The Local Chief Executive of San Agustin, Isabela, Mayor Cesar Mondala expressed his gratitude to the Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP) and the Provincial Government of Isabela during the groundbreaking ceremonies of   Virgoneza-San Antonio-Sto Nino-Dabubu FMR and the Establishment of Microbiological Laboratory in Support to the Production of Superior Buffalo Milk and Processed Dairy on July 19, 2018.

Mayor Cesar Mondala, Vice Mayor Virgilio Padilla, Dr. Freddie B. Corsino RPCO2 Focal Person; Ms. Sally Valencia, PPMIU Isabela Action Officer; Brgy. Captain Inno Dy, SP Member Abigail Sable, Ms. Julia Andaya, San Agustin Dairy Cooperative (SADACO) Chair, SADACO Manager Joel Cabading, the Sangguniang Bayan Members, Barangay Officials and other guests spearheaded the groundbreaking ceremonies.

“The residents and local officials here in San Agustin will forever be grateful to DA PRDP and the Provincial Government of Isabela for these subprojects about to be implemented. This road will ease our burden of reaching far-flung barangays. It will provide us more activities to promote our cross-bred carabaos,” Mayor Mondala said.

“The farm-to-market road here in Virgoneza is significant to boost the dairy industry in San Agustin. This subproject is realized because of the joint effort of the PLGU and DA PRDP with the sharing scheme of 80 percent from PRDP and 10 percent each from the Government of The Philippines through DA and the PLGU,” Dr. Freddie B. Corsino said.

Meanwhile, San Fabian Brgy. Capt. Inno A. Dy who represented his father, Gov. Faustino “Bodjie” Dy III encouraged the beneficiaries to help the PLGU in monitoring the implementation of the subprojects in San Agustin. He also thanked DA PRDP for the rest of the subprojects being implemented in Isabela.

After the program at Cong. Gigi Aggabao Gymnasium, Virgoneza, the group proceeded to San Agustin Dairy Cooperative Processing Center for the groundbreaking ceremony of the microbiological laboratory.

“There are around 3,000 cross-bred Murrah carabaos here, and this is the trademark of San Agustin. The farmers used them to haul harvest before. When the Philippine Carabao Center introduced crossbreeding, dairying became an occupation to many. We purchase 90-110 liters daily, and this is only about 2% volume of milk from the total number of lactating crossbred carabaos,” Ms. Julia Andaya SADACO Chair explained.

“With the installation of the new equipment in the processing center, we can now venture into new products and we now sell ice cream,” Mr. Joel Cabading, SADACO Manager said.

“The farm-to-market road will ease the problem of transporting raw milk to the processing center,” Cabading said. “It will also give us an opportunity to sell our products to bigger markets,” he furthered. (Ferdinand N. Cortez, RPCO2 InfoACE)