How PhilRice Can Align Work With William Dar's "New Thinking For Agriculture" Faster!

On Facebook Thursday, 22 August 2019, Bruce Tolentino, former Deputy Director of IRRI, shared the link to the latest issue of PhilRice Magazine (image above). I downloaded, and the inside front says:

As imported and cheaper rice floods our market, now, more than ever, is the best time to rally behind our farmers. Let us help them produce more rice efficiently; buy their harvests at a fair price; and show them that we value their work. After all, the rice that they produce is what connects us and makes us Filipinos.

So! Our PhilRice journalists are making a pitch to Filipinos to support our farmers in the name of patriotism. Good, but not good enough.

You need more than love of country in these competitive times, when imported rice is cheaper than local. Good for families, bad for farmers.

Which is only one of the reasons why new Secretary of Agriculture William Dar, who is an agriculturist by profession, a graduate of Benguet State University and UP Los Baños, came up with what he called "New Thinking for Agriculture" in his column at the Manila Times even before he was appointed by President Rodrigo Duterte as Secretary of Agriculture.

In my short essay of 15 August 2019, "Secretary William Dar Starts To Map The Chaos Of PH Agriculture" (Creativity Works! icreativityworks.blogspot.com), I listed Mr Dar's "15 priority concerns for the next 100 days" that he announced to all of DA on the very day he assumed office, 05 August; here is #8:

(8) Sustain a massive information and communication campaign, (identifying and) highlighting countryside heroes.

On 21 August, I saw Mr Dar's Facebook post where he mentions clearly "Masaganang Ani, Mataas Na Kita" (Plenteous Harvest, Plentiful Income, my translation). In my essay, "My Hero For Today & The Next 100 Days: William Dar With His New Thinking For Agriculture," Creativity Works! icreativityworks.blogspot.com), I found my hero – what about PhilRice? It should find more heroes via Ani & Kita!

Meanwhile, is PhilRice moving towards higher harvests plus higher incomes of farmers? A little. I check, and the PhilRice website says (All News, philrice.gov.ph/news):

Hybrid rice demo in Oriental Mindoro now open to farmers (8/19/2019)
Agri chief bares strategy to double farmers’ income (8/19/2019)
Pest-free imported rice assured (8/14/2019)
PhilRice clinches human resource bronze award (7/24/2019)

Which shows that PhilRice mentioned the new Secretary only after 2 weeks from assuming office! People of PhilRice communications, news travels fast – it should travel faster now, at lightning speed!

Yes, PhilRice journalists need some high-energy Show & Tell from a veteran journalist who has been digital & creative since the year 2000.

Alone, I blog almost everyday; and I am self-taught. Almost 79, if I can do it, you can do it! Like: The Editor of PhilRice Magazine should be blogging. Email me frankahilario@gmail.com; then, at PhilRice headquarters in Muñoz, Nueva Ecija, I can conduct a 1-week workshop on creative journalism for any number of participants simultaneously.

PhilRice, you owe it to Filipinos to be more creative & up-to-date!@517