ISABELA’S SUPER COOPERATIVE
The newly signed Rice Tariffication Law seeks to lift import restrictions on rice, which the government hopes will lower the price of the staple food to a level more affordable for the Filipinos – a boon to consumers but a bane to rice farmers, farmworkers and the local rice sector as a whole. Rice procurement serves the dual purposes of building rice stocks for the public food grain distribution system and of providing income support to farmers. The law addresses the urgent need to improve the availability of rice in the country, to prevent artificial rice shortage, reduce the prices of rice in the market, and curtail the prevalence of corruption and cartel domination in the rice industry. The law essentially allows for the liberalization of rice imports. It will remove the previously placed quota on rice imports, permitting traders to import a near-unlimited quantity of rice.
Upon assumption to office of Governor Rodolfo T. Albano III in July 2019, his first marching order is to organize a super cooperative that will help the marginalized farmers in the province. A massive cooperative membership orientation was conducted in 32 municipalities and resulted in the birth of “Nagkaisang Magsasaka ng Isabela Agriculture Cooperative” (NMIAC) aka “super cooperative”.
Two new buildings rise at Isabela DRRM complex
The province of Isabela is not only going to raise the bar in disaster risk reduction and management as the county’s PDRRMC Gawad Kalasag Hall of Fame, but also building the first-ever DRRM complex in the Philippines.
The Isabela DRRM Complex, a pioneering project of PDRRMC Isabela, is now getting bigger with the inauguration and blessing of the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office (PSWDO) and Provincial Safety Office (PSO) as a monument to the diligence, vigilance and resilience of the Provincial Government of Isabela ‘s leaders and workforce.
Governor Rodito T. Albano III continues to blaze the trail as he led the inauguration and blessing of these buildings as the Isabela DRRM Complex on September 12, 2019. Also inaugurated was the new Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) – Isabela Provincial Office.
BAMBANTI FESTIVAL BAGS PEARL AWARD GRAND CHAMP FOR BEST TOURISM EVENT
Another feather now adorns the hat of Isabela’s Bambanti as it gained the most coveted recognition in the 2019 Pearl Awards for Best Tourism Practices of the Philippines given by the Department of Tourism (DOT) and Association of Tourism Officers of the Philippines‘ (ATOP) as the Grand Winner, Best Tourism Event - Festival as Thanksgiving For A Beautiful Harvest held in front of the UNESCO World Heritage Site, San Agustin Church in Paoay, Ilocos Norte on October 4, 2019.
The Bambanti Festival won the said award besting 4 other finalists namely; Begnas ti Bauko of the municipality of Bauko, Mountain Province; Kneeling Carabao Festival of the municipality of Pulilan, Bulacan; Pista’y Dayat of the province of Pangasinan; and Simballay Festival of the municipality of Nabunturan, Compostela Valley.
Started in 2005, the Pearl Awards of the Association of Tourism Officers in the Philippines celebrates the best in the tourism industry and honors the great efforts made by the people in the industry, most especially the Local Government Units. “Creating works and exceptional services are not going to be ignored or taken for granted but instead it should be noticed and recognized and will be publicized to provide visibility and recognition as rewards for such noble deeds,” notes ATOP in giving the awards.
Isabela, Gawad Saka 2019 regional champ
The Department of Agriculture (DA) Regional Office 02 gave honor to outstanding agricultural achievers who excelled in their fields during the Gawad Saka awarding at the Pulzar Hotel, Caggay, Tuguegarao City on July 29, 2019. The award recognizes the efforts of farmers and fisherfolks in improving not only their lives but the community as a whole, an appreciation to the hardworking people of Region 2 who always ensure that Cagayan Valley will always be a consistent producer of agricultural products.
The event was graced by USec. Roldan G. Gorgonio, Undersecretary for Administration, Policy & Planning, Project Development, Research & Regulation and Chief of Staff of the Department of Agriculture.
For 2019, the province of Isabela was hailed as the Regional Gawad Saka Champion, garnering the (10) out of the twenty-eight (28) category awards.
