MIGHTYAURELL WORLD: NEWS UPDATE: Government Allocates Loan Support for Farmers to Boost Rice Production

Tuesday, October 16, 2018

Government Allocates Loan Support for Farmers to Boost Rice Production

To help boost rice production in the country, the government is extending funding support for the farmers in irrigated areas.

Dubbed as Sikat Saka, a lending support exclusively for irrigated areas through Land Bank of Philippines (LBP), a total of P1.6 billion has been allocated for the program nationwide that started since 2012.

Initially, the program covered only 25 provinces but eventually expanded to 45 provinces in the country. In Caraga Region, Agusan del Sur is the sole province covered by the program since Agusan del Sur has the biggest area of rice production among five provinces in the region with almost 50,000 hectares.

Maria Theresa Espinido, Agricultural Program Coordinating Officer of Agusan del Sur said that Department of Agriculture conceptualized the Sikat Saka in support to the Food Staples Sufficiency Program.

“This program aims to help palay farmers to access timely, adequate and affordable production credit,” she explained.

Under Sikat Saka, a small farmer in an irrigated area duly endorsed by an accredited irrigators’ association through National Irrigation Administration (NIA) can access credit assistance of P41,000 per hectare for inbred and P50,000 per hectare for the hybrid.

Small farmers refer to farmer tilling at least one half (1/2) hectare of irrigated land but not to exceed five (5) hectares.

“Currently, a total of 60 farmers had already availed the lending program amounting to P5 million and we are encouraging other farmers to avail the fund,” Connie Galeon of Land Bank of the Philippines South Caraga Lending Center said.

Funding support can be utilized solely for palay production based on farm plan and budget certified by the respective local government unit.

Sikat Saka has a diminishing interest rate starting from 15% down to 9% per annum upon reaching the eighth crop cycle. (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.