A first year student of the College of Arts and Sciences eagerly accepted the Plant From Home AgVenture Challenge.
The student-parent tandem in paradising nature were strengthened.
Josh Larren B. Balon, a first year student of the Bachelor of Science in Fisheries planted a narra tree at home together with his mother.
Neo Normal AgVenture Center conducts Native Treewardship Engagements
The Neo Normal Agventure Center together with the College of Arts and Sciences CBSUA Calabanga campus had undertaken an activity to enliven the community populace’s spirit of agriculture. The two forces moved as one towards a greater cause of creating community sanctuaries of growing trees. The Treewardship project aims the students, faculty, parents, and all the stakeholders of the University to enliven their green thumbs and be the catalyst of change in the local community, the state, and the nation through planting and growing native trees.
As part of the rigorous efforts of the faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences and the Neo Normal Agventure team, a webinar-series entitled “Native Treewardship Engagements: A 5P’s Agventure Challenge, Pamilya at Paaralan Edition” was held last 24 September and 14-15 October 2021. Given the fact that the large percentage of population right now are in the online world, let’s say in various social networking sites, there was a need to facilitate the said activity through an online platform specifically by making use of the zoom meeting and the Facebook live streaming. This one-package webinar series was opened to the public and was able to meet its target audience who were the community populace as this was done University-wide. With the prestigious aim of beautifying, paradise rather, this world, the college and the center unite towards the attainment and sustainability of its goals.
Deciphering the relevance of farming, the webinar-series had finally start off. On the formal opening of the said webinar, that was on September 24, overwhelming euphoria was experienced by the organizers as this was the first-time that the center and the college start-off a digitally-mediated webinar. The activity started with its preliminary activities, including the contagious playing of the video presentations showing the stories of successes of both the college and the center. The Vice President for Research and Innovation. Dr. Ramona Isabel Ramirez, delivered her welcome address, that was followed by the inspirational message given by the President of CBSUA, Dr. Alberto N. Naperi. One of the highlights of the webinar was to fully embark and engage its audience, the participants rather, in a much-valued cause and that was to accept the plant from home agventure challenge who was explained by the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, Dr. Dariel A. Palmiano. This attainable yet toilsome challenge received its affirmative result as the people in general continually revived their passion and reinvigorated their energies in getting back from the lost practices in agriculture or farming.
The goals of this webinar series were carried out with the help of the distinguished resource speakers. The first resource speaker was a member of the Board of Trustee on the Foundation for the Philippine Environment, who was Ms. Arceli M. Tungol that cured the fixated ideologies of all with regard to tree planting and growing as she eagerly imparted her knowledge and appreciation of Native Trees. On the same day, the partakers were able to fully grasp and apprehend the wherefores of Crop Diversity in Permaculture Designs in the Philippines with the aid of a lecturer and a research assistant in the Faculty of Management and Development Studies under the renowned university, University of the Philippines, who was Dr. Jabez Joshua M. Flores, and research assistant, Mr. John Paulo S. Quitoriano. The youths’ eagerness to partake in the said webinar, added spice to the overall conduct of the activity, as they threw random questions and shared with the guests. The throngs of students coming from the University, as well as from the partner schools of the center, and other institutions were the key components of this another milestone in the college.
The move on paradising our planet was continued on the 14th day of October 2021 that marks the second (2nd) day of the webinar entitled Native Treewardship Engagements: A 5P’s Agventure Challenge Pamilya at Paaralan Edition. The programme commenced at 8:00 in the morning by the event’s host who was Ms. Cynthia Ruby Reganit. Preliminary activities were done before the official onset of the said webinar. More than a hundred of participants have joined the Zoom meeting, and there were also participants who watched through livestreaming on the official Facebook page of the project, the Neo Normal Agventure FB page.
The first resource speaker of the second day was introduced by the host who was a forester named Crisostomo S. Rivero. Sir Cris led the rehabilitation/reforestation of the buffer zones and other impacted areas around and inside the Rapu-Rapu Polymettalic Project, assisted in the implementation of the various pollution control strategies of the project, and supervised the implementation of the various socio-development projects (SDMP) of the Rapu-Rapu Polymettalic Project. Aside from that, Sir Cris is also a forester or forestry specialist and protected area superintendent. He also worked in various capacities and levels with specialization in forest protection and law enforcement, soil and water conservation, protected area management, micro enterprise development, community organizing and mobilization, institutional building and capacity development. These feats made him qualify to facilitate one portion of the said webinar. Sir Crisostomo discussed the propagation and management of Native trees entitled Nativety: A Seedling Propagation, and Nursery Care Management for Native Trees. Sir Cris demonstrated his expertise on the said topic.
With the interest that was shown by the participants both in the Facebook livestreaming and Zoom meetings, random questions were asked by the partakers with regard to the talk of Sir Cris by which he answered eagerly.
Another resource speaker was invited for the afternoon session. The webinar commenced by 1:00 in the afternoon and the organizers were in cloud-nine as the virtual discussion had reached a wider audience. The second resource speaker was welcomed and introduced by Ms. Cynthia who happened to be the event’s host.
The second and last resource speaker was Mr. Ernesto Doloso Jr. who was an instructor at the College of Arts and Sciences and currently the Unit Head of the Office of Student Affairs and Services of CBSUA Calabanga campus. Ergo, considered to be an English Langauge enthusiast and expert, Sir Ernesto had a talk on the Language in Agriculture that lasted approximately for more than 2 hours. As he unveiled his expertise and eloquence on Language, he had successfully connected to his audience that came from the different campuses of Central Bicol State University of Agriculture as this event was University-wide, and also coming from different DepEd schools. Several questions coming from the students and instructors that relates to his talk was also asked during the open forum that he answered with great confidence and eloquence, that also revealed his competence on the topic discussed.
He was also asked a question and his stand on the recent issue that the institution is facing, the Name-Change, of course as the OSAS Unit Head and as an employee of the said institution for many years now, he is against the said House Bill and he is one of the many stakeholders who are fighting to retain the name the identity of the said university. After that, Certificates of Commendation were also given to the resource speakers for sharing their tireless effort and valuable time for the webinar-series. Selected students or participants had given their impressions on the topics discussed.