CULMINATING ACTIVITY

President Message

Keynote Speakers

Honorable Senator Francis Pancratius "Kiko" Nepomuceno Pangilinan

Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Food, and Agrarian Reform, Republic of the Philippines

Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan — a dedicated public servant whose work has consistently centered on justice, good governance, and empowering the Filipino people.From his early days as a student leader during the final years of the Marcos dictatorship, he has devoted his career to strengthening our democracy and social justice. From becoming the youngest councilor of Quezon City, he went on to serve three full terms in the Senate, championing laws that protect children, strengthen our justice system, support farmers and fisherfolk, and expand opportunities for ordinary Filipinos.Among his most notable contributions are the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act, the 105-Day Expanded Maternity Leave Law, Free Higher Education for All, Free Internet in Public Places, and the Sagip Saka Act, which empowers farmers by linking them directly to markets. As Presidential Assistant for Food Security, he also stabilized rice prices and helped address the devastating “cocolisap” infestation affecting millions of coconut trees.As Chair of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Food, and Agrarian Reform, Senator Pangilinan has been a strong advocate for our food producers. His work has focused on modernizing agriculture, improving farmers’ incomes, addressing food security challenges, and pushing for long-term reforms that strengthen the country’s entire agriculture and fisheries sector.A farmer himself, he firmly believes that the country’s progress depends on uplifting the lives of our food producers. Through the years, he has remained faithful to one principle: that meaningful change happens only when leaders and citizens work together.

Watch Senator Pangilinan's Video Message

SFNP VM WORLD SOIL DAY.mp4

Dr. Qu Dongyu

Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

Dr. Qu Dongyu took office on 1 August 2019 as the ninth Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and was re-elected for a second four-year term on 2 July 2023.During his first term, Dr. Qu championed a wide range of reforms and initiatives to overhaul the Organization’s business model, improving efficiency and implementing best practices that support programs and administrative effectiveness.Dr. Qu strongly advocated for the transformation of agrifood systems to make them more efficient, more inclusive, more resilient and more sustainable and promote the Four Betters: better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life, leaving no one behind with the ultimate goal of helping Members to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Dr. Qu launched six core initiatives during the first term, which have generated significant achievements on the ground.Before first being elected as FAO Director-General, Dr. Qu served as China’s Vice Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA), where one of his achievements was to promote inclusive and innovative development and make sure information and communication technologies (ICT) were available in rural areas so that more than 400 million farmers could use their smartphones as a new farming tool. Another national initiative led by Dr. Qu was to improve reporting of wholesale prices for agricultural products in China and foster the establishment of more than 100 specialty production areas geared to making local comparative advantages work to the benefit of local farmers. As Vice Governor of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, one of China’s landlocked and poorest areas, Dr. Qu formulated action plans aimed at poverty reduction, disaster reduction and prevention, women empowerment, agritourism and mutual learning platforms designed to boost trust between ethnic groups.Before serving the senior leadership roles in government at central and local level, Dr. Qu was the Vice President of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS) and the Human Resources Director at the China Three Gorges Project Development Corporation, a $40 billion investment project.Born in 1963 to a rice-growing family in China’s Hunan Province, Dr. Qu studied horticultural science at Hunan Agricultural University and then plant breeding and genetics at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences. He later added environmental science to his knowledge portfolio while earning a PhD at Wageningen University. Being recognized as one of the world’s renowned scientists, Dr. Qu has for over 30 years been directly cooperating with UN Systems, the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), International Financial Institutions (IFIs) and private sector in formulating numerous projects and initiatives in eradicating hunger, combating malnutrition, eliminating poverty and sustainably conserving natural resources. Dr. Qu says he represents the combination of an “Asian soul” and a “global mind”. His motto is “Simple life, but not simple work”.

Watch Dr. Dongyu's Video Message

Mr. Qu Dongyu World Soil Day 2025.mp4

Dr. Lionel Dabbadie

Representative of the Republic of the Philippines to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)

Dr Lionel Dabbadie is the FAO Representative in the Philippines, a role he assumes effective 31 January 2023. Before this posting, Lionel served as Senior Fisheries and Aquaculture Officer of FAO based in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. In this role, he was responsible for providing support to Gulf Cooperation Council States and Yemen. Prior to this, he has been working at FAO headquarters in Rome where he was responsible for a programme aimed at developing guidelines for sustainable aquaculture.
A doctoral graduate of the University of Paris-Jussieu and an Agronomist Engineer of Montpellier SupAgro, Lionel served for over 25 years as a scientist for the French Agricultural Research Center (Cirad), working in partnership with local institutions in Africa, Latin America and Asia.

Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr.

Secretary, Department of Agriculture

Francisco "Kiko" P. Tiu Laurel Jr. was appointed by President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. as the Secretary of the Philippine Department of Agriculture on November 3, 2023. His leadership focuses on adopting a science-based approach to rice farming to improve yield and establish a sustainable rice value chain. He aims to modernize and mechanize farming, enhance agricultural infrastructure, employ the latest technologies, and reduce dependence on imports to lower rice prices. Before his appointment, he held leadership roles in various agricultural organizations and served as President of Agusan Power Corporation and Frabelle Fishing Corporation.

Hon. Anna York P. Bondoc, MD

Member of the House of Representatives from the Pampanga’s 4th District

is a Filipino pulmonologist and politician who currently serves as the Representative of Pampanga's 4th Congressional District in the House of Representatives of the Philippines. She assumed office on June 30, 2022, and was reelected in 2025, continuing her service after previously holding the position from 2004 to 2013. Her district includes the municipalities of Macabebe, Masantol, Minalin, Apalit, Candaba, San Luis, San Simon, and Sto. Tomas.Bondoc is a medical doctor, specializing in pulmonary and critical care medicine, and holds a degree from the University of the Philippines College of Medicine. She completed her residency in internal medicine at Lenox Hill Hospital and her fellowship in pulmonary and critical care at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Clinic in New York, USA. She currently operates a clinic at St. Luke’s Medical Center in Quezon City.She is known for her significant contributions in public health and legislation. Bondoc is the principal author of Republic Act 10028, the Expanded Breastfeeding Act, which promotes the rights of working mothers to breastfeed, and the Psychology Law, which expands the role of psychologists in providing mental health services. She also authored legislation establishing the Philippine Virology Science and Technology Institute, satellite specialty hospitals in Central Luzon, and the modernization of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS).In the education sector, she has established 26 high schools in her district, supported over 15,000 college scholars, and opened the Don Honorio Ventura State University in Macabebe and its College of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences. She also created the Board Exam Assistance Fund, the first of its kind in Pampanga.Her health initiatives include the establishment of the first BUCAS (Bagong Philippines Urgent Care and Specialty) Center in the Philippines in Sto. Tomas, Pampanga, and the first extension of the Jose B. Lingad Regional Hospital in the same town. She launched the Gulayan ni Nanay Vegetable Growing Program, providing nutrition and vaccination support to breastfeeding mothers.Bondoc has also led major environmental efforts, including the most extensive coastal cleanup in the Philippines, involving over 3,000 participants who collected 9,000 sacks of garbage from Manila Bay. She is recognized as a "COVID Hero" for her online Libreng Konsulta initiative via Facebook Live and YouTube Live Stream, which garnered 3.5 million views for her viral #BanRapid video.

Director's Message

Gina P. Nilo, Ph.D.

Director, Bureau of Soils and Water Management

GINA P. NILO, Ph.D. is the 14th and the First Lady Director of the DA-Bureau of Soils and Water Management (DA-BSWM). Director Gina P. Nilo has been serving the nation through the DA-BSWM for four decades. She started her professional career as a Technical Casual in 1981, just after she earned her Bachelor of Science Degree in Agriculture Soil Science at the De La Salle Araneta University (formerly Gregorio Araneta University Foundation). After a year, she became a Soil Technician II of the DA-BSWM. Years later, she got promoted as a Senior Agriculturist, then as a Supervising Agriculturist. In May 2002, Director Nilo was promoted as Chief Agriculturist, and was able to Head the Laboratory Services Division, Soil and Water Resources Research Division, Soil Conservation Division, and Agricultural Land Management and Evaluation Division. In 2021, she was designated as the OIC Assistant Director for Operations and Research while in concurrent capacity as the Chief of the Laboratory Services Division. Later in 2021, she was appointed as the Assistant Director of the DA-BSWM. In September 2022, Director Nilo was designated as the OIC-Director of the Bureau, and in December 2022, she was appointed as the Director IV of the DA-BSWM.Director Nilo has also been a recipient of various awards in Leadership, and Researches, among many others. Aside from this, she has also been involved, and in fact designated or elected as Focal Person or Chair in International Organizations such as the FAO Asian Soil Partnership (ASP); Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) – Global Soil Laboratory Network (GLOSOLAN); Food and Fertilizer Technology Center (FFTC) – Taiwan Agricultural Research institute (TARI); Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) Meryl Williams Fellowship Mentoring Programme – to name a few. She is a regular representative and delegate of the Philippines, local and abroad.Definitely, Director Nilo is a homegrown civil servant from the BSWM – a person who rose from the ranks. As she reached her milestone being the 14th and First Lady Director of the Bureau, the whole DA-BSWM family extends its warmest congratulations. The DA-BSWM is in full support of her leadership in ensuring the attainment of the Bureau’s mandate on the sustainable management of soil and water resources for agriculture.

Watch Dr. Nilo's Video Message

DGPN Video Message 2025.mp4

Denise A. Solano

Assistant Director, Bureau of Soils and Water Management

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