“Bright Leaf Agricultural Journalism Awards” 2023, Majorly, BusinessMirror Wins With Its Stories – So What’s The Story Of PH Agriculture Now?

Am sorry to say, as a self-styled aggie journalist, that the announcement of the winners of the “Bright Leaf Agricultural Journalism Awards” for 2023 was lackadaisical, half-hearted as the scanty news items tell me. Only BusinessMirror was enthusiastic because it received the most awards:

“Best Agricultural Story” is Henry E Empeño’s piece titled “Good As Gold,” on the mango industry of Zambales.

“Best Feature Story of the Year” is by Cai U Ordinario, Jovee Marie Dela Cruz, Jovy Nelle Rodriguez, Lourdes M. Fernandez & Jennifer A Ng, titled “Skyrocketing Sugar Prices Stoke Industry Liberalization Stakes.”

“Bright Leaf’s central mission is to honor Filipino agricultural journalists by providing them with the platform to showcase their work in print, audiovisual, radio, and online media,” Krip Yuson, Chair of the Board of Judges, said.

Granted, Mr Yuson – I blogger do not see how our aggie journalists are helping the PH Department of Agriculture (DA) in helping solve the 2 major problems related to agriculture:
Farmer Poverty and
Climate Change.

That is because the DA itself has no programs and/or projects addressing Farmer Poverty and Climate Change!

That none of the media stories included in the consideration of the winners of the 2023 Bright Leaf Agricultural Journalism Awards cover any aspect of Farmer Poverty and Climate Change is in fact a failure of the PH DA and not the Bright Leaf Awards.

Because of lack of enlightened leadership, the DA has not come up with any program and/or project on Farmer Poverty and Climate Change. Sorry to say, but the past Secretary of Agriculture – PH President BBM – did not address those twin Enemy Goliaths of Agriculture, as it was not in his line of expertise.

What we need is a Secretary of Agriculture who has confident knowledge of those Goliaths and knows which stones to throw to defeat them.

No Sir, such knowledge is out of the league of current Secretary of agriculture Francis Tiu Laurel. I know of only one man who can deliver the goods for us if you make him, again, Secretary of Agriculture: William Dar. He was still gathering his forces when he was replaced by BBM.

And thereby, I encourage the next year’s Bright Leaf Agricultural Journalism Awards to pay special attention to journalistic reports and news concerning Chemical Agriculture (CA) and Regenerative Agriculture (RA).

Our farmers insist on using CA in their agriculture. The chemical fertilizers and chemical pesticides keep high the costs of farming and of the health of food consumers.

Our farmers ignore the organic ways of agriculture. The organic principles and practices of growing crops result in healthy soils, healthy harvests, healthy foods, healthy incomes, and healthy villages.

Millions of farmers are adversely affected by Farmer Poverty – they need government assistances via the practices and principles of Regenerative Agriculture.

Millions more of us are adversely affected by Climate Change – we citizens must demand and collaborate with the government in order for farmers to implement Regenerative Agriculture for the good of us all!@517