February 2 is a historic day for the Agricultural Training Institute – Regional Training Center – Cordillera Administrative Region (ATI-RTC-CAR). On February 2, 1980, or 45 years ago the building of the former Regional Training Center for Rural Development (RTC RD) at the then Mountain State Agricultural College (now Benguet State University) was inaugurated. The building is now home to the ATI-RTC-CAR with the southern wing of the original structure rehabilitated and reinaugurated on April 8, 2021.
The RTC – RD is part of a nationwide network called the Philippine Training Centers for Rural Development (PTC – RD) created through Presidential Decree (PD) No. 1145 which then President Ferdinand Marcos Sr signed on May 30, 1977. The Network was under the supervision of the National Government Board attached to the Department of Agriculture (DA) with the DA Secretary as its Chair. Its members are the secretaries of the Department of Agrarian Reform, Department of Education and Culture, Department of Local Governments and Community Development, Department of Natural Resources, the Chancellor of the University of the Philippines at Los Baños, and one prominent leader or practitioner in rural development. In creating PTC – RD, PD No. 1145 reasoned that “effective rural development strategy includes science-based production technology, support services and socially oriented programs for agriculturally-based communities where the primary activities are in crop, livestock, fishery, and forestry production”.
The Decree noted that “implementation of the programs for agriculturally-based communities require the concerted support and complementation of the respective field staffs, development workers and extension workers of the different government agencies”. Thus PD No. 1145 recognized that “the extension workers require a continuous deepening and widening of competence to achieve a wide community participation and strong individual commitment of both the extension workers and the resident local leaders”. It furthered that “systematic training programs and related activities are necessary to secure constantly developing competence among extension workers and farmer leaders, and such programs need to be continuously assessed and related to national development plans and goals.” Finally, the Decree found that “agricultural Colleges and Universities have the critical mass of experts and research information necessary to improve the training of extension workers and farmers leaders for development in the Philippines” thus the PTC RD regional training centers were strategically established in agricultural Colleges and Universities.
Fast forward, on January 30, 1987 almost a decade since PD No. 1145, then President Corazon C. Aquino issued Executive Order (EO) No. 116 which, among others, merged the Philippine Agricultural Training Council, Philippine Training Center for Rural Development, and Bureau of Agricultural Extension into the Agricultural Training Institute or the ATI. EO No. 116 then mandated the ATI to “train Ministry field technicians in extension work with emphasis on technology transfer techniques; train generalists in regional field offices; and conduct multi-level training programs to promote and accelerate rural development.” This mandate was further strengthened through Republic Act 8435 or the Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Act of 1997 and other succeeding laws.
