Awardee farmer has no land to till, soon

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.

Easy Taxi app services available soon in Cebu

Just read from one of the threads at their Facebook Page that "Easy Taxi", the mobile phone application which let users book a taxi without the hassles, may soon be available in Cebu. In one of their posts, the makers of Easy Taxi announced: 

"Easy Taxi, the world's largest and fastest taxi app, is coming to Cebu city! Now you can book a taxi with a tap of a button and enjoy a safe and hassle-free ride like never before! "

Now that would be something new especially for gadget and tech savvy passengers. The challenge however is how the app can get access to hundreds of taxi operators in Cebu City. One of the features I have read about Easy Taxi isn't just about getting the ride but also getting to your destination safe. 

"We thoroughly screen and train each driver to ensure that only those with clear history and best skills become our partners. Our cab app allows you to see driver's identity and car. Lost an item? Track your taxi on the fingerprints and never worry about safety anymore!" said the application's description texts at the iTunes download site.

The application may also pave the way for Cebu City's upgrade in the payment systems for Taxicabs. In areas serviced by Easy Taxi, the passengers can pay through their credit cards or paypal through mobile phone access. 

In the Philippines, the Easy Taxi is available in Metro Manila area only. Their expansion to Cebu should be highly anticipated. No dates have been mentioned yet as to when their services will be available at the Philippines' Queen City of the South. 

Waka Waka brings lights to Northern Cebu

What in the world is a Waka-Waka solar lamp? Catchy name. But more than what's in a name, these solar lamps have definitely helped those that were rebuilding their lives from the destruction brought about by the Super Typhoon Yolanda. Here's an article shared through email by our friends from the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation about the "waka-waka" LED lights.

"In partnership with the International Rescue Committee (IRC), the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI) distributed 2,500 WakaWaka solar lamps in northern Cebu to temporarily light the homes of survivors who still have no access to electricity last Jan. 28.

Nearly three months after super typhoon Yolanda ravaged northern Cebu, many survivors are living with fuel-powered lamps or candles at home. The typhoon toppled most of the electrical posts.

That is why the beneficiaries in the towns of Tabogon, Medellin, Madridejos, and Daanbantayan were grateful, as they can now light up their homes, especially during night time. They found the lamps useful, as the solar-powered lamps can be used up 16 to 100 hours or good for five days.

Because the lamps have solar panels, they can be charged during the day by exposure to sunlight and can then be used at night. With its multi-purpose cables, the WakaWaka lamps also serves as universal charger of cellular phones, ensuring that people could still have power to make emergency calls even when electricity is down.

IRC, an organization created upon the request of Albert Einstein, also gave blankets, jerry cans, and mats, which RAFI used to complement the shelter kits that funded by funded by Caritas Germany.

Since its founding in 1933, the IRC has responded to nearly every major global humanitarian crisis, helping millions of people.  Its main office is in New York, but it also has offices in Washington DC, London, Brussels, Geneva, Bangkok, and Nairobi.

It chose RAFI as partner when it came to the Philippines to help in humanitarian efforts for supertyphoon Yolanda survivors. 

The WakaWaka lamp has solar panels on one side that stores heat energy from the sun that later on powers its LED lamp. Its multi-purpose cables, the lamp also serves as universal cellular phone charger."

First Post (but not new to blogging though) :)

I will be posting here several news stories that I got from my various news coverages, accounts of people I encounter daily and the gadgets and apps I use in the course of my work at work in the Newsroom.


I have several blogs before like the one on wordpress and the now-defunct multiply. Now, I am trying to consolidate these accounts as well as with my Facebook page, Twitter account and other social networking sites.

That's it for now and you will be hearing more from me in awhile. Feel free to roam around my site.Hopefully, I can make this site informative for everyone.

This is Dale G. Israel, Senior Reporter of Cebu Daily News and this is my personal blog.


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