CEBU Gov. Pamela Baricuatro has issued two executive orders institutionalizing the Adopt-a-Farm Program and establishing the Provincial Agriculture and Fishery Conservation and Development Council (PAFCDC).
The measures are aimed at boosting agricultural recovery, food security, and sustainable agri-fishery governance in Cebu following widespread damage to farms and rural livelihoods caused by an earthquake, typhoon Tino, and subsequent flooding.
Baricuatro formalized the program through an executive order (EO) signed on December 12, 2025 placing it under the ‘Kumbati Cebu Task Force’ as a key intervention in the province’s post-disaster recovery efforts.
EO 80 cited extensive damage to farmlands, crops, irrigation systems, and supply chains, prompting the province to accelerate agricultural rehabilitation through partnerships with the private sector, civil society organizations, academic institutions, and development partners.
Assisting affected farmers
Under the Adopt-A-Farm Program, participating entities may assist affected farmers through land clearing, provision of seeds and fertilizers, farm inputs and equipment, repair of irrigation systems and farm roads, deployment of agricultural technologies, access to financing and crop insurance, and market linkage facilitation.
The program also aims to strengthen long-term resilience through climate-adaptive and hazard-informed interventions.
A steering committee was created to oversee the program’s implementation, chaired by Provincial Agriculturist Roldan Saragena, with the head of the Kumbati Cebu Economic Recovery Cluster, Paulo Uy, serving as co-chair.
Members include representatives from the Provincial Planning and Development Office,
Provincial Veterinary Office, the Provincial Board
committee on agriculture, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources–Cebu, the Philippine Army, the private sector, and the academe.
The Provincial Agriculture
Office will serve as the secretariat tasked to submit monthly consolidated reports to the Governor.
The issuance of EO 80 was followed by EO 86, signed on Dec. 24. It institutionalizes the conservation, protection, and sustainable development of agriculture and fisheries in Cebu.
While EO 80 addresses imme
diate rehabilitation needs in disaster-affected areas under the Kumbati Cebu framework, EO 86 establishes a long-term, province-wide policy framework for food security and agri-fishery governance through the creation of the PAFCDC. / CDF