DA Eastern Visayas honors ‘Gawad Saka’ winners

PALO, Leyte, June 2 -- The Department of Agriculture (DA) regional office here awarded the province of Southern Leyte as regional outstanding rice achiever for the "Gawad Saka 2017".

The province yielded an average of 4.84 metric tons of rice per hectare in 2016, the highest in Eastern Visayas, according to DA Regional Executive Director U-Nichols Manalo.

Picked as outstanding municipality rice achiever is the town of Hinundayan, Southern Leyte. Hingatungan Irrigator’s Association, Inc. of Silago, Southern Leyte was judged as outstanding irrigator’s association in the region.

Hinundayan bested other towns with its yield of 4.48 metric tons. The town and the irrigator’s association received PHP1 million cash prize each since they also won in the national level.

The "Gawad Saka" is the prestigious award given by DA to farmers and fisherfolk and for outstanding individuals and organization for their contribution in the advancement of farming and fishing sector. 

The DA held the awarding rites Thursday night at the Leyte Academic Center.

Also recognized from Southern Leyte province as rice achievers were 18 agriculture extension workers to include the provincial agriculturist, rice program coordinator, rice report officer, seed inspector, research and development coordinator, and post-harvest coordinator, municipal agriculturists, and agricultural technologists

At least two farm extension workers from Culaba, Biliran town also earned the same recognition.

Outstanding local farmer technicians are from Arteche, Eastern Samar; Jiabong, Samar; Paranas, Samar; San Jorge, Samar; Sta Rita, Samar; Mondragon, Northern Samar; Catubig, Northern Samar; Bato, Leyte, Calbiga, Samar; and Pinabacdao, Samar.

"Gawad Saka" awardees in various categories were Lorenzo Caca, Jr. of Sta Fe, Leyte as hybrid rice farmer; Bendicar Gerona of Sogod, Southern Leyte as integrated rice farmer; Pepita Tallada from Ormoc City as outstanding sugarcane farmer; Ryan Paul Andrade from Burauen, Leyte as outstanding coconut farmer.

Leonarda Londina, as outstanding agricultural researcher; Julius Abela, as outstanding agricultural Scientist; Benabaye Primary Multi-purpose Cooperative in Merida, Leyte as village food terminal operator; and San Mateo Small Fisherfolks Association of Carigara, Leyte as fishermen’s group.

The DA also presented special citations to some officials from national government agencies, state universities and colleges, farmers, researcher, scientist, and various groups. 

Leyte Governor Leopoldo Dominico Petilla, one of the speakers during the event, lauded the awardees and encouraged them to sustain their performance to continue developing and improving the production in agriculture and fishery of the region that is still in recovering from the 2013 super typhoon Yolanda.

“We need to sustain it to continue our recovery if we in Region 8 wants to survive. In 2016, the agriculture sector shows a promising performance resulting to a positive economic growth of the region,” Petilla said.

The governor thanked the farm department for recognizing the performances of local governments, farmers, and extension workers to boost their morale and show that the government is giving importance to food providers. (Roel T. Amazona/PNA)