As member of the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for COVID-19, the Department of Agriculture-Regional Field Office 10 (DA-RFO 10) shares the plight of Northern Mindanao frontliners.

The agency commends the bravery and heroism of the region’s health professionals, policemen and information providers in the battle against the pandemic.

In gratitude, DA-10 shares 2,500 pieces of cooked “Balut Penoy” eggs to health and non-health workers in the region from the Department of Health-10 (DOH-10), Northern Mindanao Medical Center (NMMC), Philippine National Police-10 (PNP-10) and the Philippine Information Agency-10 (PIA-10) on Friday, April 17, 2020.

The initiative is made possible through the headship and effort of DA-10 OIC-Regional Executive Director Carlene C. Collado.

Initially intended for distribution to DA-10’s frontline personnel, its management resolved it is best to share the eggs and whatever COVID-related assistance received by the agency to the region’s COVID-19 frontliners – the country’s modern-day heroes.

“This is an appreciable help for our frontliners and we, in DA, we will always share what we have to other frontliners in the region,” Carlota S. Madriaga, regional technical director for operations of DA-10 openhandedly vowed.

The director acknowledges the frontliners’ roles in manning the IATF operation center, guarding of the quarantine checkpoints and propagation of relevant information to serve and safeguard the public from the deadly virus.

“We thank DA for sharing this blessing with us. Eggs are nutritious so this is good for our workforce who work tirelessly in manning the DOH CHD-NM operation center. Hopefully this effort of DA will not stop here,” said DOH-10 Planning Officer III, Letecia Dolores II Culanag-Abao.

Culanag-Abao urged other government agencies and private companies to emulate DA’s initiative noting DOH’s continuing medical services, contact tracing and psychosocial services amid the crisis.

For his part, PLTCOL Aaron M. Mandia, PNP-10 Chief of Regional Logistics, Research and Development Division expressed his gratitude to DA-10 on behalf of the organization.

Mandia appreciates DA’s concern for the uniformed men of PNP who incessantly guards the region’s quarantine checkpoints. “We all know our policemen are on duty 24/7. What DA shares to us is a big help for our frontliners,” Mandia said, disclosing the eggs will be distributed to the different checkpoints posted by PNP-10 personnel.

The 2,500 eggs shared to the frontliners are part of the 10,000 pieces incubated eggs donated by San Miguel Corporation.

A stash of 5,000 eggs were dispatched to Bukidnon for distribution to frontline workers in the province. While the remaining 2,500 pieces are shared among DA-10 frontline personnel.

In the meantime, DA-10 assures the farmers and fisherfolk in the region that the agency’s services will continue on top of DA’s COVID-19 mitigating action-response.

“DA will always be here to assist our farmers and fisherfolk and walk-in clients while we are going through this crisis. Right now, we are intensifying the processing and issuance of foodlane passes by accepting online and personal applications. Also, we have started the distribution of vegetable seeds to the public. The seeds are distributed here in the regional office and in the different provincial offices of DA-10,” Dir. Madriaga shared.

Mass distribution of various vegetable seeds is in line with DA’s Plant, Plant, Plant Program to ensure food availability in every Filipino household in anticipation of extended community quarantine implementation.

Moreover, DA-10 champions the agency’s success in its implementation of the Kadiwa on Wheels in coordination with the City Government of Cagayan de Oro.

According to Dir. Madriaga, the project has been acclaimed and found very beneficial to the farmers while being widely accepted by the Kagay-anons. “There were clamors from the consuming public asking for the institutionalization of the Kadiwa on Wheels as a regular project of DA-10. Knowing so, we will explore that possibility,” Dir. Madriaga concluded, emphasizing the agency’s continuing services and assistance to its stakeholders will quarantine orders hang on. # (ATalib)