‘Biyaheng Bukid’

COTABATO CITY – Agriculture Secretary Manny Piñol has staged an upgraded episode of his agency’s trailblazing Biyaheng Bukid outreach program in his home-province of North Cotabato, coupling his usual dispersal of goodies for farming families with a medical mission led by his own physician-daughter. Allyn Anisa Saaduddin, a field coordinator for Sec. Piñol’s Special Area for Agriculture Development (SAAD), said hundreds of farming villagers and their family members benefitted not only from various forms of farm assistance, but also from free health services and medicines provided by volunteers’ team spearheaded by Dr. Krista Piñol-Solis on July 8 at Barangay Dolores in Antipas town. Solis, one of two physician-daughters of the DA chief, distributed free medicines and multivitamins to dozens of young and adult residents that underwent health check-ups she administered while her father and officials of partner entities were dispersing farm goodies during the day-long initial episode of the upgraded Biyaheng Bukid activity, said Saaduddin in a report. (Ali G. Macabalang)