Every year, a month-long celebration every November is observed in the Center through Presidential Proclamation No. 524, s.2004 and Proclamation No. 1030, s.2015 making the month of November the National Rice Awareness Month (NRAM) and Organic Agriculture (OA) Month. Starting 2022-2028 the NRAM Celebration is guided by the theme “Be RiCEPONSIBLE everyone has a part to play!” and “Maunlad na Pagsasaka, Garantisado sa Organikong Agrikulturang Sinaliksik” for the OA month, respectively.
While the NRAM has been celebrated for quite some time already, the Organic Agriculture Month is still in its 8th year of promoting organic agriculture by focusing national attention on the importance of organic agriculture in enhancing global competitiveness and environmental integrity, increasing food security and safety, and alleviating poverty.
This year, the Center had a series of activities lined-up for the said celebration.
A kick-off activity through a Sabayang Tanghalian transpired on November 7-11, 2023, where we encouraged our partner agencies and Learning Site for Agriculture/Farm Schools to send us a short video clip while they are having lunch together, ensuring that the rice, be it local rice or pigmented/colored rice, is visible on their table and exclaiming in unison the theme “Be RiCEPONSIBLE everyone has a part to play!”.
Moreover, the PALAYhigalaay sa ATI: Rice and Organic V3.0, officially commenced on November 17-18, 2023. This is a yearly activity composed of fun games and challenges that promotes the camaraderie and teamwork of the staff.
Among the highlights conducted during the opening program on November 17 is the staff’s wearing of the national costume of their chosen rice-eating countries. While in the afternoon, four teams battled out for the test of wits during the Quiz Bigas via Kahoot, where scope and coverage are topics related to Rice and Organic Agriculture, and at the same time vying for the title of chef de partie for this year’s Chef Wars: Organic & Rice Edition.
On November 18, a “Don’t Panic: Let’s eat Benignit, Arozcaldo, and Champorado” feeding program was organized by the ATI staff intended for drivers, students, and selected locales in El Salvador City. The hanging of tarpaulins for local rice traders, which intends to raise awareness among public consumers to buy locally-produced rice at the El Salvador Public Market was also done, as led by Center Director Maria Lydia Echavez together with PMEU Chief Mael Japheth G. Alvarez, Information Services Section ( ISS) Chief Maria Eloisa A. Akut, and ATI-RTC X RICE/RCEF staff. In the afternoon, the Amazing Rice Organic & Rice Edition, where ATI staff unleashed their sportsmanship and competitive selves got the ball rolling. Four teams contended against each other, conquering the challenges of the six stations manned by the RICE/RCEF staff.
To conclude the month-long celebration, a house-to-house distribution of locally grown rice and IEC materials were distributed through “Bigas Bigayan”. Fifty selected senior citizens, who are residents of El Salvador City, received 10 kilos each of locally-milled rice. The successful activity transpired in partnership with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) through the Office of the Senior Citizens Affairs (OSCA).
The month-long celebration was sponsored by ATI-RTC X PASS Chief and Organic Agriculture Coordinator Javier P. Andalan, together with ATI RTC X RICE/RCEF staff headed by their coordinator Jhoylie Mae R. Caumban, along with Bryan Jay V. Cabugwason, Reymard M. Galarrita, Angelli C. Doña, and Daisy Joy R. Sales.#
