SORRY guys, but Bohol Gov. Erico Aumentado is not referring to ladies' skirts or shorts – but to hybrid coconuts locally called bilaka. The provincial government and the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) has launched a P2-million coconut hybridization program aimed at replacing the province's existing senile and tall ones with the short early-bearing and high-yielding varieties. With the hybrids bearing nuts at man's eye level – even “ground level” in some cases – the Boholano coconut farmer drastically cuts time for harvesting but gets more copra and toddy (sap from the unopened flower) for the same effort because he no longer needs to climb them. Aumentado and PCA Region 7 Director Deodiro Ravelo signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) in rites held at the Kiddie's Farm in Calanggaman, Ubay town whereby PCA will produce at least 150,000 hybrid seedlings with the P2 million funding that the provincial government will provide.
The seedlings will be distributed initially to farmers in Bohol 's 2nd District – the largest coconut producing district in the province. Aumentado assured Ravelo, the mayors, the Small Coconut Farmers Organization (SCFO) leaders and Liga ng mga Barangay (LnB) presidents who witnessed the signing that the provincial government has another P2 million “reserved” for the replication of the project in the 1st and 3rd Districts. Ravelo expressed elation over the governor's plan, saying that his Coconut Hybridization Program will push Bohol to a higher level than its present 10th largest among coconut producing provinces in the country today. He also vowed to provide training and technical assistance to Bohol farmers, like in sequential toddy and nut production to pave the way for maximum earnings. Knowing the coconut's nature pays, he said.
Meanwhile, Aumentado and Ravelo also launched the macapuno embryo culture laboratory at the Central Visayas Coconut Seed Production Center (CVCSPC) also in Calanggaman. The laboratory intends to mass produce macapuno seedlings as the nuts are highly in demand by the ice cream, pastries and confections industries. The countries top two ice cream makers alone have standing offers to buy all the macapuno that can be produced, Ravelo said. For her part, Engr. Rosalinda Yu, provincial general services officer, said equipment for the laboratory worth P568,000 will be delivered shortly by the Cebu-based Philippine Laboratory Industries. The Dumaguete-based Integrated Scientific Industrial Supply will also deliver the chemicals worth P358,000 as soon as the equipment are installed. set up and ready. Both companies won the bidding for the equipment and materials purchased from the P898,605 released by the Department of Energy (DoE) in late November last year.
The laboratory will be housed on the ground floor of the CVCSPC building constructed with P500,000 from Aumentado's Countrywide Development Fund (CDF) when he was still congressman of the 2nd District in 1995. He intends to return to Congress this year, and vows to provide funding for the construction of the Coconut Research and Development Center building housing the expanded macapuno embryo culture laboratory and research facilities for coconut sugar and tuba (wine from coconut toddy) research facilities. Provincial Coconut Development Manager Timoteo Lago Jr., Vice Gov. Julius Caesar Herrera, LnB-Bohol Executive Vice-President Romulo Cepedoza of Danao town and Provincial Board Member Josephine Socorro Jumamoy also witnessed the event, together with host mayor Eutiquio Bernales and colleagues Louis Thomas Gonzaga of Danao, Jimmy Torrefranca of Sagbayan, Juanario Item of Talibon, Elsa Tirol of Buenavista and Claudio Bonior of San Miguel. |
