstart my own influencer presence. Hence my blog’s clearly directed new name.
I thought that fit
my being a self-styled WFH warrior worker for Philippine agriculture &
related fields – being all-digital
writer, rewriter, editor, layout artist, up to and including being desktop publisher coming out with the
portable document format (pdf) prior to actual printing for copies. (Pdf is a
secret/non-secret you should explore.) I have worked on 100% digital copies of countless
thesis manuscripts, newsletters, journals, and books. At home, I am involved in
my digital universe, my 21-year-old blog affair.
Actually, this name-cum-communication-specific-direction-change
all started on Thursday, 11 November 2021, when I saw on Facebook Nenita Vargas Caceres’ sharing:
“Set a goal to achieve something that is so big, so exhilarating that it excites
you and scares you at the same time”
– Bob Proctor.
Yes! I decided
that to achieve that Goliath of a
Goal, like David I must propel a stone, mine being a new species of thinking,
into the still waters of Conventional
Agriculture and work to divert it to Regenerative
Agriculture.
Regenerative
waters, here we drink!@517
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
-
I started to write in senior high school, self-taught, in 1959. I continued to write at the UP College of Agriculture, now UP Los Baños, Fre... -
Will doubling the 2021 budget for 2022 be good for PH Agriculture? Good, but not good enough! I am reading Mara Cepeda ’s Rappler news re...
-
Displaying favored colors literally and loudly in rallies, hundreds if not thousands of followers of Bongbong Marcos (red) , Isko Moreno (bl...
