3rd Pinoy Organic Festival

The Philippines is officially going for sustainable agriculture.

Republic Act No. 10068, or the “Organic Agriculture Act of 2010,” was recently signed into law by President Arroyo. This law establishes a comprehensive organic farming program, that includes incentives for farmers engaged in the production of agricultural crops free from harmful chemical pesticides and fertilizer.

To celebrate this, AANI in cooperation with One Organic Movement with the support of the Department of Agriculture present the 3RD PINOY ORGANIC FESTIVAL happening on May 28-30, 2010 with the theme “Celebrating the Philippine Organic Agriculture Law.” This event and tradeshow will be held at the AANI Herbal Garden and Livelihood Center, Quezon Memorial Circle, Quezon City.

The 3rd Pinoy Organic Festival will run for three (3) days. On the first day (May 28), organizations and associations from the Philippine organic industry will open the event. Senator Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri is the confirmed Guest of Honor and Speaker of the event. The Senator will be discussing “The Opportunities and Challenges of the Organic Agriculture Act of 2010.” Seminars on the first day will focus on Philippine Organic Land Conversion from the Bureau of Soils and Water Management and the Research and Development Assistance to Organic Agriculture by the Bureau of Agricultural Research and Philippine Council Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development, DOST.

A public forum on the Organic Agriculture Law with Reps. Leonardo Montemayor, Proceso Alcala and Ibrahim Mitra with the One Organic Philippines and Certified Organic Farms in Action like Leonie Agri Corporation, Platinum Island Farm, and Sanctuario dela Natividad Farms Inc. will be featured on the second day.

Wrapping up the 3rd Organic Festival will be seminars and lectures from the Go Organic! Philippines, Organic and Natural Fertilizers Technologies, and Organic Aquaculture and Livestock Production with speakers sharing their expertise from the said sectors.

Here’s the schedule of activities for this 3-day event:

Day 1, May 28, Friday

8am Opening Ceremonies / Prayer /National Anthem

• Welcome Remarks by Zac Sarian, AANI Chairman/President
• Overview of the 3rd Organic Festival, Engr. Pol Rubia, AANI VP for Operations
• Messages of Support

* Dir. Francisco Ramos, Agri-Business Marketing Assistance Service , Department of Agriculture

* Restie Umali, Phil. Dev’t Assistance Program (PDAP)

* Lani Limpin, Organic Certification Center of the Philippines (OCCP)

* Mara Pardo de Tavera, President, Organic Producers and Trade Association (OPTA)

* Roland Cabigas, Spokesperson, Go Organic! Philippines led by the Philippine Rural Reconstruction Movement

(PRRM) and La Liga Policy Institute (LLPI)

* Pamela Henares, President, Negros Island Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development Foundation (NISARD)

* Chito Medina, Magsasaka at Siyentipiko para sa Pag-Unlad ng Agrikultura (MASIPAG/Farmer- Scientist Partnership for Development, Inc.)

* Dr. Patricio Faylon, Executive Director, Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development / Department of Science and Technology (PCARRD/DOST)

* Dr Rogelio Colting, President, Benguet State University

* Arnold P. Salvador , Executive Director, Management Association of the Philippines (MAP)

* Jacqui Alleje, World Board Member, Int’l Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements

* Ramon Uy, Jr. President, ONOPRA (Organic na Negros ! Organic Producers and Retailers Association)

* Dr. Blessie Calub, UPLB-NEDA, Organic Vegetable Project Calabarzon

Introduction of the Guest of Honor and Speaker

• Senator Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri (confirmed)

“The Opportunities and Challenges of the Organic Agriculture Act of 2010 (Republic Act 10068)”

Master of Ceremonies: Pablito “Pabs” Villegas, OPTA Trustee, Proprietor, Villegas Organic Farm and

Convenor for Asia of the Intercontinental Network of Organic Farmers Organization

12 noon ORGANIC LUNCH with GUESTS AND FRIENDS

1-2 Organic Land Conversion and Statistics, Bureau of Soils, DA/ Ms. Babes Fernando

2-3 Benguet State University , La Trinidad , Benguet / Dr. Rogelio Colting, President BSU

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS TO ORGANIC AGRICULTURE

3-4pm Bureau Agricultural Research, DA/ Assistant Director Ted Solsoloy

4-5pm Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development

Adoracion B. Armada, Sr. Science Research Specialist – Head, Program Planning Section

Day 2, May 29, Saturday

8am – 12nn Organic Producers & Trade Association (OPTA) Presentation by Mara Pardo de Tavera, President

ONE ORGANIC PHILIPPINES : EVOLUTION TO ONENESS by Jay Corpus, Secretary-OPTA

PUBLIC FORUM on the ORGANIC AGRICULTURE LAW

Rep. Proceso Alcala. Quezon, Rep. Ibrahim Mitra, Palawan

Rep. Leonardo Montemayor, ABA Party List and FFF, Sec. Bernie Fondevilla, Dept. of Agriculture

CERTIFIED ORGANIC FARMS in ACTION

1-5pm Organic Certification Center of the Philippines (OCCP)

Laguna Organic Farm and Products (OCCP Certified Farm)

Leonie Agri Corporation (OCCP Certified Farm)

Platinum Island Farm, Tanay, Rizal (OCCP Certified Farm)

Day 3, May 30, Sunday

ORGANIC and NATURAL FERTILIZERS TECHNOLOGIES

8-9am Vermiculture by Raymond Rubia, AANI

10-11 NICERT – A Negros Presentation

11-12nn Kasama Ka Organic Coop/Villegas Organic and Hobby Farm, Malvar, Batangas

Dr. Isagani Cathedral, Head – Sustainable Agriculture & Entrepreneurship Learning Center

1-3 Go Organic! Philippines by Phil. Rural Reconstruction Movement & La Liga Policy Institute

ORGANIC AQUACULTURE & LIVESTOCK PRODUCTION

3-4 An Update on Organic Aquaculture

4-5 Free-Range Chicken Production (Solraya Sunshine Chicken) Dr.Rey Itchon

5-6pm CLOSING CEREMONIES

For inquiries, please contact Ms. Desiree Segovia at (0918) 800-1728 for SMART or (0905) 342-2265 for GLOBE. You can also get in-touch with Ms. Rhoda Galos at 497-2755. The 3rd PInoy Organic Festival is FREE to the public and everyone is invited to come and attend.

We at Pinoy Organics join the Philippine organic industry and communities in celebrating this much awaited ratification of the Organic Agriculture Law. Now that it’s approved, we are shifting gear to a “wait and see” mode as to how things will affect or change the lives of farmers, producers and consumers with this law.

How do you think will this law affect us as consumers?

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POST EVENT NOTE: If you missed the event, here’s a video clip of Rep. Leonardo Montemayor during the 3rd Pinoy Organic Festival forum last May 29, 2010. We took this video without a tripod so please bear with the jerky portions. We decided to still post it for the information value of the video.