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Written by Luzminda Tamayo
Photos taken by Nataniel Bermudez

The Regional Technical Search Committee of the Department of Agriculture Region IV- CALABARZON for Regional Organic Agriculture Search pre-validated seven (7) entries in the region. The following are the entries in the region: Province of Laguna for Provincial Category; Marlon Tobias of Province of Laguna for Provincial Focal Person Category; Ofelia Malabanan of Sto. Tomas, Batangas for Municipal Focal Person Category; Melanie Lopez of Sto. Tomas, Batangas for Agricultural Extension Worker Category; Cabriga Family of Tayabas City, Quezon for Farm Family Category; Alicia Valdoria of Tayabas City for Small Farmer Individual Category and Sto. Tomas Organic Practitioners Association (STOPA) of Batangas for Farmers’ Group Category.

The Regional Technical Search Committee (RTSC) is chaired by Regional Technical Director Milo D. delos Reyes and co-chaired by Dir. Lucia Campomanes, Agricultural Training Institute, Regional Agricultural and Fisheries Council (RAFC), Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Division (AMAD), Regional Agriculture and Fisheries Information Division (RAFID), and Regulatory Division.

Dir. Campomanes discussed the Selection Criteria and Requirements for each of the different categories based on the Department Order No. 05, series of 2018, dated March 2, 201, signed by the Secretary. The said department order also includes the composition of all the committees from the National Organic Agriculture Board down to the Provincial Technical Committee.

The scrapbooks of each entry were pre-validated by the RTSC to be followed by field validation. Discussions followed led by RTD delos Reyes who shared his comments, suggestions and insights on the video presentation of some of the entries. He advised to follow those inputs in order to improve the presentation which everybody agreed.

No entry is declared winner yet.