PALO, Leyte - In a significant move towards scaling up of organic agriculture practitioners in the region, the Agricultural Training Institute - Regional Training Center 8 continues to conduct a series of activities on the Participatory Guarantee System.
The Participatory Guarantee System (PGS) is a transformative approach to organic certification in the Philippines, designed specifically to empower smallholder farmers and increase the accessibility of organic produce for local consumers.
The training aims to equip participants with the knowledge and skills to develop and establish Internal Standards and a Manual of Operations aligned with the Philippine National Standards for Organic Agriculture and other relevant PNS, in preparation for PGS recognition and organic certification.
Ms. Carin B. Martirez discussed the salient points of IRR of RA 11511 and its guidelines, Ms. Graciel V. Gacutan discussed the PNS on Organic Agriculture, Mr. Pablo Quimen facilitated the preparation of the Manual of Operation and Internal Standards, and Ms. Marilyn T. Ritaga of Da-RFO 8 shared information about the Organic Agriculture Programs.
Ms. Judy Paz Caday shares that the training felt like a community for organic practitioners to learn and share knowledge, which strengthened their confidence and determination to fully commit and work hard to get an organic certification and accreditation. “We are truly grateful to ATI for inviting our group, MAOSI, to participate in this training. We are very serious about achieving organic certification this year, and the invitation came at the perfect time for us.” She added, “At first, when we learned that OMMRO would also be joining, we honestly felt small because we knew they had been practicing organic farming for a long time. However, during the five days we spent together, we never felt belittled. Instead, they guided us, shared their knowledge generously, and showed their willingness to help. We truly felt that we were one community.”
Participants developed their Internal Standards, Manual of Operations, Application for Certification, Farm Profile, Farm Map, Farm Layout, and Organic Management Plan. Further, OMMRO PGS Leyte and MAOSI are scheduled to submit their application for organic certification in the 2nd week of March, with a pre-inspection of RPAT for both groups on March 16-20, 2026.
A total of 20 participants completed the training on Participatory Guarantee System (PGS) Groups Towards Organic Certification on March 23-27, 2026 at 4H Hub, Palo, Leyte.
