TABUK CITY, Kalinga – Farmers in Kalinga and Mountain Province signed the Certificate of Validation after validating the researches on heirloom rice which were conducted during the Heirloom Rice Project (HRP) Phase II of the Department of Agriculture-Cordillera (DA-CAR) in partnership with the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), and the Local Government Units (LGUs).
The Certificate of Validation denotes that the presented research outputs are factual and properly reflective of the customs, traditions, beliefs and indigenous knowledge systems and practices (IKSPs) of the indigenous peoples. It also signifies that the farmers agreed and were satisfied with the content and manner of presentation of the information and knowledge that may be published or communicated by the DA-CAR.
Veronica Fangasan, HRP Project Leader, said that the community validation is one of the agreements stipulated in the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) after the acquisition of the free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) of the farmers who belong to the indigenous communities. She added that the activity aims to solicit the participant’s insights on the data gathered and to verify if the heirloom rice landraces stated in the report are still existing in the locality.
During the community validation at Poblacion, Bontoc, Mountain Province on December 6, 2022, Ana Marie K. Magwa, a staff-representative from the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), pointed out that the FPIC is enshrined in the Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act (IPRA) of 1997. It is a process undertaken to secure the Certification Precondition (CP) as a requirement in research and development activities that involve the IKSPs. She added that after securing the certificate, the concerned party signed a memorandum of agreement specifying the conduct of validation of research results to validate the data gathered hence the conduct of the activity.
Moreover, during the community validation in Lubuagan, Kalinga on November 16, 2022, municipal government representative Manuel Buliyat expressed his gratitude to the agencies involved in heirloom rice, especially the DA for their efforts in preserving and uplifting heirloom rice production. “Heirloom rice is one of our identities which gives us pride. We hope to expand heirloom rice production and that the near extinct heirloom rice landraces will be planted again to prevent them from extinction,” Buliyat added.
The validated researches include the results of the Participatory Needs and Opportunities Assessment; seed collected; characterized on-site, and evaluated heirloom rice for yield, grain quality, and nutritional values; results of five field studies on nutrient management, three location-specific pest management studies, and product and by-product development studies; and technologies for harvest and postharvest.
Grouped per municipality, the farmers also validated the list of heirloom rice landraces identified during the rapid appraisal of heirloom rice landraces which was conducted from 2019-2020.
The five barangays of Lubuagan, Kalinga namely Antonio Canao, Dangoy, Mabilong, Poblacion and Upper/Lower Uma initially recorded 20 existing heirloom rice landraces. From these, nine landraces are glutinous and 11 are non-glutinous. Glutinous landraces are Allugit, Bilakbakot, Jekot Allugit, Jekot Tinupong, Jekot Walay, Jekot Welot, Lapoy, Tilupon and Walay while the non-glutinous are An-Alang, Bilukod, Chumalingan (Red), Chumalingan (White), Jumalingan, Mila, Ortan, Oyak, Suggo, Tokong and Ulikan. The farmers claimed that there are four lost heirloom rice landraces namely Bolikao, Camoros, Nangotan and Oloy/Unoy.
Meanwhile, farmers from Besao, Bontoc, Sadanga and Sagada in Mountain Province initially recorded 63 existing landraces where eight are glutinous and 55 are non-glutinous. From these landraces, the farmers stated that 11 landraces are introduced namely, Gagapasen, Finook, Kabayan, Kintoman, Shungduwan, Taiwan, California, Das-Awan, Minayang, Pedlo and Tang-can.
The community validations were attended by heirloom rice farmers who are members of the Kalinga Rice Terraces Farmers Agriculture Cooperative (KRTFAC), Mountain Province Heirloom Rice Farmers Agricultural Cooperative (MPHRFAC), Indigenous Peoples Mandatory Representatives, and staff from the Office of the Municipal Agriculturist and NCIP. By Sherry Antonio with reports from Erwin Iba and Absalon Thomas, Research Division
