Farmer-scientist Davide donates lot to Argao school
Education Secretary Bro. Armin Luistro shovels soil onto a narra sapling named after him and planted within the lot donated by Dr. Romulo Davide to Colawin Elementary School. (CDN PHOTO/VICTOR ANTHONY V. SILVA)
Students at the Colawin Elementary School (CES) in Argao, southern Cebu, now have bigger space to plant their vegetables.
Dr. Romulo Davide, farmer-scientist and a Ramon Magsaysay awardee, and his wife Clara donated a 4,935-square-meter lot to the school in time for its 50th founding anniversary.
His father and Gov. Hilario Davide III’s grandfather, the late Hilario “Undo” Davide Sr., was among those who established the school in 1946.
Yesterday’s celebration was also in honor of Lolo Undo’s 111th birth anniversary.
CES Principal Fatima Solis said the donation was in line with the Department of Education’s “Gulayan sa Paaralan” program which teaches the children how to farm and sell their produce.
“This is for the children to know the importance of farming and how much they can get if they work hard,” she said.
The program will be integrated into the Edukasyong Pangkalusugan at Pangkalahatan (formerly Home Economics and Livelihood Education) subject, wherein agriculture is one of the components.
The CES stands on a 1.3-hectare lot, but it is now occupied by at least three buildings and doesn’t have any more room for expansion.
Solis said their garden, on which jackfruit and mahogany trees stand, has become a shady area and not suited for vegetable gardening anymore.
“We’re just so happy Dr. Davide donated the lot to serve as a garden. We were beginning to think space would become a problem,” she said.
Present during the activity were Education Secretary Bro. Armin Luistro, DepEd 7 Regional Director Juliet Jeruta, and Cebu Provincial Schools Division Superintendent Rhea Mar Angtud.
Also present were Governor Davide, his wife Jobella, and some of their relatives, among others.
Argao Mayor Edsel Galeos and Vice Mayor Stanley Caminero also attended.
The donated lot, located just behind the school, was installed with a special marker and was planted with a narra tree named after Secretary Luistro.
Luistro, in a separate interview, said the donation would strengthen DepEd’s goal to train more Filipino students on the science of farming.
“Our farmers today are really old. None of the young ones want to pursue farming anymore,” he said.
Dr. Angtud, on the other hand, said that career guidance programs in schools in mountain barangays emphasize that pursuing agriculture doesn’t mean they will not only till land.
She said they are taught that being farmers means they are the owners and managers of their own land.
“They will be taught the proper way of farming and how to market their products,” she said.
Angtud said not only the elementary students in Colawin will be able to use the donated lot, since the Colawin National High School is also introducing Agriculture as a course under the K to 12 program.
Gov. Hilario Davide III said he hopes other private individuals will also donate lots to schools, considering that many in mountain barangays need space for their agriculture-related programs.
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