Krizzel Rapiz, 36

Published: April 25, 2019 04:21pm | Tarlac

She lost her father when she was three and her husband was killed before her eyes in a motorcycle accident. The mother of a young daughter is trying to move on with her life and give her daughter the life she deserves by working as a sales staff of Yamang Bukid Healthy Products Inc. This is her story.

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New employees find love, care in Yamang Bukid

  • Just six months into being employed, Hecille Manansala could not help but wonder in awe how fortunate she was when Yamang Bukid Healthy Products Inc. (YBHPI) sent her gifts for Noche buena and home buiding materials last Dec. 18.

    Hecille was at her house near a rice paddy and flood-prone community in Barangay Manolo, Naga City; the wooden structure covered with tarps with beaming faces of local politicians and that of a bookseller chain.

    Her home which she shares with husband Christopher and their two teenage kids incurred damage as Typhoon Tisoy (international name: Kamurri) so getting house repair kits from her new employer was a bit of surprise to her.

    The Philippines’ number 1 turmeric tea maker, YBHPI, has gifted Hecille and 13 other sales personnel and employees in Bicol food and house repair kits to help them cope with the devastation brought by “Tisoy” after the powerful storm battered the eastern Philippine region with 200-kilometer per hour winds and intense to torrential rains last Dec. 2-3.

    “I could not go to work for two days because of toppled electric poles that blocked the highway to Legazpi,” Hecille said, adding she was also worried for her family as floodwaters were slowly rising at the back of their house.

    When the storm subsided, her house was flooded knee-deep and the family had to flee to safer grounds.

    Now weeks after the typhoon, the family of the 35-year old sales staff is picking up the pieces of their lives as they find ways to repair their house, with its roof partially giving way due to rainwater and high winds.

    “I just could not believe Yamang Bukid visited us here and brought gifts. I’m just six months with the company and its personnel and officers are showing their concern to all of us being affected by the storm,” she said.

    Over P115,000 worth of food packs and house building kits were given by YBHPI to its personnel affected by the storm in the provinces of Albay, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur and Sorsogon, according to Kim Malipe, YBHPI vice president for special events. “This is our way of helping our staff affected by the typhoon to cope and recover,” said Malipe.

    Hecille said the goodies they got would mean a happy Christmas for the family, especially the kids.

    “We will have food for the noche buena,” she said, tears welling down her cheeks. Despite being new in Yamang Bukid, Hecille said she felt being valued as part of a family.

    “I used to work at the production division of a pizza company when my husband, who works for a bookseller at a shopping mall in Legazpi told me about Yamang Bukid hiring sales personnel. I applied and was lucky to be accepted,” she said.

    Working with Yamang Bukid, she said provided the needed income to augment her husband’s and helped the family meet its financial plans, including the slow payment for the lot they’ve built their house in.

    She said the family is optimistic for the coming year even if they have experienced the wrath brought by the previous weeks’ typhoon.
    “Im grateful for Yamang Bukid for not leaving behind its employees in this time of calamity. We can celebrate a merry Christmas after all,” Hecille said.

    (JL)
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DA training exec advocates setting up of more farm schools

  • PUERTO PRINCESA CITY—The head of Department of Agriculture’s training arm in Mimaropa (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, Palawan) region has encouraged farmers to help in the government’s thrust to teach more people to become farmers themselves by setting up learning sites and farm schools.

    Pat Andrew Barrientos, center director of the Agriculture Training Institute (ATI) in the region said there is a huge need of farming institutions nationwide even as the government is allocating over P700 million yearly to fund these.

    (Photo by JM Zap)

    “We are targeting around at least three farm schools or learning sites per municipality. (But) nationwide, we only have about 30 farm schools or learning sites, so it’s really inadequate,” Barrientos said during the sidelines of a regional summit of farm schools and learning sites for agriculture in Mimaropa held at Yamang Bukid Farm in Barangay Bacungan here.

    Barrientos said a huge fund that should have benefitted the farmers would be reverted to government coffers if there would be not enough farm schools established.

    (Photo by JM Zap)

    “That’s why we are encouraging our farmers to join us in our program. We will guide them, teach them. Make their children engage in agriculture and realize there is money in agriculture right now,” the ATI regional chief said.

    He said participation of the private sector is vital to the success of the program as the agency lacks manpower.

    (Photo by JM Zap)

    “Our requirements are not that stringent so farmers can easily comply with them. Just submit a letter of intent, attend trainings given by DA-ATI and that you must own at least a hectare of property we can use as demo farm,” said Barrientos.

    Barrientos cited as example the case of Yamang Bukid Farm, a 20-plus hectare farm tourism destination site which now fast becoming a place of learning for farming.

    (Photo by JM Zap)

    “Yamang Bukid is a private entity that trained at ATI. It saw the program about becoming a learning site and applied to become an accredited and certified one,” he said.

    In pointing out the viability of a farm becoming a farm school or learning site, Barrientos said a farmer who operates a farm school or learning site can earn up to P140,000 per batch of up to 25 student-scholars per month.

    “When you become a farm school, what’s good is that you teach people, you help the community and you also make money. It’s a win-win situation,” he added.

    (Photo by JM Zap)

    He assured the would be farm schools to not worry about where and how to get student-scholars because the government has also provided incentives to those who want to learn in these farm schools and learning sites.

    Barrientos said the government’s Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) is giving allowances to student-scholars in ATI-accredited farm schools.

    Upon completion of these courses, graduates are given national competency certifications which they can use when they seek farming jobs locally or abroad, he said.

    “We are instilling a sense of pride to our farmers who earn NC II certificates even if they do not have a college diploma,” the ATI official said.

    (Photo by JM Zap)

    Barrientos called on farmers to take advantage government programs meant to help uplift their lives.

    “All we have to do is to guide them, and the farmers should be guided accordingly. They should have the commitment, willingness, and dedication to learn and see the benefit of the program,” he added.

    (Juan Lim)
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(Not a) Warning: Ginger is gingerously good to your health

  • Ginger (Zingiber officinale) is a flowering plant that is widely used as a spice. Believed to be cultivated by Southeast Asians and Oceania islanders over 7,000 years ago, the plant was introduced to the West through contacts with the Greek and later on, Roman civilizations.

    The plant then reached to India and South Asia during the peak of the Spice Trade and its medicinal uses also began to take shape then.
    In the Philippines, the plant called luya is widely used as a condiment or spice due to its tangy taste. Its rhizomes, called hands, are either consumed fresh, dehydrated, pickled or powdered. The rhizomes are also either ground or served as whole or in cuts and mixed with hot water and drank as tea.

    In a paper by Mamaril published by the Philippine Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Plant Industry (DA-BPI), ginger acts as a medicinal plant by stimulating gastric juice in the stomach. It also relieves cough and flu and is used to treat migraine, travel sickness and rheumatoid arthritis.

    The paper asserts that ginger is known to improve blood circulation and reduce fat deposits in the arteries.
    Rahman, et. al, in a paper published 2014 on the US National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) pointed out ginger’s active ingredients that may help prevent diseases.

    They said numerous clinical studies have been conducted which showed ginger’s positive role in the health management and disease prevention through “modulation of genetic and metabolic activities.”

    They said ginger has essential oil and a compound called oleoresin that exhibited significant antioxidant and anti-microbial activities. Ginger also has phenolic substance which possesses strong anti-inflammatory and anti oxidative properties “and considerable anti carcinogenic and anti-mutagenic activities.”

    The same study also posited ginger’s supposed anti-microbial activity. Rahman, et al asserted that ginger has antimicrobial activity against Escherechia coli, Salmonella typhi and other bacteria in human gastro-intestinal tract, making it a good preventive method against gastrointestinal problems and has gastroprotective effect against peptic ulcer. The same study also noted ginger’s main component gingerol, as good in helping enhance the effects against nausea and vomiting.

    A separate study by Mashhadi et. al and published 2013 on NCBI noted ginger’s anti-oxidative stress effects and anti-inflammatory potentials.
    An experiment by Weidner and Sigwart which was cited by Mashhadi et. al alleged ginger’s positive effects in reducing blood sugar, thus helping people suffering from diabetes. The experiment’s results was that gingerol significantly lowered blood glucose, serum total cholesterol and the so-called bad cholesterol or LDL.

    Yamang Bukid Healthy Products Inc. has Yamang Bukid Turmeric 10-in-1 Tea which ginger, turmeric and eight other powerful herbs that helps enhance health. Yamang Bukid’s flagship beverage is gaining popularity as a morning hot drink and substitute for coffee due to its delectably spicy taste, health and wellness benefits and affordability. You may also opt for a purely ginger experience with Yamang Bukid’s 100% Pure Powdered GINGER.
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