Villamor named among country’s best entrepreneurship educators

Mr. Mark Glenn F. Villamor, faculty and coordinator of the Bachelor of Science in Entrepreneurship Program of the College of Business Administration of Capiz State University (CapSU) Roxas City Campus was named finalist during the 10th National Conference of the Entrepreneurship Educators Association of the Philippines (ENEDA) held on February 24–26, 2012 in Intramuros, Manila.

ENEDA national finalist Mark Glenn Villamor (right) 
joined by former ENEDA president, Dr. Gloria Chavez, 
shows his certificate of citation in this picture 
taken at Patio Victoria in Intramuros, Manila.

Graduating Bachelor of Science in Management major in Business Management cum laude from the University of the Philippines Visayas in Iloilo City in 2002, Villamor went on to obtain a graduate degree in Management at the CapSU Roxas City Campus. He also started his postgraduate studies at the University of Negros Occidental -Recoletos in Bacolod City.

Villamor was selected for having embodied active dynamism in the field of Entrepreneurship education. In the last three years, Villamor attended 12 international, national and regional business-related seminars and workshops and handled nine entrepreneurship & non-entrepreneurship subjects in CapSU Roxas City Campus.  

For the period covered, he has also shown active involvement in student activities and acted as adviser of CapSU’s Young Entrepreneurs’ Society. He also served as the chairman of the executive committee of the 2nd Entrepreneurs’ Week, 3rd E-week and 4 E-week celebrations.

Besides these capacities, the finalist also possesses a solid background in sales and marketing having worked for Wyeth Philippines, Inc. and Schering-Plough Corporation.

The finalists and the grand champion were chosen based on the following criteria. For pre-screening comprising 80%, 40 points was allotted to academics; 20 points for non-academic activities; 30 points for entrepreneurial involvement or experience; and 10 points for other activities. The panel interview comprised the remaining 20%.

Villamor’s parents are Engr. Nilo Q. Villamor & Mrs. Minerva Fuentes-Villamor of Roxas City, Capiz.

Visayas SUC, LGU personnel study website production

La Paz, Iloilo City—Some 20 employees of local government units and a state university from the Visayas regions including Panay islands, Negros Occidental, Cebu, Guimaras and Samar have joined the Joomla! Content Management System (CMS) Training Course led by the Advanced Science and Technology Institute (ASTI) on March 19-23, 2012 at the Training Room of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Region 6, La Paz, Iloilo City .

Jarred Martin Clarianes of Talisay City LGU (far left) and Capiz State University's Nino Manaog get pointers on website construction from Ms. Roxanne Aviñante, assistant training resource person of ASTI.

According to Engr. Rowen Gelonga, regional director of the Department of Science and Technology Region 6, promoted that among others, DOST 6 facilitates human resource development of the government agencies across the region. Gelonga stressed on how the extensive discussions and hands-on approach will help facilitate the learning of the participants.

Mr. Rector John Latoza, Research Staff of the Capiz State University, praised the seminar, saying that “we are being taught how to make websites. According to Latoza, Capiz State University (CapSU) needs this because “we are in the process of updating the existing website.”  For Latoza, “we are taking advantage of the information and communication technology because CapizState University (CapSU) needs to keep pace with the technology.”

Capiz State University's Rector John Latoza

For Mr. Jarred Martin Clarianes, staff of Mayor Eric Saratan of Talisay City, Negros Occidental, he joined the training to "enable us to come up with interactive governance in today’s age of information and technology." Clarianes said that government units should catch up and take advantage of the available opportunities to best serve the constituents.

For her part, Ms. Teresa Arganda, Administrative Aide III of the municipality of Guiuan, Eastern Samar, said that learning website production is important for her because their LGU is beefing up and improving their initial website. Along with two others Guiuan LGU employees, Arganda is assigned to help promote their municipality through the use of internet.

The weeklong sessions introduced the participants to the basics of the Joomla applications, and also led them to familiarize with the nitty-gritty of the said content management software application. They also took part in the laboratory exercises and activities where they applied the concepts into their own website projects. 

The participants were trained by the team of the ASTI led by Ms. Emily Pagador, Training Resource Person; Ms. Roxanne Aviñante and Ms. Mitz Ann Montañez, assistant training resource persons; and Ms. Pinky Manio, coordinator.

Participants and facilitators of the Joomla! CMS Training for government employees
led by Ms. Emily Pagador ASTI's training resource person (seated, far right).

Jamindan farmers taught organic farming practices

By Niño Manaog

Extension Associate 

Capiz State University

To promote organic farming practices among the local farmers and the surrounding rural communities, the Farmers’ Information and Technology Services (FITS) Center based in Jamindan, Capiz hosted the Training of Farmers on Organic Agriculture on February 22–23, 2012 at the La Paz Barangay Hall, La Paz, Jamindan, Capiz.

Led by FITS Center Manager Remedios Llamelo and Agriculturist Catalina Leonor, the capability building initiative gathered some 50 members of the La Paz Farmers Association who were taught the basic concepts in natural farming solutions and took part in the actual preparation of foliar fertilizers including oriental herbal nutrient and fish amino acid. 


Funded by the Agricultural Training Institute Regional Training Center 6 (ATI-RTC 6), which was represented by Mr. Antonio Llorente, Agriculturist II, the initiative benefited the farmers’ cooperative with members from barangays Sto. Rosario, La Paz, Caridad, Esperanza, Fe, San Jose and Jagnaya. 

Agriculturist II Antonio Llorente of the ATI (far left, top) and Techno Gabay Team Leader Eduardo Navarra of CapSU (far right, bottom) lead the Jamindan farmers in maximizing organic farming practices for productivity. Barangay officials and women volunteers alike took active part in the initiative led by the Jamindan FITS Center.

According to Llamelo, the lecture-demo aimed to pursue the national government's thrust on organic agriculture. To lead the actual preparation of foliar natural farming solutions, Leonor sought the leadership of three women members who previously worked as WorldVision volunteers in their barangays who guided the residents and barangay captains from said six barangays to finish their farming solutions for their farms.

Jamindan farmers participants take stock of the initiative led by the Jamindan FITS Center
and supported by the Agricultural Training Institute and the Capiz State University.

For his part, Mr. Eduardo Navarra, training coordinator and Techno Gabay Team Leader of the Capiz State University (CapSU) Extension Services, taught the farmers on the advantages of organic farming practices, conversely campaigning against the disadvantages of conventional farming.

Among others, Navarra stressed the importance of pursuing organic agriculture in today’s farming because of how it can help reinvigorate the soil and promote good health to the community. Navarra also advocated the organic farming practices of Ramon Peñalosa, Jr., Magsasaka Siyentista of the Western Visayas Agriculture and Resources Research and Development Consortium (WESVARRDEC).

SAY ORGANIC!
Participants and facilitators of the organic farming training
led by Jamindan FITS Center and  supported by ATI and CapSU.

Dao FITS Center trains teachers, LGU officials on organic farming

By Niño S. Manaog, Capiz State University

Photos by Rodkris Felipe, Municipality of Dao

Dao shall go organic further.

On February 28–29, 2012, the Farmers’ Information and Technology Services (FITS) Center based in Dao, Capiz hosted the Training of Municipal Agri-Pinoy Stakeholders & Farmers in Organic Agriculture at the Dao Municipal Building in Poblacion, Dao, Capiz.

Funded by the Agricultural Training Institute-Regional Training Center  6 (ATI-RTC 6) and supported by the Department of Agriculture-Regional Field Unit 6 (DA-RFU 6) and the Capiz State University (CapSU) Techno Gabay Team, the training subtitled “A Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security Initiative of the Local Government of Dao, Capiz” sought to increase the awareness of the Dao local stakeholders and organize them into supporting the Organic Agriculture Program in accordance with the Organic Agriculture Act of the national government.

Some 50 participants including employees of the municipal government of Dao, barangay officials and public elementary and high school teachers of Edukasyong Pangkabuhayan at Pantahanan (EPP) from the 20 barangays of Dao, Capiz listened to input by DA, ATI, CapSU and the Dao FITS Center personnel.

ORGANIC AGRICULTURE TRAINING PARTICIPANTS
Stakeholders, sponsors and supporters of the Training of Municipal Agri-Pinoy Stakeholders & Farmers in Organic Agriculture at the Dao Municipal Building, Poblacion, Dao, Capiz

Dr. Hector Peñaranda, officer-in-charge of the special concerns of DA-RFU 6, shared the key concepts on Republic Act 10068, or the Organic Agriculture Act of 2010. Among others, Peñaranda stressed the importance of local technical teams to help usher in the organic farming framework in the barangay levels.

Mr. Eduardo Navarra, training coordinator and Techno Gabay Team Leader of the Capiz State University (CapSU) working under the Western Visayas Agriculture and Resources Research and Development Consortium (WESVARRDEC), promoted the importance and usefulness of organic farming practices to combat the ill effects of conventional and commercial farming.

After FITS Center Manager Susan Dordas briefed the audience on the climate change’s negative effects of conventional farming practices to human health and environment, Technology Services Specialist Genes Estialbo led the demonstration on making effective microorganisms using indigenous ingredients and raw materials.

The two-day lecture demo also featured Ms. Mary Ann Ramos, Agriculturist II of ATI, who gave the overview of the Agri-Pinoy Development Framework; Mr. Antonio Llorente, Agriculturist II of the same agency who shared his know-how on diversified integrated organic farming system; Mr. Erwin Mateo of Dao FITS Center who lectured on organic chickens and swine raising; and Mr. Reynaldo Durana, a teacher of Dao Central School who shared their experience in practicing organic agriculture in their school and community gardens.

ORGANIC AGRICULTURE PROMOTERS
(Clockwise from top left) TSS Genes Estialbo, assisted by Elisa Ledesma,
leads the demonstration on making natural fertilizers; DA-RFU 6’s Hector Peñaranda
stresses the importance of organic agriculture endorsed by the national government;
Dao FITS Center Manager Susan Dordas briefs the participants on the ill effects
of climate change; teachers and barangay officials listen to the lectures;
and ATI's Mary Ann Ramos and Erwin Mateo of Dao FITS Center
share their expertise to the Dao constituents.

The organic agriculture awareness campaign drew a number of responses from the participants. Ms. Cecilia Lacuarta, 52 year-old Technology and Livelihood Education (TLE) teacher in Arturo Jugo National High School, and Agricultural Education graduate of Panay State Polytechnic College (PSPC) in the 1980s, recognized the importance of updating their knowledge on organic agriculture. For Lacuarta, the practice is indispensable not only because it promotes health but also because it is inexpensive. Lacuarta said that though she is working in a high school situated in an upland barangay, which poses difficulty for them, she is nevertheless optimistic because their barangay captain supports such initiatives.

ORGANIC AGRICULTURE CHAMPIONS
Organic agriculture is alive in Dao, Capiz, as shown in this collage—Dao Sangguniang Bayan Member Deogracias Tianchon (top left), chairman for agriculture, guides his constituents representing three sectors—teachers, barangay officials, and municipal employees—in pursuing organic farming to productivity; organic farming solutions and produce were exhibited during the two-day lecture demo (center photos); and TSS Genes Estialbo sells natural farming solutions to a farmer.

Forty-two-year old Ricardo Buizon, barangay captain of Mapulang Bato, had to say that during his term, their local farmers have also started practicing organic agriculture. For Buizon, the training served as refresher course for them because they attended similar activities in the past.

Mr. Vic Bolante, Jr., chairman of Dao’s Office of the Senior Citizen Affairs (OSCA) and member of the town’s local water utilities board, recognized how organic agriculture best helps the elderly members of the community. Representing some 1,000 members, Bolante said that organic farming as an activity helps encourage exercise and physical activity among senior citizens. He also said that organic produce is nutritious and thus good for their health.

Mr. Wilfredo Corcino,
Dao farmer scientist

Meanwhile, Mr. Wilfredo Corcino, kagawad of barangay Agtangway and Dao’s farmer scientist, fully promotes organic agriculture practices among his barangay folks. Foremost, Corcino considers the practice very important because it costs less for the farmers to produce organic fertilizers. Corcino said that he has been producing natural fertilizers himself and selling them to farmers in the locality. For the farmer scientist, this is one of the best ways to advocate organic agriculture.

Highlight of the initiative was the action planning workshop which involved the participation of the teachers, local officials and the municipal office workers. The three groups submitted their corresponding work plans for the upcoming year. The teachers’ group planned to reinforce the organic farming practices in their own school gardens, or through the Gulayan sa Paaralan program. They also sought to echo the knowledge gained to the parents and local residents of their respective barangays through the parent-teachers association (PTA).

Local barangay officials also worked together to initiate a series of activities in their localities through the assistance of the Dao FITS Center. Among them are the orientation lectures on the advantages of organic farming, conduct of farmers’ classes with emphasis on the production of organic fertilizers, and the adoption of the Environment Code of the municipality of Dao.

For its part, the Office of the Municipal Agriculturist (OMA) composed of the Dao FITS Center personnel, sought to establish the Techno Demo Farm for Organic Rice, Organic Vegetables and Organic Livestock, which is a level-up of sorts from their organic program campaign launched in 2011. Headed by Ms. Marilyn Facto, municipal agriculturist, the OMA planned to set guidelines for selecting the farmer cooperators for the components of the organic agriculture program from among the barangays and identified the modes of assistance required for the Techno Demo Farm, Gulayan sa Paaralan and Gulayan sa Barangay.

While these initiatives were supported by Mr. Deogracias Tianchon, Jr., Dao municipal councilor and committee chair on agriculture; Vice-Mayor Loreto Eslaban; and Mayor Joselito Escutin, the ATI represented by Dr. Eden Bautista, Training Specialist III, particularly encouraged the Dao constituents to pursue organic agriculture to fruition.

In her speech which closed the event, Bautista asked the Dao constituents to look to the province of Negros Occidental, whose widespread activities in organic agriculture have been so prolific through the years, because their ultimate goal is to be the Organic Bowl of Asia. Bautista asked them to be inspired by Negros Occidental and do the same for the Province of Capiz.

ORGANIC AGRICULTURE SUPPORTERS
Officials and stakeholders alike recognize the indispensable role of pursuing organic agriculture in the countryside. They include (clockwise from top left) Dao Mayor Joselito Escutin; Training Specialist Eden Bautista of the Agricultural Training Institute (ATI); Reynaldo Durana, elementary school teacher; Capiz Assistant Provincial Agriculturist Elizabeth Betito ; Antonio Llorente, agriculturist II of ATI; and Dao Vice-Mayor Loreto Eslaban.