Batac celebrates 11th Farmers Festival

By Dominic B. dela Cruz

Staff reporter

Batac City—Thousands of local, domestic and foreign tourists converged in this city to witness this year’s 11^th Farmers Festival celebration held May 1-5, 2019 with the theme: Rambakan Iti Panagdur-as Iti Biag Ni Mannalaon.

This year’s festival kicked off with a motorcade around the city and a thanksgiving mass held at the Immaculate Conception Parish as the Batacqueños thanked the Almighty for the fruitful agricultural blessings followed by the official opening of said festival with a “Salo-Salo Merienda” which featured native delicacies for snacks were served.

On the same day was the pre-judging of booths and exhibits, best photo booths and zanjera dance competition participated by the different rural barangays.

May 2, 2019 marked the judging of the “PINAKA HVCDP”, corn, fresh water fish, livestock and endangered animals; Catching Piglets; Dog Show; Laro ng Lahi, RIC Dance Competition and the coronation night of the new Balasang Ti Away 2019 Queens.

This year’s Balasang Ti Away 2019 winners are: Balasang Ti Away 2019 Erica Mae P. Lizardo of Barangay Camguidan; 1^st Runner-Up Kimberly Nicole Arellano of Barangay San Mateo; 2^nd Runner-Up Kathlyn Obien of Barangay Dariwdiw; 3^rd Runner-Up Kristine Cairin Cocson of Barangay Cangrunaan and 4^th Runner-Up Lovelyn Joy Canlas of Barangay Magnuang.

Farmers were also given the chance to attend a field walk to a vegetable derby techno-demo farm and an innovative garlic technology forum on May 3, 2019 followed by an empanada cook fest and eating contest participated by the public.

On May 4, 2019 farmers displayed their creativity and innovativeness during the “Carosa Parade” and “Parade of Floats” by clustered barangays and participated in by around 7,500 farmers with their respective Balasang Ti Away bets as muses.

Same day also featured the parade of dogs and K9 including the most awaited carabao/cattle parade in which the most decorated carabao was chosen.

As part of the said celebration, the city government of Batac headed by Mayor Albert D. Chua distributed multi-purpose 45 hand tractors with cultivator, trailer, pump, cage wheel and generator to the different registered zanjeras last April 17 as manifestation of the city government’s commitment in constantly empowering its farming community.

Likewise, 123 zanjeras organizations in the city received five rolls each of hoses, 28 water pumps to farmers, generator sets and four harvesters to every clustered barangay which were distributed on April 27, 2019.

Highlighting the festival was the distribution of around 32,000 bags of fertilizers to farmers prior to the distribution of high value crops of vegetables with the farmers who plants vegetables earlier.

Mr. Chua said that of the 7,500 farmers, each received one triple-14 fertilizer, one urea fertilizer, two organic fertilizer, and one sachet of soil conditioner.

“Daytoy iti makitak a makapabileg iti tumunggal maysa a mannalon iti biang iti agrikultura tapno agsapasap iti progreso ken panagdur-as iti siudad kangrunaan dagiti appo a mannalon,” Mr. Chua said.

Records show that 80 percent of Batac residents are farmers.

Mr. Chua added that the funding for the distributed farm machineries including fertilizers and hybrid crops, farm to market roads and trainings came from the city’s share in RA 7171, or the “Tobacco Excise Tax” and a portion of their share from the RA 8240.

He said that these were still the city’s share in 2014 and 2015 in the amount of P307 million.

Of the total amount, the mayor said around P115 million went to the construction of farm-to-market roads, around P30 million for the improvement and rehabilitation of SFR’s and other farming related.

As of press time, Mr. Chua said that concreting of farm to market roads has now reached almost 40 kilometers, averaging around one kilometer per barangay.

“Ket no adda man pay nabat-bati, adda met planu iti siyudad a mangituloy dagitoy tapnu makumpleto kasi iti programak ket looking forward no kasanu iti pinangisagana iti Batac on rural development for the next 10 to 15 years kasi umad adu iti tattao,” Mr. Chua said.

For the part of urban barangays, Mr. Chua also announced that they also received projects under the 20 percent development fund of the city in the amount of P200,000 each, including illuminations particularly of street lightings, peace and order, CCTVs, improvement of integrated drainage canals, clean and green program and health services.

Relative to this, Mr. Chua thanked all the rural barangays particularly the barangay officials and farmers for their participation in the successful conduct of this year’s 11^th Farmers Festival thanking and celebrating the fruitful agricultural blessings given by the Almighty.