‘Gulayan at Maisan sa Barangay’ launched in Moncada

By Virgilio Sar. Maganes

MONCADA,TARLAC- The Abono Party List launched the Gulayan at Maisan sa Barangay Program here on February 19 attended by punong barangays and municipal officials and employees led by Mayor Benito E. Aquino.

Abono President Ponciano V. Onia, Jr. said the party was spearheading the project in support to the food security program of the government.

“The looming economic crisis will bring us to a worse situation in the future. Unless we do something about it like planting vegetables for our needs and find alternative to rice like corn, life ahead will be harder,” he said

Onia further said that the program is launched as a contest with prizes as P25,000, P15,000 and P10,000 for first, second and third, respectively. He, however, urged the audience to sustain whatever gains the program will do in their lives.

Mayor Aquino for his part thanked the Abono Party-list in bringing the program in his town. He told his constituents that the program is a test case for them in planting white corn and vegetables in their farms.

“Don’t think about the prizes, (just) plant. Struggle to win the contest and exert efforts not only for yourself but even for your families,” Mayor Aquino said.

He said that they should reciprocate what the Abono is doing for their town. He recalled that during the polls in 2007, his town was one of the towns in Tarlac that supported the party.

Municipal Agricultural Officer Menardo Gabriel expressed his commitment to monitor and support the program saying that while they appreciate the inorganic fertilizers given to them, still they will find ways to sustain the program with their organic fertilizers.

The town is noted for the production of organic fertilizers through their waste segregation and management program.

The technical briefing was provided by Leny Flores, an Abono Party-list staff. She presented to the group the land plan in which the corn and vegetables will be planted. Each barangay will set aside a 500 square meters lot, 200 square meters will be planted to vegetables and the remaining 300 square meters to white corn.

Earlier, the Gulayan at Maisan sa Barangay was launched in the municipalities of Camiling, Paniqui, Ramos, Pura and San Manuel. Two more towns in the province are interested to join the program- Anao and San Clemente.