Global Peace Festival Foundation
Philippines
University Students and Officials celebrate 3rd Global Peace Festival Day in the Campus by giving to GPFF-ALS Communities
Global Peace Community Farm Supports Enhancement of La Paz
Water Facility to Improve Harvest
On July 23, GPFF Program Manager for Global Peace Community Farm Ms. Jocelyn Remigio awarded a cash donation of Php 28,000 ($675) to La Paz National High School in Carmen, Davao del Norte to enhance the water facility system that will help improve the fish and vegetable harvest in the school and therefore advance its expansion to the community.
Mr. Boy Cunanan, executive assistant of La Paz Mayor Marcelino Perandos, thanked GPFF in behalf of Hon. Perandos for choosing La Paz National High School as the pilot area of GP Community Farm and expressed his support for the sustainability of the project.
Also present during the program is Mr. Emmanuel Marquez Jr., Global Peace Connect Asia Director, who spoke on the importance of making Global Peace Community Farm in La Paz National High School a community driven development project. He emphasize that the key and most important factor to attain this is the ownership of the community people.
Other partners present are Dr. Cristy Epe, Schools Division Superintendent (Deped, Division of Davao Del Norte) represented by Dr. Virginia Perandos, Education Suervisor; Dr. Lourdes Navarro, DepEd ALS Supervisor who is the author of School inside the Fish (SiFish) project; Hon. Cinderella Radjab, the barangay captain of La Paz; and, Mrs. Marylou Alagon, the new principal of La Paz National High School.
More importantly, administrators of La Paz National High School reported that the most significant project is the fish condominium which remains to be a laudable effort with the assistance of GPFF. On July, the school management infused tilapia fingerlings in the fish barrels since the specie can withstand the water condition containing a minor degree of salinity. Meanwhile, the African catfish transferred to the earthen pond will be harvested on August 23, 2012 for community profit.
Future Plans
A consultation with Dr. Wesley Rosario of Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) resulted to a recommendation of introducing and implementing Taro (a native root and leaf vegetable staple to Philippine culture and commonly found at
backyards) and Fish Culture to the community of La Paz, Carmen as an additional project to advance community-driven development and livelihood.
The culture of fish in taro plots is an agro-aqua integrated farming technology found to be practical and profitable for household-backyard food production, micro-business and village nutrition. It is more manageable than African catfish in a fish condo if it will be handled by each family or cluster.
Moreover, Dr. Rosario added that since Carmen is a coastal community, the solar salt-making project that was previously started can help the families improve their livelihood using the abundant resources found within their community.
LEFT: Ms. Jocelyn Remigio, Program Manager of Global Peace Community Farm awards cash incentive to La Paz National High School for the improvement of water facility system. RIGHT: Partners and administrators observe the earthen pond on the school background containing African catfish and tilapia species waiting for harvest.
Dr. Wesley Rosario shows a sample of taro plot for fish culture.