SAGBAYAN.-This one is for the books.

If election promises are made to be broken, a losing candidate for mayor in this part of Bohol, is back in the hustings not to campaign for the next polls, but to fulfill a commitment to help farmers increased their productivity. Speaking of teaching the people how to fish instead of giving them fish because it will only feed them for a day? This is it! The gesture makes Jimmy Torrefranca, a mayoralty candidate who lost to the incumbent in Sagbayan, a cut above the rest. Losers or winners in the last elections, are no different if promises remain just that—promises. Although there may be others who are man enough to keep the promise, it’s more of an exception rather the rule. But not Torrefranca. Proving that he’s not one who seek sanctuary to a time-tested saying that only fools do not change their mind, Torrefranca came back to those he promised before the May 13 elections that he is making good his platform of government. Dubbed as Pundok Kauswagan Kaumahan Palapdan, this novel program is aimed to entice farmers to avail of interest-free loans to buy hybrid rice seeds and its corresponding farm inputs like fertilizer and pesticides. And to ensure farmers from farm loses, the proponents see to it that an insurance coverage is put in place courtesy of the Philippine Crop Insurance Corp.

It was to the good fortune of Torrefranca that his novel idea has found a helping hand in a true-bloodied Sagbayan native who shares the same perspective of helping the farmers. Engr. Romulo Requierme, an electronic communications engineer, provided the financial requirement to keep the program going and in the process help the farmers improve their living conditions by way of increasing their rice harvest. For the successful businessman who owns the Comtel Industrial Services Inc., a telecommunications contractor specializing in the installation of fiber optics cables and underwater wires, it was “payback time”. What better way to return the favor in the name of corporate social responsibility than to extend a helping hand to those who are mired in poverty because of age-old farm practices. That exactly is what Torrefranca and Requierme are thinking aloud when they embarked to launch the rice program. Apparently speaking the same language, not only are they teaming up to alleviate the living conditions of farmers through an interest-free supervised credit program, they too are engaged in the business of large scale piggery in Sagbayan. For sure, their twin business ventures generate employment opportunities to Sagbayan residents. Requierme owns the St. Agustine Piggery Farms, Inc. with an initial of 300 heads, large scale in any standard. Back to the rice subsidy program, the tandem started to develop 100 hectares scattered in 16 barangays involving 128 farmers.

Good for this cropping season as the wet period sets in, the duo will provide at least P4,200/hectare per farmer and provide P10,000 for each farmer for his fertilizer and pesticide requirements. Each hectare will consume at least eight sacks at P1,250 per sack. If and when the farmer hits the production target of 140 cavans per hectare, the original amount he borrowed to finance his farming will be returned to the lender-- interest free. The program has programmed the cropping time –from planting to harvesting, at 105 days. What on earth is the motivation of Torrefranca and Requierme to introduce in Sagbayan this rice subsidy program? For Requierme, it was a fulfillment of a lifetime commitment as a son of the soil. As one who cut his teeth in a farming community, he knows like the back of his hand, how it is to be a farmer. So, as he earns his first million, what apparently comes to mind is back to the farm and think what he can do to help the farmers increased their farm produce. As for Torrefranca, it was one election promise he cannot afford to lose. Though he lost in his bid both literally and figuratively, he did succeed in winning the hearts and minds of the people of Sagbayan because they become receptive to his novel program of helping the lot of farmers. Just like any venture or program, it is always subject to the vagaries of nature. If successful, the rice program will gravitate into the Center for Sustainable Socio-Economic Development Foundation. At the helm of the foundation is the Board of Trustees with Torrefranca as president/CEO while his wife Myrna is the corporate secretary. Requierme is the chief finance officer. Other officers are Roque Amores, chief operating officer on health; Victor Lauron, chief operating officer on education; Mario Joviseto Sepe, chief operating officer on agri-tourism; Alipio Requierme, chief operating officer on livelihood; Reynaldo Requierme, chief operating officer on sports & recreation; and Pastor Gudia, chief operating officer on disaster and relief operations.