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Press Release No. 215 Nobyembre 3, 2021 PORMAL nga gibuksan ang Molecular Laboratory nga anaa nahimutang sa Bukidnon Provincial Medical Center (BPMC), pinaagi sa Inaugural Ceremony and Thanksgiving Program kaganihang buntag, Nobyembre 3, 2021, kung aha una nga gipahigayon ang Santos nga misa ug gisunod ang continue reading : MOLECULAR LABORATORY SA BPMC PORMAL NGA GIBUKSAN

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Provincial Government of Bukidnon | Food Basket of the Region

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Immigrants from the Visayas had already established themselves on Misamis when the Spaniards arrived. The tribes who had previously lived in the area were pushed inwards, into the difficult and rocky terrain, as the migrants continued to arrive. They were eventually dubbed Bukidnons, which means "people of the mountains" and from which the region got its name. The Americans suggested separating the area of Misamis Province inhabited largely by Bukidnons from Misamis Province under the influence of Dean C. Worcester, then Secretary of the Interior and a member of the Philippine Commission. Philippine Commission Act 1693, enacted on August 20, 1907, established the province of Agusan, with Bukidnon as a sub-province. Bukidnon became a legitimate province on September 1, 1914, when the Department of Mindano and Sulu was established. Finally, on March 10, 1917, the province was established under Act 2711 and given the name Province of Bukidnon

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Bukidnon is a landlocked province in the center of Mindanao, known for its highland paradise. It is located in North-Central Mindanao and is bordered by Misamis Oriental on the north and northeast, Agusan Province on the east, Davao Province on the south and southeast, and Lanao and Davao Provinces on the west and southwest.

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Bukidnon is a growing agriculture-based economy that occupies a large plateau in Mindanao's north central region. Rice, corn, sugar, coffee, rubber, pineapple, tomato, flowers, cassava, and other fruits and vegetables are also key exports. It also produces a lot of fowl, hogs, and cattle. Bukidnon, with the largest agricultural area and soils and climate that are ideal for agriculture, is the primary supplier of agricultural products and raw materials for the province's processing factories as well as the region's major processing hubs. As a result, Bukidnon is known as the "Food Basket" of the region.

1. Land Cover and Distribution

2. Major Agricultural Crops

3. Manufacturing

4. Services

5. Tourism Industry

6. Mining and Quarrying

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Bukidnon is relatively cool and moist throughout the year. The refreshing cool climate in the Bukidnon plateau is attributed to its fairly high altitude.

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The Kaamulan Festival is a cultural event that celebrates the unique customs and traditions of Bukidnon's seven ethnic hill tribes. The Talaandig, Higaonon, Umayamnon, Manobo, Tiwahanon, Matigsalug, and Bukidnon are the province's early colonizers. "Kaamulan" is derived from the Binukid word "amul," which means "to gather," and refers to a purposeful assembly. As a result, the event is an annual gathering of the seven Bukidnon tribes, as well as local Bukidnon residents, to celebrate their rich customs and traditions.

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Since Bukidnon is known as the food basket of the region, it is important to take good care of our natural resources. Inadequate knowledge is one of the most likely causes. Some farmers are unaware that their fields show indicators of poor soil, and hence are unaware of the importance of conservation farming. There are some farmers that understand the importance of conservation farming but are unwilling to implement it due to a lack of expertise with the technology. The three primary concepts of conservation farming are: 1) maintaining soil cover, 2) minimizing soil disturbance, and 3) crop rotation. These are ideal for the Bukidnon Upper River Basin, where monocropping is common, because minimum tillage prevents further soil erosion; crop residues increase soil nutrients, suppress weeds, and stabilize slopes; and crop rotation improves soil stability and maintains soil nutrients while also increasing crop diversity and production levels.  In the case of Bukidnon, it was important that the local government involved itself in the management of the watershed areas, considering the significance of these areas to ensure water supply, not only for the province but also for other areas. The Bukidnon watershed is the source of rivers and tributaries that are irrigation sources for Bukidnon and neighboring provinces.

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Institute of Environmental Science for Social Change

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One of the most striking features of Bukidnon that frequently impresses its visitors is its breathtaking mountain landscape - with some areas still covered with forest, though most are dominated by grasslands and crops such as corn, pineapple, and sugarcane. The scenery elicits a sense of awe and wonder at the beauty of nature, though it also deceptively conceals so many risks and difficulties for the people living in and around these areas. From a scientific and ecosystems point of view, this landscape is awash with contradictions - how can such grandeur contain so many difficulties for its people?

It's been almost 30 years since ESSC's first engagement in the protection of the Bukidnon environment, starting with the Bukidnon 13 - a group of farmers from the Municipality of San Fernando who staged a fast in 1989 at the DENR central office in Manila, calling for a total log ban in Bukidnon. They had been experiencing an alarming rate of environmental degradation due to rampant deforestation in the province which peaked in the late 1970s, leaving in its wake a trail of destruction in the form of upland erosion, siltation of rivers, and increasing severity and frequency of flooding. ESSC provided technical support to the fasters in the form of maps and geographic analysis of the problems that the community was facing. The result of the protest was the successful imposition of a total logging moratorium in the province in 1990 which immediately halted the deforestation. However the environmental repercussions of the denudation was just beginning to manifest itself by then and the trajectory towards degradation had already been set and was well on its way.

The importance of ecological services

Forests and other similar life sustaining resources provide what are called ecological or ecosystem services - life support services derived from nature that we need to survive. These services include clean water for domestic, agricultural, and recreational use; soil stability and productivity; forest and agricultural biodiversity; clean air; etc. Given the landscape of Bukidnon, forests are crucial for provision, protection, and sustenance for its people.

With the clearing of the forests in Bukidnon, rapid changes in the environment began to take place. Logged over forest areas were eventually cleared for farming by migrants while the traditional inhabitants of these forest areas, the indigenous people of Bukidnon, were pushed further up the mountains where the last patches of the primary forest remained. IP culture traditionally evolved a sustainable system of agriculture and livelihood based on resources provided by the forests. But as forests dwindled and lowland agricultural practices began to expand into traditionally forested areas, the environment ultimately changed adversely affecting the traditional IP way of life resulting in the marginalization of IP communities throughout the province.

Rivers drain the land of water that enters in the form of rain. These areas are called watersheds and are distinctly defined by ridges or elevated points on the land. The state of rivers usually indicate the corresponding state of the watersheds they drain watersheds are normally drained by deep-channeled meandering rivers that generally maintain a constant and stable flow throughout the year. Rivers of denuded watersheds on the other hand are typically wide and shallow, frequently flood during heavy rains, and dry up during the summer months. Water is easily flushed out of the system and not stored for release during the dry months. This typically spells disaster for low-lying areas that experience floods during the rainy season and drought during the dry season.

In 2010 the ESSC conducted a nationwide assessment of forests and uplands in the Philippines based 2002 satellite images. An integral part of that initiative included the delineation of upland areas based data from the Space Shuttle. The findings revealed that around 59% of the approximately 905,000 ha total area of Bukidnon is upland (~534,000 ha) and that only 35% of that remained forested (~189,000 ha). This means that almost two thirds of the Bukidnon uplands are denuded, which is a cause for concern not only for communities living in these mountainous areas, but also for those who reside downstream in the floodplains of the watersheds.

The struggle to survive

According to the latest land cover update of Bukidnon conducted by ESSC in 2005, around 16.4% (164,000 ha) of the province is devoted to agriculture, the largest of which is corn (7.3% or roughly 66,400 ha), making it the second largest corn producing province in the Philippines. Most corn is planted in the rolling to hilly upland areas since prime agricultural land is normally planted to rice and other high value crops.

In 2009, the incidence of poverty among agricultural households was 57%, which was thrice (17%) that of non-agricultural households (Reyes et al. 2012). Households with heads that were primarily engaged in corn growing had the highest comparative poverty incidence at 64% compared to other crop growers. In addition to this, it was also in the corn sector where being food poor (or subsistence poor) was highest at 37%. It then followed that households with corn as their main source of livelihood had the greatest deprivation from basic amenities such as potable water and electricity. What these figures basically show is that farmers engaged in corn production are among the poorest in the agriculture sector.

With the steady growth of corn sector nationwide since the early 2000s, the high poverty incidence of farmers engaged in this crop seems to contradict the high productivity being enjoyed by the corn industry as a whole. Apparently those who are gaining from this agricultural activity are not the smallholder farmers themselves - a phenomenon that has been observed by ESSC for more than 2 decades in the Upper Pulangi valley in Eastern Bukidnon. Through the years, high yield variety (HYV) corn has dominated much of the marginal uplands of Bukidnon and these varieties, particularly the genetically modified (GM) ones, boast high yields of up to 8 tons/ha that are a sure attraction to farmers seeking high returns. A further attraction is that it is not as labor intensive as traditional corn since manual weeding has been eliminated thanks to the introduction of herbicide tolerance for the corn.

But there is a catch - GM technology does not come cheap. The normal cost of planting one hectare of GMO corn ranges from Php33,000 to Php35,000 depending on the quality of the seeds used. This includes all necessary inputs and related costs for a successful harvest such as seeds, fertilizers, herbicide, and labor for planting, applications of fertilizers, and spraying. The potential profit from a very successful harvest coupled with a good market price for corn is almost thrice the initial investment. This is enough to entice any corn farmer, though a poor farmer with access to only 1-2 hectares of land will normally not be able to afford such a hefty investment. The promise of high profits is enough to attract the farmer to take out loans to finance this endeavor. Since farmers are willing to take the risk, financiers tend to take advantage of the situation, charging interest up to 10% per month or 40% per four-month cropping cycle. What is worse is that if for some reason a crop fails (due to extreme weather conditions or pests for example), the poor farmer bears the full brunt of the losses and will have to fully pay back the financier with interest. Many a farmer has lost his land as a result of this financing scheme driving them further into poverty.

Plotting a path of hope for Bukidnon through the Province Roadmap of Mindanao

Bukidnon sits at the heart of Mindanao and is crucial for the health of a great number of watersheds on the island since many of the headwaters or sources of the river systems in Mindanao originate from its mountains. The stability of Mindanao is dependent on the health of Bukidnon's environment, and this is not possible without looking after the welfare the people who live within the resources. The state of the environment reflects to a great extent the social conditions of the communities that depend on the resources. We cannot expect to improve the state of the environment of Bukidnon without working to improve the circumstances of the people who rely on its resources to survive.

The Roadmap of the Jesuit Philippine Province focuses on addressing the myriad of interconnected issues confronting Mindanao and although the problems are complex, a sound understanding of the issues makes them less daunting. Furthermore, being part of a community that is committed to work together in improving the lives of the people of Mindanao makes the effort more worthwhile and inspires us to hope for a better future for Mindanao and its people. An integrated and coordinated effort is now under way through the Roadmap and its multi pronged response to the needs of the most vulnerable sectors in the region.

The path may be long, but as long as we are mindful of our interconnectedness with the land and with one another we can hope for a sustainable future for Bukidnon that does not abuse, but nurtures and respects the gifts that have been given to us.
This article was originally published in the December 2017 issue of The Windhover magazine.
REFERENCE

Reyes, C., A. Tabuga, R. Asis, and M.B. Datu. 2012. "Poverty and Agriculture in the Philippines: Trends in Income Poverty and Distribution." Discussion Paper. DISCUSSION PAPER SERIES NO. 2012-09. Philippine Institute for Development Studies.

The Bukidnon we do not know

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The Bukidnon we do not know - Institute of Environmental Science for Social Change

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Text and photos by Andres F. Ignacio, PhD One of the most striking features of Bukidnon that frequently impresses its visitors is its breathtaking mountain landscape - with some areas still covered with forest, though most are dominated by grasslands and crops such as corn, pineapple, and sugarcane.

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SDG 12 is all about learning on how to use and produce in more sustainable ways so that we can undo the damage we've done to the earth. According to Msuya, a deputy Executive Director, of the United Nations Environment Programme, Humankind is made possible by nature, yet our insatiable desire for the planet's resources is intensifying extinction rates and having a negative impact on the planet's ecosystems. Considering this, i decided to focus on target 12.2 by 2030, Ensure that natural resources are managed in a way that is both sustainable and efficient. I just thought this target needed to be addressed in order to achieve sustainable management and use of natural resources.

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Sustainable Land Management enhances soil productivity and profitability in the Philippines

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The Philippines' Department of Agriculture Secretary, Dr. William D. Dar, is promoting a new way of thinking about land productivity and prosperity. Working to achieve a delicate balance, this new way of thinking is guided by the mantra of 'Ani, Kita' (Tagalog for 'production' and 'income', respectively) - which references the twin objectives of sustainability and profits.

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https://bukidnon.gov.ph/about/about-bukidnon/
https://bukidnon.gov.ph/2012/11/09/brief-history/
https://bukidnon.gov.ph/2012/11/09/physical-feature-and-composition/
http://www.cdodev.com/2021/07/08/top-10-population-bukidnon-census-2020/
https://bukidnon.gov.ph/2012/05/04/agriculture/
https://thetravelteller.com/tag/seven-hill-tribes-of-bukidnon/
https://www.thegef.org/news/sustainable-land-management-enhances-soil-productivity-and-profitability-philippines