Bagotao Abangon, 33, segregates the rice hulls from the rice grains at their village in Barangay Ugalingan, Carmen North Cotabato. Carmen is one of the rice-producing towns in North Cotabato.

About a year ago, fear gripped this sleepy town due to heavy militarization. Several cases of human rights violations have been reported that includes the arrest of several Lumad farmers accused by the military of either members or supporters of the communist movement.

But many believed that the militarization in the area was part of the security of the mining operation of SMI in neighboring town of Tampakan, South Cotabato.

After almost two years of being hounded by the fear and terror, the villagers — Lumads, Muslims and Christian settlers — are now enjoying the relative peace in the locality.

Is there really a rice shortage? What really went wrong with our food supply?

It’s been weeks already since the government announced that there is a ‘looming rice crisis’ and there is a need for us to import more rice stocks from other countries like Vietnam. Agriculture chief Arthur Yap blamed massive land conversion as one of the causes of the shortage of food supply. And who’s fault is that? Isn’t it the fault of the government?

It’s the government that allowed the conversion of thousands of hectares of agricultural lands into plantations, golf courses and for other industrial use. Just last year, the government has inked an agreement with China, which opened the country’s agricultural land for biofuel plantations.

Read Ibon report here.

Investments may not be bad as long as it would not sacrifice the basic needs of the people. Like in the case of biofuels, it’s also a threat food security. Opening of more biofuel plantations could lead to hunger as many agricultural lands and forests are being cleared to pave way for the biofuel plantations.

Is the government really sincere in resolving the food security problem of our country? Personally, I believe there would have been no ‘rice shortages’ had the government poured more support to the agriculture sector.

Junk computer monitors cost P5 a kilo at Market Waste Fair at SM Davao Carpark. The waste fair is held every last Saturday of the month, according to a news article posted at the Philippine Information Agency website.

But the recent waste fair was held on the first Saturday of the Month, just this April 5. The organizers should clarify which is which to avoid confusion.

It’s very rares these days to see “Mamang Sorbetero” roaming in the streets.  Maybe they have been replaced by those biking guys selling Selecta products. It was happiness for a little kid in the past to have a cone of homemade ice cream from Mamang Sorbetero. A happiness that only costs one peso. But today, kids would ask their parents: “Can I have a  drumstick from Selecta?” A happiness that costs around fifteen pesos or even more!

Maybe, Mamang Sorbetero is already a dying industry.

Fr. Amado “Picx” Picardal and 12 other bikers took off from the Archbishop’s Residence in Davao City Easter Monday for Day One of the “Philippine Bike-Tour for Life and Peace,” which started today, March 24, and will run for 56 days covering at least 5,000 kilometers around the country. Fr. Picx said he’ll bike around the archipelago alone but local bikers along the way will accompany him in his journey.

For more information, visit Fr. Picardal’s blogsite.

A zebra-designed dog joins its masters at the beach near Sta. Ana wharf on Easter Sunday. It’s been a tradition of Filipinos to celebrate the Easter Sunday at the beach, which is also the end of the Holy Week.