Returning – redefining – reinventing

Life in the Hacienda is slow and change is even slower.

But in my recent trip to Negros Occidental I have noticed a lot of change both in the scenery, environment, business and even perspective of people. What used to be the kingdom built on sugarcane is slowly but surely being transformed into other things. For one, life no longer revolves around sugar only. Tourism, food, and livestock farming has slowly emerged as alternatives to sugar. I even heard of someone promoting fruit orchard and forestry development, while a retired general built up a theme based resort high up in the mountain.

Perhaps the second big business to sugar in this province would be food. Every year I visit Bacolod City I keep seeing more and more new food outlets and they are not mere garden-variety venues that serve cheap food. The selection here has grown, caters to a wide range of clients and keeps up even with international standards of quality, preparation and presentation.

During my week-long visit with the BMeg animal feeds team we were welcomed by nearly 1,000 participants to the BMeg Fiestahan in Kabankalan City and then by a similar number in Victorias City where we conducted seminars on backyard hog raising. During these events I would co-host or tandem with Dr. Eugene Mende as we shared know-how and technical information on selection, breeding, rearing and overall management for backyard hog raising. The fact that these many people would spend a whole day in a packed multi-purpose center or basketball court just to learn the best and the latest techniques in hog raising tell us that people are seriously looking for an alternative to jobs and businesses outside of sugar.

What caught my attention is that even my non-Negrense friends have decided to migrate or stay permanently in the island province and have slowly but seriously gone into agriculture or tourism related businesses. A friend left his highly successful music career and moved to Talisay to help rebuild an aquaculture farm and develop an events place for retreats, weddings and corporate affairs. Many people would probably say “sayang” or what a loss considering he is or was a prominent member of a very popular band that still performs and goes on tour. But on the other hand he is investing on a long-term situation that will be there long after careers and popularity fade. Even more he is building something where satisfaction comes from concrete accomplishments and not just public recognition or fan adoration.

During a farm visit I met a very creative and enterprising hog raiser who was building up a 100-sow farm capable of producing several thousand piglets in a year. He used to be a senior executive in Manila but went on early retirement to be a “farmer.” The difference is he is now the boss, loves what he does and has the prospect of earning a lot more than he ever used to make as an executive. The best part of it all is that he gets to play, experiment and build things in his farm that he would not otherwise be able to do as an office bound manager in Manila. Even better his daily workspace is at the foot of a mountain with one of the best views that reminded me of Hawaii. Instead of sugarcane he has invested in cassava, poultry and a piggery. Seeing all these I suggested he build up one or two ponds for tilapia or catfish.

Through the week I talked with many like-minded individuals and couples and I noticed the difference in perspective. They are younger, appreciated the value of information, training and technology. They did not limit themselves to one product or business only, and they have set realistic and reasonable profit targets in light of the fact that many big businesses aspiring for big profit also bring big headaches or demands too much time and energy. Being children who grew up not seeing much of their hardworking parents, many of these individuals determined early on that family would be their priority even if that meant less profit or having smaller businesses. They are also very mobile, meaning they move around and are willing to travel either to farms or places of business and do not limit themselves to their comfort zones or familiar territory.

Most important they recognized and honored the value of land and agriculture and are all willing to do things now, and not when they retire or have so much money or when they are older. Agriculture is not something you do when you’re retired because by then you’re no longer as strong and you have less time to see or appreciate the fruits of your labor which in itself requires time. Perhaps, in time many of us will see the transformation of single-crop provinces into diverse products, diverse businesses but still see agriculture as one of the driving forces of our economy and our country.

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Very little has been shared or discussed about the impact of ASEAN integration to the Philippines in 2015 onward. There has been very little “official” discussion on the matter, but I am personally worried about what will happen when the economic and professional “borders” go down next year.

While the pro integration people keep talking about Filipinos being able to go around the region and get jobs within ASEAN, no one has raised the possibility of others losing jobs or businesses once giant companies begin to set up shop or dump products into the market.

I have been telling my friends that we need to develop a nationalist consumer mentality and teach our families and communities about the importance of buying or supporting Philippine made products. Because if we don’t, genuine Filipino companies may lose their market share and competitive edge and eventually close shop, leaving many Pinoy consumers jobless. Yes we will have greater variety and maybe even cheaper priced products made by giant companies abroad, but cheap is meaningless to those who are out of a job and have no money to buy such products. Remember: when you buy a product you are giving someone a job. That someone could be you, your family member or your kababayan. Choice can also be about saving jobs.