Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord and not for human masters - a verse from the book of Colossians Krist Joseph Cadlaon lives upon. Living by this principle, Krist, a resident of Brooke’s Point Palawan believes that he exists because he has a mission to fulfill, a purpose that is far greater than he could imagine. Currently working at the Municipal Agriculture Office in their municipality, he uses this verse as a guiding principle that motivates him to serve his community passionately.
As a child, Krist often tagged along with his father on his veterinary services, exposing him to animal health care activities. These experiences became his platform for gaining first-hand knowledge and awakened his passion for agriculture. “Ito yung nag mold ng aking interest para magtake ng Veterinary Medicine,” he said. However, due to financial limitations, Krist did not pursue this course, he took Bachelor of Science in Agriculture, Major in Animal Science, instead.
Though his college degree is not his first choice, little did he know this would lead him to open doors of opportunities. In 2011, Krist was one of the two students selected as representatives for the 11-month Agrostudies Internship Program in Israel. He considered this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity as a great training of character where he developed patience, persistence, and mental endurance– characteristics he capitalized on being a government employee. A year after his internship abroad, he took the civil service examination and started working at the Municipal Agriculture Office, as a Job Order Staff. Krist shared that he feared taking the board exam because he thought passing was a big challenge. Mustering his courage and motivation to be a permanent government employee, Krist took the board exam in 2015 and passed it upon his first take. He was then assigned to Livestock Extension, and at the same time continued assisting farmers in applying at Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation (PCIC) for the “Insurance sa Palay” which is a project of their municipality.
Krist admits that he fears speaking in public. As a young Agricultural Extension Worker (AEW), he vividly recalls when he stammered during his first training in Palawan because of his fear. He said that he was nominated to attend the Extension Delivery System conducted by the Agricultural Training Institute (ATI) MIMAROPA in 2023 in Puerto Princesa City. “During micro-teaching, noong time na nagpresent ako, ako yata yung pinaka nauutal, at ‘yong kaba ko ay nagmamanifest sa boses ko”, Krist shared.
He reached his turning point during an 18-day intensive training in Artificial Insemination held at the University of the Philippines in Los Banos, Laguna, with participants coming from different Local Government Units in CALABARZON and MIMAROPA. Krist had a breakthrough when presenting his knowledge gained and re-entry plan. Though he is not used to discussing in front of a crowd, he navigates through his fear to deliver what is expected of him.
Looking back, Kris just smiled at the memory of how he stammered and became so anxious speaking in public. He viewed training as an integral part of his journey, molding him to where he is today. Krist’s involvement in leading religious and civic organizations also gave him platforms to hone his personal growth and confidence.
Working on his weaknesses and overcoming his fears strengthened Krist’s character and built his confidence. The trainings he attended laid out the foundation that prepared him for bigger responsibilities.
In 2020, Krist was designated as the Municipal High-Value Crops Coordinator. At first, the task seemed daunting since it’s beyond his Animal Science expertise and his previous experiences.
Like the old adage, “You cannot give what you do not have”, Krist had to enrich his knowledge and skills to give quality service and address the concerns of vegetable farmers, particularly in pest management. He had to explore and learn things out of his comfort zone and rise to the challenges of his new role.
Krist shared that his compassion and passion for helping the farmers, especially the marginalized sector, deepened when they experienced a flood in January 2022 brought by a Low-Pressure Area (LPA). It was his turning point, an eye opener where he felt more driven than before to help vegetable farmers and give them the same importance as the rice growers. During that time, responses to damage reports on palay were quicker than those on vegetables, thus Krist had his resolve that he must establish an organization of high-value crop growers. Despite the distance, the unpredictable weather, and the long and tiring treks, Krist persevered to reach his target farmers, including the Indigenous People (IP) residing in the mountainous areas. From seven farmer associations they had before, Krist was able to have a total of 21 active Farmer Associations, each barangay, having one to two associations. This is a testament to his dedication and a resounding proof that nothing is impossible, if you put your mind and heart to something you want to achieve.
Through his networks, Krist also found opportunities for partnerships, which forged a linkage between the farmers he organized and the government and non-government agencies. He was able to establish connections with the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) F2C2 Program and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and other non-governmental organizations. Through USAID, farmers were given interventions on vegetable and purple yam “ube” production, and this bridged the way to connect the ube growers who belong to the Palao’an’s Tribe to Sunlight Foods Corporation (SFC) - a major supplier of ube to Selecta and Red Ribbon. Through the partnerships, the IPs produce is directly sold to SFC at a price higher than the prevailing market price.
The Training on Integrated Pest Management (IPM) for Lowland Vegetables held in Farm Teach, Brgy. Bacungan, Puerto Princesa City, Palawan paved the way to another brilliant project. Krist conceptualized a project proposal focusing on the use of IPM and Natural Farming approaches to avoid the use of excessive chemicals. “Ang ating mga IP communities ngayon ay pinapasok na rin sila ng mga ahente ng chemical companies, and since karamihan sa kanila ay no read at no write, pag binigyan mo ng pesticide hindi nila kayang basahin ang label, yung instruction kung paano iaapply, so kawawa sila at kawawa yung bibili ng gulay nila”, Krist said. He wanted to promote safe farming practices and ensure that the growers and consumers health and safety are protected.Almost half a million in funding for the 4 batches of training on Leadership with Integrated Pest Management (IPM) was granted. Krist also envisions having a strong association, a fully independent champion organization. Thus, he emphasizes enterprise development in each conducted training. At present, he is grooming one of his organized farmers’ group, the Maasin Vegetable Gardeners Association, to be a champion in vegetable production and he is looking forward to their success story. The Maasin Vegetable Gardeners Association which started in 2020 is a strong group that was given recognition from private organizations. The group has a communal garden where they collaboratively work every Saturday – showing a strong spirit of unity and shared responsibility as the key to their progress.
Currently, Krist is implementing the Farm and Fisheries Clustering and Consolidation approach to help small-scale farmers have the leverage of economies of scale and promote sustainable farming practices. Through one of the consultation activities held in the province, he was inspired to emulate the clustering and consolidation program with marketing of the City Agriculture Office of Puerto Princesa. Krist is also planning to set up KADIWA to promote direct access or “farm-to-market” access to agricultural produce and looking forward to this project to be implemented to contribute to food affordability and availability in their municipality. He is also gearing towards modern and highly mechanized farm operations for their vegetable sector.
Krist finds pleasure visiting the farmers and knowing their experiences, and how their programs have made a positive impact on the farmers’ lives, and the organizations they belong to. He shared that he felt more encouraged when he read the Purpose Driven life – a book authored by Ptr. Rick Warren. “Mas na encourage ako noong mabasa ko na I exist for a purpose at ang mga bagay na ginagawa ko ay may impact sa community na kinabibilangan ko, kung saan ako inilagay, kaya kung may pipiliin ako, dapat yung laging nakaka contribute na maganda, productive at positive,”he shared. This book awakened in him a greater love for his profession, his purpose as a government employee, and as an agent of change. The Purpose Driven Life showed him how to live out the purpose he is called for, keeping him grounded while moving towards living a successful,and meaningful life. “Ang mga bagay na ginagawa ko ay hindi lang para sa akin kundi to give glory sa Panginoon”, Krist added.
“To the younger generations of AEWs, ‘pag dumating yung araw na find out mo ‘yong purpose mo, yakapin mo yun, wholeheartedly and whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters”, he stressed
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