Press Release

The evaluating teams for the different categories of the Suhid sa Malampusong Mag-uumang Bol-anon 2019 will start to evaluate the nominees on next week.
The evaluation is supposed to be conducted last week but the Provincial Government of Bohol (PGBh) through the Office of the Agriculturist (OPA) had reconsidered the requests of some Municipal Agricultural Officers/Municipal Agriculturists (MAOs/ MAs) to extend the deadline for submission of nominees until last week.
The OPA has already prepared the guidelines and criteria as a basis for judging of the different categories of the search and already created the evaluating teams to do the evaluations.
NOMINEES FOR CATEGORIES
The office has received nominees for the different SUHID categories namely: Outstanding Fisherman, Outstanding Fisherfolks (Fresh Water Fish Ponds), Outstanding Fisherfolks Association, Outstanding Fishery Technician, Outstanding Farmer (Fish Culture), Outstanding Rice Farmer, Outstanding Hybrid Rice, Outstanding Rice Technician, Outstanding Organic Agriculture Farmer Group, Outstanding Japonica Rice Farmer, Outstanding Organic Agriculture Practitioner Farmer,
Outstanding Rural Improvement Club, Outstanding Rural Women, Outstanding Agri-Enterprise for Crops, Outstanding Agri-Enterprise for Fishery, Outstanding Large Animal Raiser, Outstanding Small Animal Raiser, Outstanding Livestock Technician, Outstanding Corn Farmer, Outstanding Banana Farmer, Outstanding Corn Technician, Outstanding HVCDP Crop Farmer (vegetable), Outstanding HVCDP Technician,
And the outstanding FarmersAssociation, Outstanding Young Farmer, Outstanding Farm Family, Outstanding Municipal Agricultural and Fishery Council and Outstanding Municipal Agricultural Officer/Municipal Agriculturist.
The evaluators have composed by OPA employees and representatives from Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), National Irrigation Administration (NIA)7, Agricultural Training Institute (ATI), Department of Agriculture – Provincial Agricultural Technology Coordinating Committee (DA-PATCO), Office of the Provincial Veterinarian (OPV), and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR).
During the pre-evaluation meeting last August 29, 2019 held at the Office of Assistant Provincial Agriculturist Larry M. Pamugas, 3rd Floor, Bohol Capitol Building the issues like vehicles to be used, the dates of evaluation, and the category of which the nominees would not reach into three, among others were being tackled.
Rosanna G. Lamdagan, Chief-Agribusiness Division, OPA said the category whose nominees would not reach into three is not included in the SUHID search because the Commission On Audit (COA) would not allow the PGBh to release fund for the prize.
Lamdagan said the OPA would send a letter to the MAOs/MAs informing them that their nominees would no longer be evaluated because the number of nominees of the respective category would not reach into three which is allowable by COA.
Pamugas said Gov. Arthur C. Yap underscored the importance of the Suhid sa Malampusong Mag-uumang Bol-anon and with that, the PGBh would award and recognize the efforts among Boholano farmers and agri-stakeholders who have helped the provincial government to sustain its title as “Food Basket” in Central Visayas. (Atoy Cosap)

FINALIZING THE MOVE. Assistant Provincial Agriculturist Larry M. Pamugas together with the members of the evaluating teams of Suhid sa Malampusong Mag-uumang Bol-anon during the pre-evaluation meeting last August 29, 2019, at his office in the Bohol Capitol Building, tackles and discusses things relevance in the conduct of evaluation of the nominees of the different categories of SUHID. Foto: RHEZA GUTTIEREZ, OPA staff

The Cloud Seeding Operations (CSOs) is badly needed now to save the reproductive stage of the standing crop or for the sustenance of the planted rice in the province of Bohol.
Engr. Evelyn Putong from the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) 7 said that it is too late for the reproductive stage of standing crop if the CSOs will be conducted on the mid of September because at this stage it needs enough supply of water in order to produce good grains.
Conducting CSOs beyond on the first week of this month is no longer useful for the standing crop now because the rice paddies have already cracked and the crop would already die at that time, she concluded.
Engr. Putong disclosed that the releasing of irrigation water from the Talibon Dam in barangay Zamora, Talibon to the service areas in town has already been stopped because the water elevation is now near to the critical level of which the actual level has registered at 21.89 meters (ms.), critical-21.00 ms. and at full 30.00 ms.;
The Malinao Dam in Pilar, actual-148.32ms, critical-146.5ms., at full 152ms.; Bayongan Dam in San Miguel, actual – 43.44 ms., critical – 41.00 ms., at full 52ms.; while in the Capayas Dam in Lumangog, Ubay, actual – 33.48 ms., critical-30.00 ms., at full-36.5 ms.,
As to when the CSOs to be conducted again in Bohol, the ball now is on the hands of the Department of Agriculture-Regional Field Office (DA-RFO7) as the fund in the tune of P2.5 million intended for Bohol CSOs from the Bureau of Soils and Water Management (BSWM) was already downloaded to DA-RFO7 and the project had already bidded sometimes in March this year.
Leon Parac Jr., cloud seeding focal person said that the formal letter from the El Niño Taskforce requesting to implement the operations in Bohol had already sent to DA7 Executive Director Atty. Salvador Diputado.
Parac said attached in the letter was the resolution from the Federated Irrigators Association of the Malinao Dam covered service areas seeking to implement the CSOs in Bohol the soonest possible time in order to save the reproductive stage of standing crop.
He said that the Provincial Government of Bohol (PGBH) now through the Office of the Provincial Agriculture (OPA) has kept on doing a constant follow-up.
Mary Grace Baay also from NIA 7 during the Provincial Coordinating Committee on Agri-Fishery (PCCAF) meeting last Wednesday held at the Constrell Pension House, New Calceta, Cogon, Tagbilaran City reported that of the areas covered by National Irrigation System (NIS) in the 8,701.89 hectares (has.) of irrigated areas they planned to be planted, only 3,899.23 has. have realized or at 44% because of insufficient supply of water among the dams.
Baay said in Malinao Dam, of the 4,016 has. they programmed only 2,069.23 has. have planted; Bayongan Dam of the 3,047.00 has. only 911.00 has. hove planted; Capayas-out of the 858.00 has. only 620 has. have planted; while the Talibon Dam – only 299.00 has. have planted out of the 780.89 has. they programmed.
Gerry Binangbang from Phillippine Statistics Authority (PSA) on the same PCCAF meeting reported that based on their data gathered the standing crop to be harvested within this month of September have an area of 1,258 has. of which the 988 has. are irrigated and 270 has. are rainfed; while the rice lands that were planted last August and to be harvested on November have an area of 19,194 has. of which the 9,337 has. are irrigated and 9,857 has. are rainfed.
Leonard Samar from the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAG-ASA) reported that the Weak El Niño has ended last August and the weather conditions from this month up to November are forecasted as normal.
However, he clarified that we could only experience light to moderate rains and we could not expect to experience heavy rains to happen.
Samar said the month of December is forecasted as above normal of which we would expect to experience heavy rains. (Atoy Cosap)

CAPTION:
WATER ALMOST IN CRITICAL LEVEL. The Talibon Dam in Zamora, Talibon covered the service areas in town has temporarily stopped for releasing of irrigation water to the service areas because the water elevation is near to critical level. The operation resumes once the stocked water has been refilled by rains.

The El Niño Task Force (ENTF) in the province of Bohol and the Boholano farmers have been seeking for another round of Cloud Seeding Operations (CSOs) to be conducted to save the tilling, booting and flowering stages of standing crop in the already cracked rice lands in Bohol.

The ENTF during the CSOs post-assessment meeting last August 5, 2019, had recommended more rounds of CSOs because some municipalities did not experience rain in the height of the recently concluded cloud seeding operations due to the absence of seedable clouds.

After the CSOs last month funded by the Provincial Government of Bohol (PGBh) in the tune of P2.3 million, the province has not experienced heavy rains causing the rice paddies to dry and crack.

Earlier, Leon Parac, Jr., cloud seeding focal person bared that the Bureau of Soils and Water Management (BSWM) through the Department of Agriculture-Regional Field Office (DA-RFO) 7 have a standing fund worth P2.5 million for the 42-hour CSOs intended for Bohol.

Parac added that the project was already bidded sometime in March this year and ready for implementation.

The rice paddies along the national highways in different towns in Bohol have cracked and the standing crop might be damaged if there will be no rains especially in September.

Some farmers in the province have not transplanted their rice seedlings from the seedbeds due to insufficient supply of water in the rice fields.

Romulo Campoamor, one of the farmers in Villafuerza, Carmen said that several hectares of planted rice in his town would incur damage if there are no rains. This will be a problem to farmers who are solely dependent on rice farming.

OrmanHilot, one of the employees of the OPA said that even in his hometown in Bilar, the rice paddies have experienced dry spell and there are even farmers who have not transplanted their rice seedlings due to insufficient supply of water. Accordingly Bilar is known to be a rice producer municipality because of its good supply of water from its natural sources.(AtoyCosap)

NEEDSWATER. The standing crop in its booting stage in Buenavista, Carmen, Bohol would be among the thousands of hectares of rice lands that would incur damage if rains won’t come in September. FOTO Alfredo Amora, Jr.

The 42-hour contract of cloud seeding operations (CSOs) over agricultural and watershed areas in Bohol completed Tuesday bringing light, moderate to heavy rains in the different target areas in the province.

The CSOs started June 19, 2019 and implemented by Pegasus Air Services, Inc.

Leon Parac Jr., CSO focal person bared that the remaining three hours of the operations were completely conducted last Tuesday after the weather cooperated.The first sortie targeted the areas of Sierra-Bullones, Danao, and Malinao Dam resultingto the pouring of light to moderate rains in the towns of Danao and San Miguel.

In the second sortie discharging vacuum salt above the areas of Sierra-Bullones, Pilar and Malinao Dam, the light to moderate rains were experienced in Sevilla, while heavy rains happened in Pilar, Sierra Bullones, Bilar, Carmen, Batuan and Jagna; and in the last sortie targeting the areas of Sierra-Bullones, Pilar and Malinao Dam, the heavy rains poured in Sierra-Bullones, Carmen, Batuan, Bilar, Ubay and Alicia, Parac said.

He said that there were times that the operations were suspended due to Tropical Storm “Falcon,” however last Tuesday the weather cooperated, thus the three sorties were conducted only in one day to complete the remaining hours of the contract.

NIA 7 THANKS BOHOL GOVERNMENT

Engr. Evelyn Putong from the National Irrigation Administration (NIA)7 during the Provincial Coordinating Committee on Agri-Fishery (PCCAF) meeting expressed thanks and gratitude to the Provincial Government of Bohol (PGBh) for conducting the CSOs that really help to augment the water levels of the major dams in Bohol especially at the Malinao Dam in Pilar, Bohol. The meeting last Wednesday was held at the Reynas Garden and Haven, New Calceta, Cogon, Tagbilaran City.

Putong said that as of July 30, 2019, the water elevation of Malinao Dam covering the service areas of Pilar, Dagohoy, Alicia, San Miguel and Ubay had an actual level of 148.77 meters (ms.), critical -146.5ms. and at full-152.00 ms.; Bayongan Dam with the service areas of San Miguel, Ubay and Trinidad: actual – 44.06 ms., critical – 41.00ms, and at full-52.00 ms.;

The Capayas Dam that covered the service areas in Ubay had 34.63ms. – actual, 30.00ms. – critical, and 36.50 ms. – at full; and the Talibon Small Reservoir Irrigation System serving only the town of Talibon had 22.90 ms.-actual, 21.00ms. – critical, and 30.00 ms. at full.

Putong said that they continue to implement the alternate welting and drying as they also conducted the daily monitoring of irrigated areas and strict implementation of water delivery schedule.

At Malinao Dam, the initial water delivery for the second crop upstream area was on May 6, 2019, and as of July 30, 2019, a total of 2,026 hectares (has.) were irrigated out of 4,016 has. operational and the remaining area will depend on the available rainfall and the storage of the dam, she said.

In Bayongan Dam based on the available water only 950 has. could be irrigated out of 3,047 has. operational of which the delivery of water started last June 17, 2019; while the Capayas Dam had 320 has. irrigated out of 858 has. operational and the Talibon Dam had the total irrigated areas of 452.72 has. out of 781 has. operational.

Putong disclosed that along with this situation, they still encouraged the farmers to plant corn, mongo or other diversified crops with less irrigation water requirement. (AtoyCosap)

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED. The cloud seeding operations (CSOs) team (left photo) composed of the personnel of Philippine Air Force, Bureau of Soils and Water Management, and Office of the Provincial Agriculturistafter the completion last Tuesday of the 42-hour operations of making artificial rain that help elevate the water levels of the major dams in Bohol especially the Malinao Dam in Pilar (right photo),highly expected to help farmers in the planting of rice at the irrigated and rain-fed areas in Bohol.

Foto JUN PARAC

The occurrence of the bad weather and the absence of the seedable cloud after the tropical depression “Falcon” could cause delay in the completion of the Cloud Seeding Operations (CSOs) to the watershed and agricultural areas in Bohol last week.

Leon Parac, Jr., cloud seeding focal person bared that if the weather would cooperate and there was the presence of the seedable cloud, the 42 hours CSOs contract would already be completed last week.
Parac said that since the CSO was started last June 19, 2019, there are only 3 hrs. have left in the contract.
He said that on Friday the CSO will resume if there is the presence of seedable clouds.
It can be recalled that last July 9 to 11 the operations were suspended because the pilot renewed his expired license and the first permit from CAAP granted the request to conduct CSOs over the vicinity of Bohol was also expired.

Junne Abejuela, Director Marketing and Business Development, Pegasus Air Services Inc, the winning bidder of the CSO project sent a letter to Civil Aviation Authority(CAAP) dated July 8, 2019 requesting to grant another permit for the operations.

Captain Romel D. Candingan, Assistant Director – General II – FSIS had granted the second second request with the following conditions; that must be conducted during VMC only, must be subject to Air Traffic Control, must be conducted at a maximum altitude of 8,500 ft. AGL only, must advise Mactan approach Control of the actual altitude to be flown in feet AMSL, must squawk on assigned transponder code when required by Mactan Approach Control, must advice Mactan Approach Control of the start and termination of said activity, must maintain continuous communication with Mactan Approach Control during the conduct of the activity.

Parac said the CSO which was started last June 19, 2019 could bring rains to several towns in Bohol that added water to the major dams in the province.

The cloud seeding focal person said the Malinao, Bayongan, Capayas and the Talibon Dams have been releasing the irrigation water to the service areas.

He said the Boholano rice farmers are now very busy in the land preparation and rice planting in the irrigated and rainfed areas. (Atoy Cosap)

CLOUD SEEDING. The conduct of the Cloud Seeding Operations (CSOs) in the watershed and agricultural areas in the province of Bohol have been interrupted with tropical depression “Falcon” that caused delay in the completion of the operations that supposed to be completed last week.

To cater to the needs of tourists and for Boholano farmers to earn more, a close collaboration is made to increase the yield and production areas of Japonica rice in Bohol.

At the helm of the joint effort is the Provincial Government of Bohol (PGBh) through the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist (OPA) and the Korea Program on International Agriculture (KOPIA) with the strong partnership of the Municipal Local Government Units (MLGUs) and the farmers associations.

The Korean Government has introduced in the Philippines the seven varieties of Japonica rice namely: MS11, Japonica rice 1-6 which are favorites by the tourists especially coming from Asian countries.

Last Thursday, the OPA, KOPIA and MLGU Talibon turned over some 20 bags of Japonica 6 rice to officers and members of the Bohol Bayanihan Multi-Purpose Cooperative through their president Bonifacio Bermoy during the Japonica Seeds Turnover Ceremony and Japonica Rice Production Training held at the Talibon Gymnasium, Talibon, Bohol.

The seeds came from the PGBh and KOPIA Seed Multiplication of Japonica rice in Ubay.

Dr. Woon Goo Ha, Country Director, KOPIA Philippines in the ceremony explained that the seeds should be propagated and distributed to other farmers to expand the planting areas of Japonica rice in Bohol.

Dr. Ha said that Japonica 6 is the suitable variety especially in the second district of the province.

He shared to the Bayanihan Coop officers and members the technology to grow and produce high yield of Japonica.

The KOPIA Country director said the Japonica rice variety has the same characteristics with Hybrid Rice to thrive in the watery land condition or in the irrigated areas.

In terms of fertilizer application, Japonica rice has thesame procedure with Indica rice. Fertilizers are applied before and after planting.

Angelito B. Oroyan, Municipal Agriculturist, Talibon in his message of support said that the LGU Talibon and his office have been very supportive in this endeavor.

In fact he said that in the town of Talibon there were 20 hectares of paddy fields were planted with Japonica last harvest season.

The national awardee Municipal Agriculturist in Talibon urged the Bohol Bayanihan Multi-Purpose Cooperative to strongly engage in the Japonica rice industry to earn big income. Japonica rice has high demands at high price.

Oroyan bared that he earned knowledge on how to grow Japonica through research here and in South Korea and with that the farmers could also refer to him on problems in growing such variety.

In the meantime, Bermoy, leading more than 5,000 members thanked the PGBh, KOPIA and MLGU Talibon for the introduction and turnover of Japonica rice seeds.

He said the 25-year old cooperative with members from Talibon, Trinidad, Getafe, Ubay and Bien Unido would directly benefit from the endeavor.

Bermoy thanked the OPA, KOPIA and the MLGU Talibon for choosing them as the beneficiary of the project.

He said the Cooperative now is tasked to manage the Rice Processing Center (RPC) 2 situated in San Roque, Talibon which is slated to be inaugurated in August.

Bermoy in advance asked the PGBh through OPA to help them seek prospective markets of the milled rice. Investment on palay is ear marked at P2 million once the RPC 2 will be in operation. (AtoyCosap)

CAPTION:

JAPONICA RICE SEEDS TURNOVER. Dr. Woon Goo Ha (left), Country Director, KOPIA Philippines and Angelito B. Oroyan (right), Municipal Agriculturist, Talibon underscore the importance of engaging farming on Japonica rice, while the officers of Bohol Bayanihan Multi-Purpose Cooperative are grateful to the PGBh, KOPIA and MLGU Talibon after handed over with sacks of Japonica rice seeds. Photo LEZYL DIEZ, OPA STAFF