BY; ADELA GARAPAN IDA

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Informal Press Conference (from left-right) Mr. Gabriel Romero, Monsanto, Scientific Affairs lead; Ms. Chat Garrido-Ocampo, Monsanto, Corporate Engagement Lead; Ms. Rachel P. Lumibao, Monsanto, Country Commercial Lead and Pam Valenzuela Monsanto, Marketing Lead. 

MONSANTO Philippines with the collaboration of the University of the Philippiness League of Agricultural Biotechnology Students (UP-LABS) had performed an on-stage play with the title “Lina’s Town Rises Again.” Almost 50 grade school students and teachers attended and watched the live performance from Alabang Elementary School. The venue was held at the Bulwagang Haribon, Insular Life Corporate Center, Muntinlupa City.

The “Lina Town Rises Again” is a true story of a young lass hailed in Sultan Kudarat, Mindanao. Her family was engaged in farming. Her father worked and tilled their land to plant some vegetables and crops for their food consumption and for livelihood as well. However, despite the hard work of her father, when harvest time comes the harvest that they had was not good that even for their food consumption was not enough. Lina wondered and kept nagging her mother why this happened.

Then a typhoon hit their place that caused flooding in the area. Their house and farms were destroyed.The Local Government Unit (LGU) helped them and put them in an evacuation center for a while. After the typhooon and when  the flood subsided they went back to their place and start a new life. They borrowed money in order to re-build their house and cope with their daily needs. Until one day to their surprise her aunt visited them and gave some goods and even cash. Likwise her aunt informed them that they have a friemd who taught them to plant corn but they had to attended seminars in order to learn knowledge about BIOTECHNOLOGY CORN called DEKALB,

Lina’s parents applied the knowledge that they learned about DEKALB so they began to plant corn using the new technology. To their surprise, when harvest time came, they have abundant harvest and that”s were their FORTUNE began. Their lifestyle completely changed and they become prosperous.

Monsanto Philippines with its Corporate Engagement Lead Charina Garrido Ocampo initiated this activity in order to open the minds of the youth and challenge them the importance of Agriculture in our society. We cannot ignore the fact that everyday agriculture sits in our daily existence because the food that we have in our table comes from agriculture. How can we meet the demand of food supply with its tremendous increase of population throughout the world. We can only attain this if our government and its partner in the private sector like  MONSANTO Philippines would take actions to maintain the sufficiency and food security not only in our country but to the other parts of the world as well.

Monsanto challenges and encourages our youth today in anticipation for a sustainable agriculture in the next generation. They have exerted efforts and innovations to promote agriculture in the mindset of the youth so that they would take agriculture as a profession. That’s why they were able to penetrate in some schools in Quezon City, Ilo-Ilo, Davao and some parts of Mindanao

During the Presscon Monsanto Corporate Lead. Ms Chat Ocampo introduced MS. RACHEL LOMIBAO as Monsanto Commercial Lead for the Philippines.

She is a graduate of degree in B.S. Communication at the University of the Philippines and has a Masteral Degree in Business Administration at the Ateneo Graduate School.

Miss Lomibao is the first Filipina appointed Leader in Agricultural Biotechnology. With her strong leadership,business, and technical skills she capable of achieving the highest level of execellence MONSANTO entrusted to her. (Click picture below to enlarge)

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