For many Filipinos, their day begins with a cup of coffee and usually taken with pan de sal brought fresh from the nearby bakery.
The morning ritual, which I also indulge in, becomes more significant this week as the world community celebrates International Coffee Day — on Oct. 1.
In southern Negros, particularly the cluster called CHICKS (short for Candoni-Hinoba-an-Ilog-Cauayan-Sipalay), coffee is not only a before-breakfast routine. It has also become a livelihood.
The CHICK communities, along with Cadiz City, have the biggest land parcels allotted to coffee production in the province.
No less than Gov. Bong Lacson has recognized the role of coffee production in the diversification efforts Negros Occidental from the monocrop industry. His recognition was manifested when he addressed producers and farmers during the Negros Occidental Coffee Fiesta early in August.
Today, the CHICKS area farmers not only produce coffee beans. They are also engaged in the processing and marketing of the product.
The area now has its own processing and marketing enterprise, a testament to its development and promise as an industry.
In Cauayan, the areas along Mt. Malipantao, one of the highest peaks in the province, have been transformed into an agro-forest site by MoSuTo (Molobolo, Sura and Tomina), Inc., a small farmers’ organization. They are planted with fruit-bearing plants, including coffee, which is grown by almost 100 farmers on a 105-ha. lot.
With support from various government and non-government groups, upland residents are provided with a profitable source of income as they shift from traditional slash-and-burn approaches to feed their families. They have learned to view coffee as a high-value crop, not just as a lowly source of fuel.
We trust that coffee production will continue to provide hope and better opportunities for southern Negros farmers.
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On another note… writing of upland communities in southern Negros, I congratulate the Sangguniang Kabataan Chairman of Barangay Abaca, George Louie Carillo, and his fellow SK chair, Anthony Jones Ceblano of Barangay Inayauan, for the provincial recognition they received during the SK Day celebration on Oct. 3.
I understand that George Louie has initiated a lot of pressure grams and activities for the development and benefits of his young constituents in his upland barangay.
They were the only two recipients — among the 25 SK chairpersons in the town — of the Ideal Functionality Award in the 2025 SK assessment — along with their performing counterparts in other local government units.
The evaluation covered the 601 barangays in the province.
The two youth leaders expressed appreciation of their respective council members for their active role in the implementation of SK programs and projects in their respective barangays.
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Happy World Teachers’ Day to all mentors. Teachers’ Day will be observed on Monday, Oct. 5, with the theme: “Standing with Teachers: 60 Years of Protecting the Profession, Advancing Its Status and Shaping Our Futures.”
The day marks the 60th year since the adoption of the ILO ILO/UNESCO Recommendation Concerning the Status of Teachers — particularly towards better working conditions, fair pay, professional autonomy and respect for educators.
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This weekend, the family, friends and former colleagues of Maria Ramos, a native of Pontevedra and a former teacher, is bidding her farewell. Ma’am Maria passed away on Sept. 28 at the age of 95.
She is the mother of my friend and former student, Maricon, who is now based in California.
Ma’am Maria raised her five children to become professionals — Marilou, former Municipal agriculturist of San Enrique; Marissa, an Accountancy graduate; Danny, a licensed electrical engineer who worked in the Middle East; Mariam, an Industrial Management graduate and former college administrator; and Maricon, a Mass Communication graduate who worked at the Capitol Public Information Office prior to her migration to the United States.
My prayers and sympathies for Maricon, her siblings and their families.
Postsript: At Ma’am Maria’s wake, I met Maricon’s nephew, Gerard Peñafiel, and wife, Joyce, a nurse by profession. The couple own and manage Been Here Cafe at Gen. Luna Street (near the City Hall) in Bago City. I can’t wait to have a cup of Robusta whenever my route takes me that way.
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Let my teaching fall on you like rain; let my speech setting like dew. Let my words fall like rain on tender grass, like gentle showers on young plants. (Deuteronomy 32:2) | NWI
