Batac farmers, stakeholders get free services in MMSU’s ‘Parambak’

Staff of the College of Medicine, College of Health Sciences, and the University Infirmary conduct free medical services as part of the farm festivity held at MMSU on January 31, 2020. (Reynaldo E. Andres)

By Reynaldo E. Andres

Contributor

City of BATAC—More than 500 farmers and their families, including representatives of various stakeholders have received free medical and other social services on January 31, 2020 during a lively farm festivity held in the main campus of the Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU) in this city.

Dubbed “Parambak Iti MMSU 2020” [Festivity in MMSU 2020], the activity provided free medical consultations, technology promotions, and served as a venue where everyone can buy cheap organically-grown agricultural commodities produced by the University.

“This festivity has several components where various colleges of MMSU delivered their mandates to the community through the expert services of their staff,” said Dr. Aris Reynold Cajigal, director of MMSU’s Extension Directorate, who spearheaded the festivity.

In the health and wellness activity, for instance, hundreds of senior citizens were given free medical consultation, vitamins, and medicines by the faculty and staff of the College of Medicine, College of Health Sciences, and the University Infirmary.

Also, the College of Arts and Sciences conducted a lecture on proper hygiene among school children on the proper way of washing hands to avoid viral infection, while the College of Industrial Technology and the College of Engineering offered free services in electrical installations for rural household through their “Pasilaw [lighting] program”. The university library, too, donated books to community libraries as part of its extension and literacy program.

But the liveliest part of the festivity was the “Tienda Ni Presidente” [President’s Store], which drew the attention of buyers from nearby communities because it sold organically-grown farm products at much cheaper prices, and highly-viable legume and vegetables seeds as planting materials for next farming season.

MMSU President Shirley C. Agrupis leads the selling of organically-grown farm products produced by MMSU. (Reynaldo E. Andres)

Delighted on the outcome of various services, MMSU President Shirley C. Agrupis said, “I am overwhelmed,  because you [farmers] understand that we are doing this to bring you closer to our vision in uplifting the lives of our stakeholders as we move forward to make MMSU a premiere Philippine university by 2028,” adding that the activity is a showcase of MMSU’s aggressiveness in pursuing its dream to become technically giant in public service.

“And as we pursue this dream, we make sure we never forget you whom we are serving with vigor and tenacity,” she beamed.

The MMSU president revealed that with the help of all municipal mayors of Ilocos Norte, the one-town-one-technology (OTOT) program were launched in the province to provide agricultural technologies in the community so that farmers might increase their production in rice, livestock, and other high-value commercial crops.

Dr. Agrupis said OTOT is different from the present one-town-one-product (OTOP) program where a community can produce a significant product that serves as its flagship commodity.

“Although there is already this OTOP, if there is no technology to sustain the production of that product, then, that will not become sustainable,” she said.

Dr. Agrupis emphasized that in OTOT, “you give us your problem and we help together to solve it, then, we give the results back to you,” she said, noting that this strategy is proven to be effective in producing the right technology for farmers to follow.