CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY– Amid the ongoing pandemic, schools within the city of Cagayan de Oro, carries on with their health and nutrition as well as environmental preservation advocacies through their ‘Gulayan sa Paaralan’ project.

Now, Cagayan de Oro National High School – Senior High School (CdeO NHS-SHS) and Lapasan National High School (LNHS) have add-on and start up provisions to do such initiative, as they have received their requested assorted vegetable seeds from the Department of Agriculture – Regional Field Office 10 (DA-RFO 10) on July 22 and 23.

Turning over the seeds assistance, comprising 300 packets pinakbet (okra, eggplant, squash, string beans and ampalaya), and 20 packets pinakbet and 5 packets pechay seeds, were DA-10 Regional Technical Director for Operations Carlota S. Madriaga and OIC, Operations Division Chief Audy G. Maagad.

The garden inputs were received by school representatives: Administrative Officer II Ellen D. Somosierra of CdeO NHS-SHS and Lovellie C. Neri, a SPED teacher coordinator of LNHS.

“Through the Program, we basically teach our children on how to live. While they are temporarily learning from their homes, they can be more productive by planting vegetables. And, after months or in a few weeks, they can value the essence of such activity, as they can eat their homegrown products,” Somosierra remarked, adding it is opportune, especially this Nutrition Month.

Likewise, the Gulayan aims to strengthen the integration of environmental education in the school curriculum, said its Secondary School Principal III Marlon Francis C. Seriña.

“This will sustain environmental consciousness and action among learners while instilling them the values of unity, teamwork, volunteerism, nationalism, and community service for environmental protection and conservation,” the CdeO NHS-SHS official expressed.

Meanwhile, with the ongoing health crisis, Neri said, the teachers and parents alike are eyed to plant the vegetable seeds in available spaces of their school.

“For now, our focus is on how to abundantly grow vegetables, and eventually, these will be used as supplement to the food being provided in our feeding program activities,” Neri explained.

Since the coronavirus contagion, DA-RFO 10 has intensified and even gained, various group implementers, in drumming up the Plant, Plant, Plant, Program (Agri 4Ps) of the government, to ensure sustained food production, availability, food accessibility and affordability.

As of July 18, 2020, a total of 877.092 kilograms of veggie seeds were already provided to 54 local government units, 32 groups, and individuals. #