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Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture Training for Development Unit head Dr. Nova Ramos (second from left) meets Sarawak Ministry of Food Industry, Commodity and Regional Development Deputy Minister Martin Ben (center) at the Sarawak Agrotourism Conference and Expo held at the Borneo Convention Centre Kuching, Malaysia from Aug. 28 to 30, 2023. Together with them are Vicky Tan (left) and Nor Azmi Sulong (second from right), project director and project consultant, respectively, of Derrisen Sdn Bhd and Boniface Alin Anak Tanung (right), special administrative officer to the Deputy Minister. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO BY LEANDER C. DOMINGO LAGUNA (September 14, 2023)—The capacity-building initiatives on agrotourism of the Southeast Asian Regional Center...

MANILA (September 14, 2023)—The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) has condemned the recent series of violence against barangay (village) electoral candidates in various parts of the country. The CHR noted that the campaign season for the 2023 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) has yet to commence, yet acts of assault and violence have already been recorded. It mentioned the first case, which involved the killing of Alex Repato, an incumbent chairman of Barangay San Jose in Libon, Albay. Repato was gunned down on August 28 in front of his house by an unidentified gunman shortly after submitting his certificate of candidacy (CoC) at the Commission on Elections. Repato was the fourth barangay official in Libon town to be attacked recently. The list includes Kagawad...

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and his ‘Bagong Pilipinas’ governance slogan are the featured paddy art by the Mariano Marcos State University and the Philippine Rice Research Institute this year, which was launched on Monday, Sept. 11, 2023, with the President himself (back row, center in sunglasses) gracing the affair. PHOTO FROM HTTPS://MMSU.EDU.PH BY LEANDER C. DOMINGO BATAC CITY (September 14, 2023)—The Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU) and Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) launched the Rice Paddy Art 2023 at the MMSU Extension Demonstration Area in the Batac main campus in Ilocos Norte on Monday, with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. as guest. The event coincided with the 106th birth anniversary celebration of his father, President Ferdinand E. Marcos, founder...

ILOCOS NORTE (September 12, 2023)—Sen. Maria Imelda Josefa "Imee" Marcos said the revalidation of the identities and certificates of land ownership awards (CLOAs) of farmers before they could receive land titles as promised under Republic Act (RA)11953, or the "New Agrarian Emancipation Act" is "redundant." Marcos, who chairs the Senate Committee on Social Justice, Welfare and Rural Development, voiced her firm position against a "redundant revalidation" ahead of the President's signing of the new law's implementing rules and regulations (IRR) on Tuesday. "We would like to emphasize the spirit of the law to facilitate the awarding of lands to agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs). There should be no unnecessary revalidation for farmers to avail of the emancipation program," she added...