WHAT’S FEATURE STORY PARTNERSHIPSAT WORK INSIDE HARVEST MAGAZINE 03-04 09 EDITORIAL OF GRAINS AND GRATITUDE BRIDGING THE GAP STAFF THE MAGAPUY FARMERS LANDBANK AND DA BRING Harvest Magazine is a quarterly publication MULTIPURPOSE COOPERATIVE SURE AID TO RICE FARMERS produced by LANDBANK’s Corporate Affairs Department, with address at the 32nd Floor, LANDBANK Plaza, 1598 M.H. Del Pilar cor. Dr. Quintos Sts., Malate, Manila 1004. Harvest Editors reserve the right to edit and finalize all stories prior to publication. 10PALAY NG LALAWIGAN TAPS For comments or suggestions/contributions, please contact us at 85512200 loc. 2288 INTO LGU SECTOR TO BOOST or e-mail [email protected] or [email protected]. FARM GATE PRICES FOR PALAY FARMERS Editor-in-Chief CATHERINE ROWENA B. VILLANUEVA PLEDGING FOR SUSTAINABILITY Associate Editor MELISSA B. CALIMAG DA GATHERS LGUs FOR Managing Editor NATIONAL FOOD SECURITY ELEANOR V. SATUITO SUMMIT 2019 Writers ARNOLD O. ALDABA JENALYN R. ORDINARIO JESSICA M. EVANGELISTA MARIE PHANUEL B. MANANSALA RIZZALYN C. ROSALES Photographers EDSEL C. SABIO FRANCISCO C. FLORESCA JR. 05- 08 11LANDBANK LAUNCHES JOSELITO G. RAMOS MA. ANGELINE S. DELA CRUZ IN THE VALLEY OF ZEST LENDING PROGRAM FOR MA. LUISA P. MAGSAKAY THE MALABING VALLEY MANILA BAY REHABILITATION Layout Artist CHRIS DANIEL L. FRANCISCO MULTI-PURPOSE COOPERATIVE AND SUSTAINABILITY Contributors LANDBANK CORPORATE COMMUNICATORS 12 TAKE YOUR CITY TO THE FUTURE WITH LANDBANK SMART IN CITY DEVELOPMENT LENDING PROGRAM 13 DPWH TAPS LANDBANK FOR ABOUT THE BRANCH BANKING NEWS & UPDATES APPRAISAL SERVICES COVER THE LANDBANK DIGITAL No mountain too high, nor vast plain too wide ONBOARDING SYSTEM when it comes to LANDBANK’s relentless (DOBS) commitment for countryside development. Two cooperatives in Nueva Vizcaya – the Magapuy CLIENT ADVISORY Farmers Multipurpose Cooperative and the 13 02 & Malabing Valley Multi-Purpose Cooperative – are representatives of such dedication, NOW IN YOUR 14 strengthened by gratitude and loyalty, LANDBANK QUICK TAKES and valuable relationship spanning over two NEIGHBORHOOD decades. Get the latest news and updates from LANDBANK! FOLLOW US ON: landbankofficial @LBP_Official landbankofficial Harvest Magazine is also available online at www.landbank.com LANDBANK QUICK TAKES LANDBANK FINANCIAL INCLUSION (FI) FORUMS LANDBANK went cross-country and completed seven FI forums in the following places: ALOGUINSAN,OCT. CEBU 5 Total Participants Agent377 Banking Cards Opened 500 OCT.LAS NIEVES,12 AGUSAN DEL NORTE Total Participants STO.SEPT. NIÑO, CAGAYAN 7 Agent499 Banking Total Participants Cards Opened Agent684 Banking 500 Cards Opened 540 MAYANTOC,OCT. TARLAC19 Total Participants Agent426 Banking Cards Opened 500 SEPT.RIZAL, PALAWAN 14 Total Participants Agent752 Banking Cards Opened 536 CLAVERIA,OCT. MISAMIS 26 ORIENTAL Total Participants Agent380 Banking SEPT. 21 Cards Opened LIBACAO, AKLAN 500 Total Participants Agent654 Banking Cards Opened 692 Total Total Agent Banking Total Agent Banking Participants Prepaid Cards Distributed Partners Continued on page 14 3,772 3,768 7 OF GRAINS AND GRATITUDE THE MAGAPUY FARMERS MULTIPURPOSE COOPERATIVE ucked quietly just at the outskirts of one of the vast rice fields stretching across Nueva Vizcaya Tis the main office of the Magapuy Farmers Multipurpose Cooperative in Brgy. Magapuy in Bayombong. Underneath this unassuming surrounding and the quiet cooperative staff at work is a strength that has become a consistent source of hope and reliability for hundreds of small farmers seeking economic stability in the challenging landscape of agriculture in the country. The Magapuy Farmers Multipurpose Cooperative was established, in large part, from efforts by the then LANDBANK Field Office. Newly opened in 1989 in Nueva Vizcaya, LANDBANK, with its role of helping organize cooperatives, helped the cooperative get off the ground in November 1990. The Bank also coordinated with the Cooperative Development Authority (CDA) to help the Magapuy Farmers Multipurpose Cooperative get registered. The following year, it became a LANDBANK client, getting the General Manager for Magapuy Farmers Multipurpose Cooperative much-needed financing for the farm production projects Richard Cordero standing proud with some of the staff manning of its members. the main office. Although it remains barangay-based, relatively small in scale compared to other agri-based cooperatives, Magapuy Farmers MPC has been instrumental in building the individual socio-economic capabilities of its members through low interest loans, not just in Magapuy, but in neighboring communities as well. The Cooperative serves as the market outlet of farmers’ palay through its grains trading business, complete with a warehouse The Co-op’s combine harvester now cuts what would be equivalent that can store 5,000 cavans, a solar dryer to a day’s manual work for farmers down to two hours. with a capacity of 250 bags, 4-wheel tractors, a combine harvester, and hauling trucks. 03 HARVEST Magazine December 2019 Magapuy Farmers has also ventured into other businesses geared toward its FEATURE operational stability and members’ STORY alternative livelihood. Members can sell their piglets to the Co-op for its managed piggery that has a capacity for 120 heads of fatteners. It also has a hollow blocks making business that is manned by some of its farmers during pre-and post- harvest season. All these are part of the Co-op’s efforts and strong commitment to address the needs of the farmers and ensure that they are able to fulfill their financial obligations to their loved ones and the Co-op itself. The Cooperative, in spite of its now established credibility in the eyes of financial institutions, remains loyal to LANDBANK. Co-op Manager Cordero says that there have been other banks offering their services. However, the Co-op is happy and content with what is already has with LANDBANK. A member for four years now, Agrarian Maasahan ang ready Reform Beneficiary (ARB) Renato credit na mababa ang Santiago has been a farmer all his life. He regularly goes to the office to update interes, at dahil sila mismo his accounts. Aside from the financing “ay magsasaka, madaling he avails, he is grateful that he can count kausap sa pag-ani, sa on the co-op to buy his grains, whether pag punla.” fresh at about P11.50, or dry at P15.00; as well as some of his young pigs, if need be, which can fetch P110/kilo. - Renato Santiago, Co-op Member The Cooperative’s loans with Meron naman nag-aalok LANDBANK have been used na iba na dyan, pero bakit for its grains trading and pa kami lilipat, wala trucking, along with a credit naman kaming problema facility for palay production “sa LANDBANK? Maganda to allow members to avail of ang samahan namin low-interest loans. at matagal na kami sa LANDBANK, mula pa To date, around 480 farmer- noong nag-uumpisa members from four neighboring kami. Hangga’t kaya barangays are able to till 480 nila kaming tulungan, hectares of irrigated rice land. dito kami.” - Co-op Manager Of its members, 170 are Richard Cordero ARBs. December 2019 HARVEST Magazine 04 IN THE VALLEY OF ZEST THE MALABING VALLEY MULTI-PURPOSE COOPERATIVE hree days, sometimes a week.” This was how long it took the local folks living in the steep mountainside of Malabing Valley, Kasibu to get to and fro the lowlands of Nueva Vizcaya back in the day. And it was either on foot, or on the back of a logging truck‘‘ Tif one is lucky enough to chance upon one passing by. Remembering from childhood, Daniel Multi-Purpose Cooperative, with its migrated along with other Cordillerans Bartong says, “kung mayroon nagsabi main office complex located just at the in the 1960s to populate the province. sa akin dati na kaya ng isang oras ito, foot of the valley along the Provincial He grew up with his parents planting hindi ko talaga paniniwalaan.” And Road, Bagahabag in Solano. He the dalandan fruit they brought from yet, these days, it does take only an started with the Cooperative as a Ifugao. This experience sparked a hour by vehicle – preferably the off- bookkeeper 16 years ago before passion to see the vast potential for road type, he adds – to gain access to taking on the task of managing the homegrown citrus, especially with the the rich orchards of citrus trees and overall operations in 2008. As much rich soil and climate the place had to vegetable farms covering Malabing as he has made leaps and bounds offer. He resigned from his managerial Valley. The significant change in travel with the Cooperative, he duly gives job at Monterey Farms to pursue time, he says, is the result of the credit where it is due – to its founder this idea that has now grown into the completion of the concrete roads and considered father of citrus signature harvest in Nueva Vizcaya. around 2016 that now lead to the farming in Nueva Vizcaya, Alfonso barangays dotting the highlands. Namujhe Jr. The Cooperative now has 2,100 members that include close to 500 Mr. Bartong is currently the General Malabing Valley MPC is the brainchild citrus growers reaping the rewards of Manager of the Malabing Valley of Alfonso Namujhe Jr., whose family their own hard work. 05 HARVEST Magazine December 2019 FEATURE STORY Daniel Bartong (5th from left), General Manager of Malabing Valley MPC, together with other employees working at the Co-op’s main office in Bagahabag, Solano, Nueva Vizcaya. Farmer-members’ produce are brought to the co-op trading center, where the fruits are prepared for distribution to established markets in the Metro, including department stores. December 2019 HARVEST Magazine 06 Dalandan from EHB Farms, owned by Ernesto Benhel, who is part of the pioneer group that started Malabing Valley MPC. At 54, with four kids, he now runs his own citrus orchard, where he also grows mangosteen and lanzones, among others.