DAR Pangasinan - ARBinFOCUS: An ARB with a positive mental attitude - February 27, 2024

Stirred by his passion for farming, Simplicio Julian of the Baksayan Irrigators’ Association shared an impromptu, motivational speech during the graduation day of Farm Business School (FBS) beneficiaries held earlier this year.

 

“Ang farmers ang backbone of the economy. Ang farmers ang nagpapakain sa 120 million na Pilipino,” Julian said. He remarked that despite being an agricultural country, the Philippines had to resort to importing agricultural products, which the farmer-leader from Umingan attributed to the comparably low yield of our country’s farmlands.

 

“Dito nag-aaral ang mga Indonesian, ang mga Thailander, at mga Vietnamese. Nag-aaral sila dito sa PRRI, sa CLSU, para makapag-aral sila ng bagong technology, pero it is sad to say na nahuhuli tayo at iniwan na tayo ng mga ibang ASEAN countries. [D]ito sjla nag-aral ng technology pero ang production nila sa kanilang mga bansa ay mas malaki kesa sa atin. Nagpo-produce sila ng 200 to 250 cavans per hectare pero sa atin ay kaunti lang,” he shared.

 

Despite this, Julian encouraged his fellow graduates to maintain an optimistic mindset. He shared his mnemonic, “P.M.A.”.

 

“Kung ano ang kaya nila ay kaya rin natin. Kailangan nating maging miyembro ng P.M.A. Anong ibig kong sabihin [sa] P.M.A.? Positive Mental Attitude. Kung kaya nila, kaya rin natin na magpalaki ng ani,” the FBS beneficiary said.

 

He closed his message by thanking the Department of Agrarian Reform for its capacity development and support services for agrarian reform beneficiaries.

 

“[P]alakpakan natin ang Department of Agrarian Reform sa kanilang mabuting hangarin na tayong mga magsasaka ay tulungan.”

 

Simplicio Julian is one of the 106 agrarian reform beneficiaries who received their respective certificates of completion this year under the FBS program. The certificate is a testament to their completion of the FBS’s 25 sessions and its requirements. ###