MIGHTYAURELL WORLD: NEWS UPDATE: February 2009

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

DA-RFU 13 Supports PNRC Blood Donation Drive

by: Aurell P. Arais

Butuan City – Department of Agriculture Regional Field Unit 13 (DA-RFU 13) strongly supports the drive of the Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC) for blood donation campaign.

The support was manifested by allowing personnel from PNRC Butuan City/Agusan del Norte Chapter to utilize the DA lobby as venue for blood donation drive last February 9, 2009.

A dozen of DA personnel responded on the campaign by donating their blood for about 450 cc each.

Other personnel also availed the services of PNRC such as free taking of blood pressure (BP) and blood type.

Seven (7) staff from PNRC Butuan City/Agusan del Norte Chapter composed the team headed by Soljin M. Robles, Registered Medical Technologist (RMT).

In an interview, Robles explained that a person who donates blood will received a card and may use it anytime to avail free blood from their office on an emergency situation.

Donating blood is a healthy practice to keep healthy blood cells in the body produced by bone marrow. (Aurell P. Arais/rafid da caraga)

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Seed Producers Training/Seminar Conducted at Trento

By: Aurell P. Arais

Trento, Agusan del Sur – A seminar/training for seed producers in the province of Agusan del Sur was successfully conducted last week..

The said activity was held last July 28 to August 1, 2008 at Sasepco Warehouse., Trento, Agusan del Sur.

It was learned from Rose Marzo, municipal agriculture officer of Trento that the said seminar were participated by old and new applicant for seed producer.

Participants were coming from Veruela, Sta. Josefa, Bunawan, Loreto, San Francisco and Trento, all of Agusan del Sur.

Marzo emphasized that the seminar served as retooling for old producers while the new applicant will acquire knowledge on proper way of seed production and the law related to this kind of undertaking.

Resource persons during the training were Abner Montecalvo, GMA Rice Program Coordinator for Mindanao who talked about status of the rice seed industry in Mindanao/ Region and Varietal Selection and Characteristics; Henry Carpiso, chief of National Seed Quality Control Services (NSQCS) Central Office in Quezon City, who delievered about the policies and guidelines on seed certification for inbred rice seed production; Jane Rasco- Wagas, officer in charge of RSQCS Caraga; Johnny Ramos of Provincial Agriculture Office, Agusan del Sur; Jojo Dagum, delivered the overview of the training course and other speakers from Philrice namely Frenciso Varquez, Jisell Rendon and Richard Tabudlong.

For the past few years, the province of Agusan del Sur rice seed growers had difficulties in providing sufficient supply to the farmers which would affect the government efforts geared towards rice sufficiency, thus the seminar was conducted to train more seed growers.

It is not only the province of Agusan del Sur who suffered such shortage of seed supply but on the entire province of Caraga thus the same training will be conducted on other parts of the region soon.(Aurell P. Arais/rafid da caraga)

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Tuesday, February 3, 2009

DA-LGU Holds Plan Integration Workshop for CY 2009

Butuan City – To ensure a unified program implementation approach for the year 2009 between the agriculture department and the local government units (LGUs) in Caraga Region on FIELDS program, the Department of Agriculture Regional Field Unit 13 (DA RFU 13) conducted a two day DA-LGU Plan Integration Workshop.

The activity was held at Goat2Geder Hotel and Restaurant, this city last January 29-30, 2009 and was participated by City and Provincial Agriculturists and Veterinarians in the region.

Regional Technical Director (RTD) Edgardo E. Dahino warmly welcomes all the participants during his opening remarks and lauded the planning division headed by Josephine Alban for spearheading the workshop.

Meanwhile, Regional Executive Director Ricardo C. Regis extends his appreciation to all the LGU-DA participants and urged to work closely for a common direction towards agricultural development.

Each veterinary and agriculture officers presented their LGU Plans and Programs for calendar year CY 2009.

Regional Agriculture Statistics Officer Melchor Bautista of BAS also presented the agricultural trends in the region that may serve as basis for effective program planning.

Highlight of the gathering was the workshop by sector or component such as Ginintuang Masagang Ani (GMA) Rice, Corn, High Value Commercial Crops (HVCC), and Livestock.

Regional Technical Director Eliseo T. Tila answered one by one all the issues and concerns surfaced during the open forum such as on DA-LGU project counterparting schemes, incentives and other matters.

Financial matters were also ably addressed by Finance Division Chief Jessica Daan. (Aurell P. Arais/rafid da caraga)

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DA-AMAS Director Francisco Ramos III Spearheads BB Launching in SDS

Surigao del Sur – To personally oversee the start of the operation, Director Francisco “Bong” Ramos III of the Department of Agriculture-Agribusiness, Marketing and Assistance Services (DA-AMAS) spearheaded the launching of its flagship project Barangay Bagsakan in Surigao del Sur.

For the whole month of November 2008, the Agribusiness, Marketing and Assistance Division (AMAD) headed by OIC Servilla Balaan, a regional counterpart of AMAS in central office conducted a series of Barangay Bagsakan launching in several location within the province.

Last November 18, Barangay Bagsakan in Diatagon, Lianga was successfully launched and on November 20 another BB was launched in Poblacion Barobo, Surigao del Sur.

It was followed on November 26 at Gamut, Tago; November 27 at Bungtod, Tandag City and a day after in Agsam, Lanuza, Surigao del Sur.

Prior to the formal launching, an information caravan was conducted with the staff of Regional Agriculture and Fishery Information Division (RAFID) on the neighboring areas of the BB sites to let the public know about the big event.

Director Ramos was the keynote speaker in Bungtod, Tandag City and in Agsam, Lanuza wherein he emphasized the value of cooperation among operators for smooth implementation of the project.

He also said before the agriculture department bombarded the farmers through its interventions to have more produced but without offering an option where to market the harvest, but nowadays marketing aspects is given priority through the Barangay Bagsakan and Bagsakan Center projects.

Barangay Bagsakan in Surigao del Sur was strongly supported by Governor Vicente Pimentel through Provincial Agriculturist Mark Quico and the whole officialdom on respective local government units where the BB site is located.

Notably in Lanuza, Mayor Algerico Irizari even vowed to replicate the project in another barangay within his town if the BB project in Agsam will succeed.

BB/BC is a barangay-based food depot and distribution system offering affordable, safe and quality food products like meat, poultry, fish, vegetables and fruits, directly links farmers and fisherfolk producers to the consumers and community participated retail food distribution system.

This project is jointly undertaken by the local government unit (LGU) who will provide the space/land, building and operating capital and designate a recipient to operate the BB/BC and DA who will provide the technical assistance during the pre-operation and actual operation, links suppliers and provides Cold Storage Facility, Plastic Crates and other facilities needed for the project.

Barangay Bagsakan and Bagsakan Center formerly known as Barangay Food Terminal (BFT) started its implementation since 2006 in Metro Manila but in 2007 it has expanded its scope of operation on the provinces to support the hunger mitigation program of the president Her Excellency Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

As of press time, a total of 13 BB sites had been launched all over Caraga Region but Balaan revealed that they are targeting around 14 BB and three (3) Bagsakan Centers before the year ends.

Due to be launched this month is the BB site in Mainit, Surigao del Norte and Barangay Centers in San Francisco, Agusan del Sur; Cancohoy, Del Carmen, Surigao del Norte and Aras-asan, Cagwait, Surigao del Sur.

According to Director Ramos the DA-AMAS is targeting around 160 BB/BC sites all over the country but as of now they have already launched close to 200 sites.(Aurell P. Arais/rafid da caraga)

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MY DESTINY

by: Aurell P. Arais

Hi, it's me Aurelius Parido Arais a.k.a MightyAurell.

I believe in destiny. And I do believe that I am destined to become a media man. My stamina in broadcasting started when I was still in high school days. Driven by too much passion, it came to a point that I projected myself and lied to my classmates that I am connected with a certain radio station in Davao City.

When somebody asked me the particular station where am I connected, I choose and replied the least popular radio station for them not to bother to check whether I’m telling the truth or not and of course I’m just playing safe to avoid being caught that I am indeed lying.

Upon reaching the fourth year level in secondary, I applied to an AM Station still in Davao City named DXRR as a radio reporter. Unfortunately, I was rejected. However, instead of losing hope I considered it as a challenge to push more on my dream to become a broadcaster.

When I enrolled in college in the University of Mindanao in Davao City, I applied to its AM station DXUM-UMBN.Fortunately, at last, my talent and passion were given a break. The station manager then Mr. Ely Luciano accepted me as a newswriter/reporter and became a working scholar of the station under the Student Assistance Program (STAP).

I was taking up Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication (ABMassComm). Admittedly, I gave more priority to my career that is why I’d got low grades in my studies. (he he palusot)

However, due to my interest to learn almost, if not all of the aspects in media works, I keep on transferring or hopping from one company to another, just to gain more knowledge and actual experiences.

I explored in writing and fortunately, I became a freelance writer for Peoples Daily Forum, a local paper and I was assigned to Camp Catitipan Davao PNP headquarters. Then I explored disc jockeying, at DXSS FM 97.9 Mhz and at the same time a TV Newscaster on SBN TV 7 and commentator on its AM Station DXIP.

From Davao City, I transferred to DXSF FM in San Francisco, Agusan del Sur as a newscaster. I worked there for a little while then I went back to DXUM in Davao as one of the pioneering of Radyo Ukay Drama Production. I became a drama writer and director and a radio talent actor as well. I was able to produce various radio soap drama, some of them were Ang Karaang Villa (An Old Villa), a horror story; Tres Marias (action), Dino (sci-fi) and more.

Then I transferred to DXGL FM Real Radio in Butuan City as program director/disc jockey and at the same time newscaster/director on TV 13 and eventually became the station manager of DXGL AM Radyo Kaalyado. Then I was transferred to Real Radio Tandag, Surigao del Sur as station manager.

Wheww… what a long list. Maybe, my dear reader, you are now asking, currently, where am I connected with? Well, currently I am the program/ production director of DXDB AM Radyo Bandilyo in Malaybalay City, Bukidnon. Thanks to the former station manager Fr. Rey Raluto (who is now in Belgium) who trusted my talent.

Now, if you are going to ask me what is my unforgettable experience? The most nerved cracking and heart-pounding part of my career were when I was in Tandag, Surigao del Sur. There I experience a libel case filed by a certain fiscal, sorry I forgot his name. He filed a libel case against one of our radio block-timer whom he said maligned his name and reputation on the air and I was implicated accordingly in my capacity as the head of the station.

Due to this case not only me who suffered numerous sleepless nights but also my beloved family.

Fortunately, thanks to GOD, the said case was dismissed by the Prosecutors Office due to lack of merit and of course to the divine intervention. Wow, what a big relief.

I really love broadcasting. In fact, I found love in this field of endeavor. I'd met my wife Annie also a broadcaster when I was working with Real Radio in Butuan City. She was one of my colleague disc jockeys before. As the saying goes "the same feather flocks together". And now we are blessed with two beautiful daughters Reginah Reign and Kaycee Laureign.

The world of media is full of trials, hardships, challenges and surmountable obstacles but if you have the burning passion, you will still found happiness out of it. If you are planning to be a media practitioner, well it’s up to you. Who knows you and I have the same destiny.

Well, my story does not end here yet...February 2008 I was one of the staff affected by the downsizing of DXDB due to accordingly financial constraint...and who am I to insist so I heartily accepted the so-called offer to depart from the station.

Since then, I went back to my house in Doongan, Butuan City together with my family. For a few months, I was struggling to look for another job. Almost all vacancy that came across my eyes I applied for it.

Until one day my sister Ligaya working with DA Davao urged me to try to apply DA Caraga. Without hesitation, I tried and with GODs' divine intervention I was accepted. I started working with DA last July 23, 2008, and I was assigned to the Regional Agriculture and Fishery Information Division (RAFID). My job is to host the radio program of DA RFU 13 over DXMK Magik FM, write news, features, do documentation... in other words still related to media works...

Every Saturday I have board time (disc jockeying) on MAGIK FM 7-9 in the evening...

At present, I am now anchoring DA radio program entitled "Bahandi Sa Kaumahan" simultaneously aired over DXHR 1323 KHz on AM Band and DXIM 93.5 MHz on FM Band both known as Hope Radio. Its studio is located at Baan, Butuan City.