THiNK Journalism

I saw this Facebook sharing by Tony Moran on Joel Pablo Salud's essay titled, "New Journalism And The Rebel Storytellers" (29 May 2019, Philippines Graphic, philippinesgraphic.net ), and was intrigued, as Andre Santillana and he were commenting on the New Journalism . This was Mr Salud's lecture at the University of Santo Tomas, UST. Neither the date when Mr Salud spoke was mentioned, nor the name of the "National Literature Month 2019." Even good journalists miss to mention some important data or info.  I think those 2 missing pieces of important information taken together betrays our lack of appreciation as well as application of the digital platform for socially engaged journalism – and that is what this essay is about. Mr Salud's application of the New Journalism is exciting, immersive, revealing, and revered worldwide by intellectuals. But it is old – and individualistic . If I may borrow from John Donne's meditative poem "No Man Is An Isl

Images: "Food Festival" from Stratforward ( google.com ), but which I have elongated upward and narrowed sideward; the other is a direct cut from a Facebook post of my nephew Anthony Hilario Sindayen, dated 25 April 2019, on the occasion of Mnl Beer Fest with the announcement that it was "The Biggest BeerFest in the Philippines." It was held in Manila just last month, 24 April 2019. The son of my sister Brillita and Melanio, he and partner have the Marc & Tony's local craft beer.  Food and beer festivals are what I am thinking of when I'm reading William Dar's column of today, "Urban Agriculture Should Be Taken Seriously," 30 May 2019, Manila Times , manilatimes.net ). He says, "Urban and peri-urban agriculture… is becoming a viable option to help secure the food needs of urban communities." Urban agriculture. I have not heard of it being practiced in the Philippines, not even anywhere in Metro Manila. Because we always think of

I'll explain the face and the figure later.  I have been watching the 4-H Club video by John Ashly M Mata, a member of the 4-H Club NCHS of the Province of Sorsogon, Region V, entitled "Agriculture Is Life." It's quite good, and it surprises me, a science writer. who loves to surprise people with my own wit or wordom. I personally came to know about the 4-H Club when it was part of the BS Agriculture major in Ag Edu course that I took at the UP College of Agriculture, now UP Los Baños, in the 1960s – I graduated in 1965. Among other things, I was an officer (President?) of the 4-H Club, and I learned my parliamentary procedures from my club engagements. I haven't heard much of 4-H activities since then; I must say this Club has been neglected in the Philippines. I'm glad Ted Mendoza sent me a link to this video, because it has opened my eyes on the powers of the video, 4-H Club, and a weakness of agriculture. The narrator – I didn't get her name – goes on

This 517-word essay is my little contribution to the cause of the Association of Young Environmental Journalists , AYEJ, whom I do not know, but I'm interested in the youth, environment, and journalism. Because? One, I'm not young anymore, being 79 years old, and I'm thinking of legacy. Two, I'm interested in the environment that I know has been abused in the Philippines since at least 50 years ago. Three, journalism in these islands is award-winning but destructive, not constructive. That's why I have this dedicated blog, Journalism for Development, Jode . (See my last essay, "ABS-CBN & Maria Ressa, Duterte Is Not Your Enemy – You Are!" 25 May 2019, Journalism for Development, blogspot.com .) I saw AYEJ's Facebook post Friday, 24 May 2019, checked their Facebook page, and told the young ones that I did not see any written Vision and Mission – "very important points." They replied that they had already "updated their info in the &q

And why is the ricefield above dry, which means you don't need to have your field drowning in water all the time? The image shows a farm in the Kilombero District in Tanzania with rice transplanted using the System of Rice Intensification , SRI . It accompanies the article written by Devotha Mosha Kilave & Gilead Mlay, "'SRI' In Kilombero Valley: Potential, Misconception And Reality" (25 January 2019, Future Agricultures, future-agricultures.org ).  And what has SRI wrought in Tanzania? Farmers have seen their yields go up from 4 tons/ha to 7 t/ha, almost double. Isn't that great! So, what more do you want from your rice farming? Our rice farmers in the Philippines need SRI today. Now. Ora mismo! That's considering that the most dangerous law ever enacted in the Philippines in terms of the welfare of Filipino farmers is now in effect, RA 11203, or the Rice Tariffication Law, which was signed by President Rodrigo Roa Duterte on February 2019. It was mea

At the Maligaya, City of Muñoz headquarters, in the image above (from Food Evolution , foodevolution.com.ph ):  PhilRice itself as institution shows its over-emphasis on the rice –while the rice farmer is missing! PhilRice was born 34 years ago. At its own website, which I accessed today, Monday, 20 May 2019, PhilRice says ( philrice.gov.ph ): Since its creation in November 1985, PhilRice has stood by its reason-for-being: to help respond to the needs of the struggling rice farmers and the country's endeavors to attain self-sufficiency in rice. "To attain self-sufficiency in rice." Small change! Unfortunately, after almost 4 decades of PhilRice, the Philippines is not self-sufficient in rice. And what has PhilRice done "to help respond to the needs of the struggling rice farmers" if I may ask? Not sufficient! For years, I have been a board member of the Nagkaisa Multi-Purpose Cooperative in my hometown Asingan in Pangasinan, and being the son of a farmer in the

Happily, ANN writes, "Eldest Sibling Didn't Graduate But Was Able To Help Two Siblings Earn Their Degrees" (Author Not Named, not dated, RachFeed , rachfeed.net ). It's the story of Ghel Martinez who abandoned her own dream of earning a college degree for herself and worked hard instead to help her sisters graduate – and they did, one with a BS Architecture, and the other with a BS Accountancy, cum laude! Says ANN, "It touched a lot of hearts and she earned praise from netizens who admired her stand in life."  That is a fact of Filipino life, studying to be hired for a job – is that ideal? (image above from Schudio , schudio.com ) I have just seen a Facebook link by Louie Reynoso to an essay by Andy Uybuco where he challenges that ideal: "What Are Schools For? (Part 1)" (10 May 2019, Free Thinking Me , freethinking.me ), and this is his opening paragraph: There is a myth prevalent in (Filipino) society, and that is in order for children to be succe

The System of Rice Intensification, SRI, is a simple way of doubling the rice harvest – but PhilRice is not teaching our farmers this one. Why?  My Internet search gives me ADB blogger Takashi Matsuo who writes, "Producing More With Less Through Rice Intensification Method: Is It A Revolution Or An Illusion?" (28 February 2013 ( Asian Development Blog, blogs.adb.org , where the above image comes from) Why is the Philippine Rice Research Institute, PhilRice, not teaching SRI when farmers can increase their harvest from 20% to 100%?! SRI Rice, a dedicated center at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, says, "The System of Rice Intensification (SRI) (is) a climate-smart, yield-increasing methodology that is being utilized by more than 10 million smallholder farmers in over 55 countries" ( sri.ciifad.cornell.edu ). Sami Grover writes, "How Small-Scale Farmers Are Growing More Rice With Less Water And Fewer Chemicals" (15 April 2013, Mother Nature Network ,

Including those of the 13 May 2019 elections, the numbers are ticking – against Filipino farmers, and they number millions. In Part 2 of his column titled "SCUs And Unifying R&D Efforts" (16 May 2019, The Manila Times , ( manilatimes.net ), William Dar reiterates his wish that state colleges & universities, SCUs, become "one of the main pillars of agricultural research and development." Additionally, such R&D efforts "must also be complemented with stronger extension programs, so smallholder farmers and fisherfolk would benefit from (mature) technologies immediately. And I mean, immediately!" Considering the depredations of rice tariffication on the economy, especially adversely affecting the rice farmers, I share Mr Dar's call for immediate action – nationally, rationally. Before we can act rationally and immediately, we must follow the advice of Dean Graziosi, an American multimillionaire, "one of the most watched real estate and suc

Even as a farmer's son and an agriculturist, I am the eternal optimist when it comes to PH farming. Above photo is one I took at 6:31 AM on 30 March 2019 at the demo fields on the occasion of the 8th National Rice Technology Forum in Asingan, Pangasinan – I look at both the light and shadow. They are growing hybrid rices, plural. They are growing hopes. William Dar has just come out with his Manila Times column, "SCUs And Unifying R&D Efforts" Part 1 (09 May 2019, manilatimes.net ). The title indirectly points to the lack of united state research & development efforts in the Philippines. Scattered efforts is the way to go if you don't want to go anywhere but there! The SCUs are the state colleges & universities of the Philippines, all government-funded, and they all carry out R&D activities one way or the other. Which is exactly the problem! Mr Dar is thinking of, on one hand, the Bureau of Agricultural Research, the BAR, which is under the Departme