SENATOR Cynthia Villar has encouraged local farmers to make their own organic fertilizer through composting as part of her advocacy as chairperson of the Senate committee on agriculture and fisheries.
Villar, who visited Bacolod City and Don Salvador Benedicto Tuesday, is drafting a bill on farm tourism. The senator checked out May’s Garden and R.U. Foundry in Barangay Pahanocoy and Rafa Valley in Don Salvador Benedicto.
In Bacolod, Villar turned over a set of composting machine to the city government. The equipment was accepted by First Lady Josefa Puentevella, her son Councilor Claudio Jesus Puentevella, Councilors Wilson Gamboa Jr. and Ana Marie Palermo, and City Administrator Rolando Villamor.
Department of Agriculture-6 Regional Director Roy Abaya and former Tourism Secretary Mina Gabor also joined Villar.
Councilor Puentevella said the city is “very proud and privileged” to have “one of the stalwarts of the Philippine Senate” visiting Bacolod.
He also thanked Villar for continuing to provide farmers with the necessary skills and equipment to further elevate their status of living.
For her part, Villar expressed her gratitude to Bacolodnons for their warm hospitality. She also discussed her bill on farm tourism that will push for the advent of tourism farms in the Philippines.
The turn-over of the composting facility was part of Villar’s itinerary as she visited several of the province’s potential tourist farms, saying that she is “happy and impressed” about the Negrense farmers’ creativity and entrepreneurial skills.
Among others, the machine will produce quality and organic fertilizers and feeds out of kitchen waste.
“This is for our farms to learn how to produce their own input,” Villar said.