Donated dolls and medicines help kids in IRRI medical mission

What can help lessen the fear in children while they endure a physician's cold metallic stethoscope during consultation? How about dolls and rice cookies?

The Tsuno Food Industrial Company, Ltd. from Japan donated these items and helped make IRRI's medical mission and community health education activity certainly less frightening among the sick children from Barangay Tagumpay in Bay, Laguna, on 20 July 2012.

The white faceless doll, a project of the Kiwanis Club, was intended to take away anxiety and discomfort from sick children and become an outlet for their expression. By drawing a face on the doll, the children can express fear, unhappiness, or pain from an injury they feel, thus allowing adults to discuss concerns or pains more objectively with the child.

More than 500 residents of the lakeshore barangay were recipients of July's medical mission and health and wellness counseling. They are of low-income households and thus have less access to medical services.

IRRI provided free medicine while medics from the Philippine Army provided health counseling and medical consultation. Common illnesses found among the group were respiratory infection, urinary tract infection, diabetes, hypertension, malnutrition among children, and skin infection.

IRRI's Host Country and Community Relations Office conducts such activities monthly in depressed areas within its host communities of Los Baños and Bay in Laguna Province to help improve health and wellness among residents.

IRRI holds personality development course for out-of-school youth

IRRI, through its Host Country and Community Relations Office (HCCRO), designed and facilitated another 2-day training course on personality development and team-building for 45 students of the Alternative Learning Systems (ALS) in Los Baños, Laguna.

HCCRO organized the activity in partnership with the Philippine Department of Education-Region 4. The ALS enlists out-of-school youth.

The course is composed of modules that include interactive exercises on knowing the self, interrelating with others, becoming effective members of the family and communities, and being in control of one's choices in life.

The HCCRO had previously partnered with DepEd in holding storytelling sessions on the illustrated story book, Gabby Ghas, to elementary school students in public schools in the hope of helping children become better acquainted with the values of rice farming and train teachers on interactive storytelling.

IRRI communications and partnerships head speaks at CSR expo

V. Bruce J. Tolentino (second from right), IRRI’s deputy director general for communications and partnerships, delivered a talk and participated in an open forum on the impact of climate change and global warming on the economy, ecology, and biodiversity during the CSR Expo 2012 held on 5 July 2012.

Dr. Tolentino joined Sheila Marie Encabo, National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) director, and Vicente Paragas, National Water Resources Board executive director, as resource persons during the forum.

More than 50 participants that included representatives of nongovernment organizations, private sector corporate social responsibility (CSR) practitioners, and members of the media attended the session.

CSR Expo 2012 ran for two days and was held at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City, Philippines.

Philippines: IRRI and partners install community dryer in Bukidnon

Up in the mountain ranges of Impasugong, Bukidnon, rice farming is a challenge. Farmers deal with rainy weather all throughout the year, making grain drying a difficult task. To ease their problem, nongovernment organizations Kaanib Foundation, Inc. and Catholic Relief Services (CRS) worked with the Asian Development Bank-funded IRRI Postharvest Project and the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), and helped install a reversible airflow flatbed dryer for the community.

On 20 June 2012, a turnover ceremony was held in Kalabugao Village and was attended by local government representatives, CRS program manager Terry Tuason, and marketing project coordinator, Lionel Mendoza, PhilRice engineer Dexter Ona, Kaanib Foundation director Imelda Esteban, and IRRI communication specialist Trina Mendoza.

The construction of the facility was completed in May and is now ready for use in time for the June-July rice harvest season in the uplands of Bukidnon. Engineer Ona demonstrated the operation of the dryer, and trained some members of the community on the operation and maintenance of the dryer.

“With the installation of the dryer, the quality of their rice will increase, and they can therefore ask for a higher price in the market,” says Anthony Hendrix, municipal agro-enterprise facilitator of Kaanib.

IRRI funded the manufacturing cost of the dryer blower and assisted CRS and their local NGO partner in establishing a new business model using a business plan for the dryer. This assistance was provided by the ADB-funded IRRI Postharvest Project that brings multistakeholder partners for introducing improved technologies and business models for reduced postharvest losses and increased farmers’ income.

Philippines: IRRI communications and partnerships head speaks at rice industry meet

V. Bruce J. Tolentino, IRRI's deputy director general for communications and partnerships, delivered a Philippine, Vietnamese, and Thai rice industry situationer, including the impact of climate change on the industry, during the Philippine Rice Industry Symposium held on 27 June 2012.

Proceso Alcala, Philippine agriculture secretary, delivered the keynote message for the event and shared government direction, initiatives, regulation, and outlook for the rice industry.

Discussed in a forum during the event were financing products for sustainable and renewable energy that will help improve the efficiency, productivity, and profitability of farmers, millers, and traders.

Ninety-seven participants attended, representing the rice milling (22), rice trading (14), combined rice milling and trading (20), and fertilizer trading (5) sectors.

The symposium was sponsored by BDO Unibank, Inc., and was held at Manansala Hall of the BDO Corporate Center in Makati City, Philippines.

BDO is planning to facilitate similar activities in the various regions of the Philippines and to continually partner with IRRI for its expertise as resource in such events. Members of BDO management hosted the event.

Philippines: IRRI donates books to farmers' group

The Institute recently supported the Federation of Free Farmers (FFF) through a donation of IRRI books, manual and guides, magazines, and scientific journals.

The donated materials were assembled by Communication and Publications Services (CPS) under the office of the Deputy Director General for Communications and Partnerships. They were distributed to FFF chapter leaders from various provinces who participated in the FFF national conference held in Calamba, Laguna, on 25-29 June 2012.

FFF, through its national manager, Raul Montemayor, thanked IRRI for the materials and enabling them to distribute these to their delegates during the national convention.

The FFF is a non-governmental organization of rural workers in the Philippines, organized in 1953, and has branches in some 50 provinces. Members include agricultural tenants, owner-cultivators, agricultural laborers, fishermen, and settlers, totaling around 200,000.

IRRI bows to UPLB in 26th Dual Meet

The University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) hosted the 26th IRRI-UPLB Dual Meet, held on 29-30 June 2012 at the Copeland Gym on the UPLB campus.

Deputy Director General for Communications and Partnerships V. Bruce J. Tolentino and UPLB Chancellor Rex Victor O.Cruz gave the welcome remarks during the morning program, which kicked off with the Executive Fun Run. 

UPLB took the championship this year, but IRRI won in these events: plank walk (men), modified sack race, basketball (women), swimming (men), and cheer dance.

Fiona Farrell, director of Human Resource Services (HRS), coordinated this on behalf of IRRI.

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