The Taguig City government has signed an agreement with the Department of Agriculture for the implementation of the Urban Agriculture Project (UAP) to promote the importance of agriculture and to urge the people to engage in urban gardening.
Mayor Lino Edgardo Cayetano signed the partnership with Agriculture Secretary William Dar last Monday at the city’s Mercado del Lago.
Cayetano said Taguig recognized the importance of promoting urban agriculture as a measure to address stability of food supply, alleviate poverty, foster social integration among communities, and protect the environment through eco-friendly methods and other alternative and innovative gardening methods.
With this, the city seeks to implement the program as one of the modalities that render safe food available, accessible, affordable, and provide additional income to households and communities in urban areas.
Under the agreement, the Bureau of Plant Industry will spearhead the implementation of the program, such as crop production and community gardening using various technologies in households, barangays, schools, and public offices and will provide starter kits which will include agricultural inputs and technical assistance. Joel E. Zurbano
The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources will provide hands-on training to showcase various urban aquaculture techniques for its urban dweller beneficiaries, and will serve as community gene bank to sustain food production for its constituents.
Bureau of Animal Industry, on the other hand, will be the one in charge to provide technical assistance in the establishment and management of the selected livestock within local communities.
The Bureau of Soils and Water Management will provide technical assistance in the implementation of safe and appropriate management of soil and water resources particularly along the Laguna Lake areas.
“We just signed a program that would advance urban agriculture and other interventions for the City of Taguig and we will use the existing budgetary support that we have this year to start the projects that have been identified,” Secretary Dar said.
“This is a new normal, a new environment and whether we like it or not, even with pandemic like COVID-19, we cannot ignore the importance of planting and other agricultural activities,” he added.Grade school students from Taguig Integrated School recently brought the country honor and pride on the world stage as they won major science awards for inventing innovative yet practical household products.
The two winning products, “Euphorbia Hirta Dengue-Relieving Tea” and “Coconut Oil, Basil, and Beeswax Anti-Bacterial and Mosquito Repellant Candle” won Gold and Silver prizes, respectively at the International Engineering Invention and Innovation Exhibition.
The event is organized by the World Invention Intellectual Property Association and the International Federation of Inventors’ Association and held last April 13 to 15 at Universiti Malaysia Perlis in Perlis, Malaysia.
TIS’ Kenth Andrew Gallarda, Franxes Keisha Joven, and Francis Elija Valdez took home the gold award Ivan Gabriel de Lumen, Issachar Philippe’e Zerda, and Vien Kiosoffe Lopez won silver. The teams were led by research advisers and TIS faculty members Rosenda Puno, Georgie Amaranto, and Grace Binalla.
The Aboitiz Foundation, the corporate foundation of the Aboitiz Group, provided the school’s learning facilities as well as financial support during the three-day exhibition as part of its broader and strong commitment to the Department of Education Special Science Elementary Schools (DepEd SSES) project.
As part of the DepED SSES project, the science students explained that their inventions were inspired by practical everyday challenges that they sought to address.
“Many people today have dengue, especially in our community, and we want to help relieve their symptoms through the euphorbia, which make blood platelets reproduce faster,” said Joven.
“I felt a bit nervous during the question-and-answer portion because I thought the questions from the jury would be too hard. Still, I was able to answer some of them,” Gallardo said of his experience at the contest.
“I felt really happy for our students. Aboitiz proved to be a really big help. Aside from the laboratory provided by the Aboitiz Foundation, the equipment for research such as projectors and computers can definitely be used in the future,” said Puno.
“This big win by our student-beneficiaries from TIS truly motivates us. The Aboitiz Foundation will continue supporting important educational initiatives, particularly the strengthening of SSES and technical-vocational high schools, as we help communities feel empowered, safe, and be sustainable,” said Maribeth L. Marasigan, Aboitiz Foundation First Vice President and Chief Operating Officer.
The Aboitiz Group has long been supportive of the country’s public education system, believing this is where the Group can make the biggest impact. The Aboitiz Foundation aims to help improve the quality of universal public education in the country.
This, in turn, supports one of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, specifically on Quality Education (Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all).