Palawan farm destination gets gov’t boost for dairy production

Published: February 13, 2020 01:25pm | PUERTO PRINCESA CITY


PUERTO PRINCESA CITY—Yamang Bukid Farm, one of Palawan’s most visited tourism destinations, is embarking on dairy production to help improve the nutrition of school children, especially those in public schools.

Photo by Br. George Maria

This after the farm tourism destination in the city’s Barangay Bacungan availed of a soft loan from the Philippine Carabao Center (PCC) to raise imported and high quality breed of carabao that can be a good source of milk and other dairy products.

Some 11 Murrah buffaloes were initially given by the Nueva Ecija-based state animal propagation hub in a “public-private partnership scheme” to the Puerto Princesa City farm destination, according to Dr. Arnel del Barrio, PCC executive director.

Photo by Br. George Maria

“This is part of our carabao enterprise development wherein we help cooperatives, individual farmers (and) families by lending them the carabaos like a soft loan.
Beneficiaries like Yamang Bukid Farm repay it with another carabao which will be given to (another beneficiary),” Del Barrio said.

Ten female buffaloes (also technically known as cows) and a bull were received by Yamang Bukid Farm and were promptly shipped from Nueva Ecija midweek.

While at sea, one of the four pregnant buffaloes gave birth to a healthy female calf affectionately called “baby YB.”

Hezir Rabaya, one of the farm’s managers who fetched the herd said a concrete barn was built on a hill overlooking the sprawling farm to house the animals.

“We have enough facilities and personnel for this project,” said Rabaya.

The farming destination, Rabaya said, has several employees who underwent training on quality milk production at PCC recently. These Yamang Bukid employees are the ones who will help him in taking care pf the imported water buffaloes and in doing the milk production.

Del Barrio said PCC typically disperses 200 carabaos yearly on average and that Yamang Bukid Farm is among the “numerous applicants” to the program.

“Yours is exceptional. Your story of doing business to help others is inspiring. I also came to know that you are accredited (as a training center) by (Agricultural Training Institute). In short, you have everything PCC can hope for in a partner (in this project),” the PCC head said.

He said both PCC and Yamang Bukid Farm are on the same advocacy of helping provide livelihood to farmers and their families.

“The bottomline is to help alleviate poverty and give good nutrition to the schoolchildren,” the official said.

Del Barrio said Yamang Bukid can also include dairy and milk production a component to its ATI-accredited trainings and further boost its capabilities as a learning site.

The sprawling farm tourism draw, which attracts at least 5, 000 visitors weekly, is known for its well-manicured gardens of ornamental plants, succulents, among others and is into sustainable farming of vegetables and other crops.

It employs nearly 300 farmworkers, over 90 percent of whom are former illegal loggers and charcoal-makers who have since become protectors of the environment.
(Juan Lim)

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Veteran physician endorses Yamang Bukid’s way of “natural health and wellness”

  • A Quezon City-based physician has hailed the natural and organic products of Yamang Bukid Healthy Products Inc. (YBHPI) as ideal food supplements even as he urged people to go natural in food and wellness products.

    A tourist shows off her bundle of sumbulo (suman sa buho), a glutinous rice cake cooked in bamboo and is a popular delicacy at the Yamang Bukid Farm in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan. The emerging farm tourism destination has been praised for its organic products and nature-friendly farming activities.
    (Photo by Emee Lapurga)

    In an interview by Puerto Princesa City broadcaster and city councilor Elgin Damasco, Dr. Mario Adraneda noted YBHPI stores are sprouting up in Quezon City and in other areas in the capital, which he said is a good indication that natural and organically-made food supplements are readily available.

    He said Yamang Bukid’s turmeric-based products, particularly the Turmeric 10-in-1 tea is a good supplement for those suffering rheumatism as it is a known vasodilator, or that which helps veins and arteries become wider thus helping blood and nutrients flow smoothly.

    Sales personnel at a Yamang Bukid Healthy Products Inc. outlet inside a shopping mall in Quezon City, with the food supplement maker's array of health and wellness products (YB photo)

    “Yamang Bukid (turmeric 10-in-1 tea) is a combination of turmeric and lemongrass which have been proven good for our body,” said Adraneda, a 43-year veteran gastroenterologist who currently practices at Delos Santos Medical Center. He admits being a user of the health and wellness tea.

    Aside from turmeric and lemongrass, Yamang Bukid’s turmeric 10-in-1 tea has also eight other herbs as ingredients that are recognized by experts for their medicinal properties. These include pandan, sambong, lagundi, banaba, ginger, malunggay, peppermint and Gynura procumbens.

    Adraneda noted people’s unhealthy diet and sedentary lifestyle has caused prevalence of disease that afflicted even to the young. “During our time, most people usually got sick at age 65 or above. But nowadays, we can hear of children and teenagers getting hypertension, cancers or heart diseases,” Adraneda told Damasco.

    He urged people to go natural and maintain healthy non-sedentary lifestyle. “Exercise regularly, eat healthy food that are free from preservatives and take food supplements that help enhance healthy bodily functions like Yamang Bukid products,” the gastro-intestinal specialist said.

    “Let’s try nature’s way of wellness. Let’s support alternative food supplements like Yamang Bukid’s,” Adraneda said.
    During his visit at the Yamang Bukid Farm in Puerto Princesa’s Barangay Bacungan, Adraneda praised the delicious and organically-prepared food, such as native chicken, that according to him did not contain any genetically-modified organisms (GMOs). Present in preservatives and in livestock and poultry that are artificially manipulated in the laboratory, GMOs are known harmful to the body and can cause various diseases. “Let’s advocate going organic,” he said. (JL)
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Former illegal loggers
reconcile with nature

  • Yamang Bukid Farm’s observance of Earth Day 2019 took an inspiringly ironic turn: Former illegal loggers –over a hundred of them —led the whole day tree-planting event on April 22.

    Leading representatives of Palawan-based NGOs, local officials, including Palawan coastguards, the illegal loggers-turned-farmers vowed to take care of a thousand saplings of various species they help plant.

    Organized by the Yamang Bukid Farm, the tree-planting event in Barangay Bacungan, Puerto Princesa, began a Holy Mass attended by hundreds of participants.
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DOT nominates Yamang Bukid Farm for major tourism award

  • Yamang Bukid Farm, an emerging farm tourism destination in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan, is being shortlisted for a major award on farm tourism.
    This after Yamang Bukid Farm was nominated by the Department of Tourism—Mimaropa (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, Palawan) to represent the region in this year’s Lakbay Bukid Awards.
    In nominating Yamang Bukid Farm, Danilo Intong, DOT Mimaropa regional director, in a letter, cited the farm destination’s efforts at promoting community-participated farm tourism.

    (Photos by JM ZAP)

    “As this regional office sees the efforts and practices of your organization in involving the communities and pushing for a more sustainable and inclusive growth community through farm tourism, we are pleased to inform you that (DOT-Mimaropa) is nominating (the Farm) for the 2019 Lakbay Bukid Awards,” Intong wrote Hope Alas, YBFP tourism campaign manager.

    The contest, Intong said, will highlight the 6th Philippine Farm Tourism Conference by the International School of Sustainable Tourism (ISST) on Nov. 6-8, 2019 at Cebu City. “Part of the event is the Lakbay-Bukid Award which gives recognition of the resiliency, ingenuity and the strength of our hardworking farmers, fisherfolk and others,” he added. Alas was grateful to DOT Mimaropa for the nomination even as she underscored the farmers’ role in transforming the farm tourism site to it has become now.

    The 20-plus hectare landholding in the hilly and forested area of Sitio (Sub-village) Candes III, Bacungan has been transformed into a virtual paradise of rural park, with well-manicured flower and vegetable gardens, Instagrammable sites; a restaurant serving local dishes made from organically-grown and naturally-raised crops, poultry and livestock and over 200-strong community of farmers who are former illegal loggers—turned-environmentalists.

    “This nomination would not be possible without the hardworking farmers and dedicated people of Yamang Bukid Farm,” she said. “This nomination will once again bring pride to the happy farming community of Yamang Bukid Farm. We will continue living a life for others by doing business with a heart,” added Alas.
    (JL)
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