AVANT GARDENER I attended a webinar by the Agribusiness and Countryside Development Foundation, a non-government organization dedicated to generating jobs in rural areas, of which I am a member. Every two weeks, we invite an expert on an aspect of the agriculture industry to give a talk with...
AVANT GARDENER April is Filipino Food Month. Created under Presidential Proclamation 469 in 2018, the event celebrates the vibrancy (and deliciousness) of Filipino culinary heritage and foodways. According to the Department of Tourism (DOT) website, it also encourages Filipinos to “promote,...
AVANT GARDENER Last week marked the last episode of Ru Paul’s Drag Race (RPDR) UK vs. The World Season Two, with Filipina queen Marina Summers making it to the final four. Runner up and fan favorite from Drag Race Philippines Season One, Marina served many iconic looks that represented the...
AVANT GARDENER A blessed Good Friday, everyone! There are two main activities that Filipinos engage in during Holy Week. One is religious observance, and the other is going on vacation. It is in the spirit of the latter that I write this column. Ask almost anyone who’s worked in the local...
AVANT GARDENER I was asked to give a talk on urban farming at the National Center for Mental Health’s Livelihood Ideas for Financial Empowerment program in celebration of Women’s Month. Here’s a condensed version of my speech: The pandemic showed us that food security is important. We saw how...
AVANT GARDENER Last week, the anime world mourned the passing of Akira Toriyama, the creator of Dragon Ball Z (DBZ). I’ve only seen parts of it in passing, just enough to be familiar with some characters and to know what the Kamehameha (Kamehame wave in the Filipino dub) energy wave attack is and...
AVANT GARDENER Mama Sita is known for its array of delicious products, all evoking Filipino home-cooked or fiesta meals. Beyond being a pioneer in the industry and producing consistently good products, there’s a reason they are top of mind in this category: good marketing. This isn’t a...
AVANT GARDENER A couple of weeks ago, social and media intelligence company Meltwater and creative agency We Are Social released country specific reports in Digital 2024, their annual report on social media and digital trends. According to the email I received, the Philippines ranked number...
AVANT GARDENER Knowledge management is extremely important, especially in industries that rely on information to move forward, yet have a personnel base that are most of the time loath to adapt new techniques. A large number of Filipino farmers fall into this category, with many adopting a...
AVANT GARDENER Spend enough time around people and one begins to hear stories about the circles they run in. This can be neither good nor bad, especially when treated as information that can help one make sense of why things are the way they are. I heard a story recently that helped me...
AVANT GARDENER Today the Manila Bulletin celebrates its 124th anniversary. That’s 124 years of reporting on news and current events. 124 years of informing, educating, and entertaining its readers while being at the forefront of history and relaying it to the Filipino people. And within those 124...
AVANT GARDENER I’m very honored and grateful to have worked in Manila Bulletin’s Agriculture section in various capacities, first as editor-in-chief of Agriculture Online, then following in Zac Sarian’s footsteps as Manila Bulletin’s Agriculture section editor and later, editor-in-chief of...
