MIGHTYAURELL WORLD: NEWS UPDATE: May 2017

Monday, May 29, 2017

Caraga RAFC Chair Assumes DA Farmer-Director

Recognizing the significant role of the Regional Agricultural and Fishery Council (RAFC), the Department of Agriculture has empowered them by designating the RAFC Chair as Farmer-Director.

Farmer Director Pedro Lim at Rosario, Agusan del Sur

During the flag ceremony on May 2, 2017, Caraga RAFC Chair Pedro T. Lim was formally introduced by DA Caraga Regional Executive Director Abel James Monteagudo as Farmer-Director for the whole month of May.

The designation of Lim is in pursuant to the Memorandum Order duly signed by Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol as a token of recognition and to further strengthen the partnership between DA and RAFC.

As Farmer-Director, Lim will assume the roles and tasks of a DA-RFO Director in the implementation and dissemination of key programs of the agency.

However, their authority shall be limited to non-policy determining activities which should not in any way affect the government accounting rules and procedures as well as the civil service rules and regulations.

The Agricultural and Fishery Council (AFC) is the mechanism for private and public sector partnership in the development processes of the agriculture and fisheries sectors at the regional, provincial and municipal levels.

AFC now on its 30 years of existence, conducts monitoring and recommends agricultural projects, as well provide policy recommendations for the government decision makers.

The celebration of May as Farmers’ and Fisherfolk’s month is in pursuant to the Department of Agriculture (DA) Special Order No. 88 series of 2005 to give due recognition to the contribution of farmers and fisherfolk in the national development. (Aurelius P. Arais/DA Caraga)

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DA Caraga Turns-over P20M BUB projects in Esperanza, Agusan del Sur

Road network is vital for development in every human endeavor including the agricultural sector.

Thus the Department of Agriculture continues to implement farm to market roads (FMR) to ease the burden of farmers to deliver their produce to the market.

Recently DA Caraga turned-over an FMR project amounting to more than P19 million to the local government unit of Esperanza, Agusan del Sur funded under the Bottom-Up Budgeting (BUB).

The said project is the 1.5 kilometers road upgrading of Poblacion to Piglawigan Road jointly funded with the LGU as counterpart.

Aside from road project, DA Caraga also turned-over the completed rehabilitation of the Municipal Agriculture Office warehouse amounting to P1 million.

The said edifice will be the storage area for various inputs and supply for the farmers in the said locality.

Esperanza town mayor Leonida Manpatilan expressed her gratitude to DA for extending its projects and services to her town.

“We are grateful that DA has been a keen in assisting our farmers, thus it contributes to our goal to uplift their lives,’ she said.

DA Caraga Field Operations Division chief Rebecca Atega said that road is vital in agricultural development through faster and convenient delivery of agricultural products.

The town of Esperanza is part of the cluster areas for corn production in the region. Other agricultural crops are also planted in the area such as rice, vegetables and other.

BUB is one of the major government’s reform initiatives aimed at making the national government budgeting process more responsive to local needs. (Aurelius P. Arais/DA Caraga)

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DA-ACPC Extends SURE Recovery Loan Package for Flood Affected Farmers

Sure and faster way of helping affected small farmers to recover from recent severe flooding in Caraga Region has been given an utmost priority of the government through the Department of Agriculture nowadays.

One of the approach is giving the farmers an access to avail a recovery loan package of maximum to P25,000.00 per borrower without an interest and payable of up to 3 years.

The loan package called the Survival and Recovery (SURE) program will be implemented through the Agricultural Credit Policy Council (ACPC) in coordination with banks, cooperatives and other financial conduits whichever is accessible to the affected areas.

ACPC Administrative Officer Noel Clarence Ducusin said that SURE program is an immediate response of the government to help the farmers for faster recovery from damages incurred due to intermittent weather conditions.

“After Secretary Emmanuel Piñol saw in person the extent of damage on farms during his personal visit here in Caraga Region, ACPC immediately formulated the guidelines for this kind of loan package,” Ducusin revealed.

As per guideline, SURE recovery loan package is extended for small farmers whose farms incurred considerable damaged due to the flood and situated on an area declared under the state of calamity.

Small farmer refers to farmer whose land area is not more than five hectares. The loan package is also open for fisherfolks.

The said loan package is designed to finance the requirements of rehabilitating the farms, and or livelihood activities of fisherfolks to include production inputs, repair of farm or fishery assets, acquisition of livestock or working animals.

As of writing, 12 municipalities in Agusan del Sur, 3 municipalities in Agusan del Norte and the City of Butuan had been declared under the state of calamity due to Typhoon Auring and the Tail-End of the Cold Front.

Currently, ACPC is awaiting the final lists of affected farmers who may qualify the loan portfolio from the respective local government units to ascertain the needed amount and to give the go signal to the financial conduits to start releasing the loan package. (Aurelius P. Arais/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.