CEBU CITY, Philippines—Fifty-five year old Erenia Nacion is among the top outstanding farmers here. But she fears she may be tilling the soil for the last time soon.
Even though an awardee, Nacion is not immune from the perennial problem besetting the rest of her fellow farmers who remain tenants of the land they till.
Since 1975, Nacion and her family is farming a land not their own. And as a tenant, she dreams that one day, the land where her home and farm is located will become a piece of property that they can call their own.
Uncertainty however started when she heard that the heirs or children of the original land owner will sell the lot to a city-based businessman.
She fears that her family can be booted out anytime since the agreement she has with the landowner is just by “word of mouth” and without any written document.
Nacion said she heard some wealthy people from the city interested in buying the lot from her land owner.
“Ako gyud na akong pangandoy nga naa gyud mi yuta...mao pud na nga nagbuhi pud mi ug mga kahayupan kay inkaso ug ibaligya ang yuta, naa mi lain panginabuhian, (It is actually my dream to have own a land of our own for our livelihood. Because of uncertainty, me and my children have started to also raise farm animals in case the property will be sold by the owner),” said Nacion.
Aside from coconuts and corn, the family is also raising chickens and crabs as an additional livelihood for them.
She said that the heirs have plans already to sell the one hectare they are occupying. She also requested the heirs that they be allowed to buy the lot instead of selling it to other people.
Nacion family is not paying monthly rent to the landlord but give instead a percentage of the income they get from harvests. For example, she said that if the harvest yields them P4,000, the landlord gets P1,000 and her family gets P3,000.
With talks that the land may be sold soon, Erenia said she and her children had to work double time so that they can save money in case the owner will sell the land.
"If they would sell it, we will ask them to sell it to us instead," Nacion said in Cebuano.
Nacion's husband died in 1996 which left her and her children to continue with the farming activities in the upland barangay Mangga, Alcantara town--the only way she knows to feed her family.
The town is located 85 kilometers Southwest of Cebu City. It is also among the poorest towns in Cebu Province in terms of income.
The lady farmer, who is also a leader in their neighborhood being a barangay councilor, is recognized last Tuesday, August 12, as in the roll of the Top 10 Cebu's "Outstanding Farmers of the Year." They are judged through the methods of farming and application of scientific techniques in yielding high grade crops that resulted to better harvest and more income for their family.
For her part, Nacion implemented alternative fertilizers in enriching the soil for the crops. She uses coconut husks grass ash which she applies to the land. This in turn yielded better quality of the corn produce.
Nacion is joined in the top ten list by Ernesto Alivio of Consolacion, Lito Delima of Naga City, Danilo Cangmaong of Tuburan, Vidal Burburan of Santander, Diogracias Ventic Jr. of Oslob, Mario Himaya of Barili, Hermocilla Echavez of Alegria, Marcos Baricuatro of Argao, and, Virgilio Cortez of Bogo City.
Cebu provincial government has a Farmer Scientist Program where scientific methods are applied in the growing of the crops. The program is being organized by Magsaysay Awardee Dr. Romulo Davide, a one-peso per year Capitol consultant.
