Soldiers transform idle camp land to farm lots for crop cultivation

APORTION of the military’s biggest camp in Southern Tagalog will be converted into a farmland as soldiers turn into farming to prevent a looming food crisis amid the novel coronavirus 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic, which has forced the declaration of a Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) and confined even farmers to their homes.

The decision to convert at least 2 hectares of the land occupied by the Army’s 2nd Infantry Division (ID) in Tanay, Rizal, was made by Maj. Gen. Arnulfo Marcelo Burgos Jr. as his command’s contribution to the effort of averting a possible shortage of farm produce in Metro Manila and nearby provinces since farmers could not still go out of their homes to plant, or even tend to their crops.

Burgos, commander of the 2nd ID, said the farming project was a “three-pronged approach” designed to keep the people afloat during and even beyond the enforced quarantine period.

“First, the idle lands of vast military reservations which are to be developed will be put to good use while making sure that the soldiers will be performing their mandate to serve the people, this time in the field of food security,” he said.

Burgos said that through the program, his troops’ chances of being infected with Covid-19 will be lower because they would be exposed to sunlight, which is one of the recommended preventive tips by health experts against the Covid-19.

Burgos said that the project will also make his camp self-sustaining for its farm product needs.

The farming project will be undertaken by the 2nd ID in partnership with the DV Boer International Farms Corp., which has 20 farms located across Region 4A.

Dexter Villamin, president and chief executive officer of DV Boer farms, said food security should be ensured in order that hunger and civil disobedience could be controlled as these are the problems that could possibly arise amid the measures that were implemented to stop the spread of the virus.

“If the situation drags on, people will be hungry and the government will have to deal with another problem,” Villamin said. “We feel that it is our social responsibility to avert such problem not only by providing products to serve as food but also to give our people a means of living while most of the industries are on shut down.”

Under the partnership, Villamin’s firm will provide technical assistance in livestock raising, crop production and food processing to the soldiers, while volunteers from the community and paramilitary forces will be tapped to augment the manpower of the private farms that will be converted into “quarantine farm camps,” which are projected to produce 32 tons of farm-fresh food in just eight to 10 months, 65 percent of which will be donated to the needy to serve as one of the local government units’ sources of relief for their constituents.

The group of farms will provide free board and lodging to the soldiers-trainees while they are being trained in actual food production until such time that they are ready to share the knowledge to their fellow soldiers.

“Filipinos, coming from a country that is primarily agricultural, have a natural skill for farming, on top of our innate resiliency. What we are doing is merely going back to the basics, tapping our strengths and heritage to survive this very challenging phase of our lives,” Villamin said.

Meanwhile, in Nueva Ecija, the 91st Infantry Battalion (IB) under the 703rd Infantry Brigade is providing assistance to poor families, including former members of the New People’s Army through the “Adopt-a-barangay-program” amid the pandemic.

Among the beneficiaries were eight former rebels who received 40 broiler chicks and other supplies at the 91st IB headquarters in Barangay Calabuanan, Baler, and Aurora.

703rd Brigade commander Col. Andrew Costelo commended Col. Reandrew Rubio and his men for not only finding a way to provide food to the needy families amid the quarantine, but in supporting them in their livelihood program.