Balbalan to launch Search for Gawad Saka Award, 200k prize awaits winners

Balbalan, Kalinga – With the institutionalization of the Gawad Saka program of the Department of Agriculture in this municipality, the local government unit is set to launch its Search for Gawad Saka Awardee with P200, 000 worth of prizes.

Once the schedule is set, each of the 14 barangays will be represented, chosen from those who have shown exemplary performance in the field of agriculture and evaluated by the barangay officials.

Entries are also required to present endorsement from their respective barangay councils.

Qualified to participate for the event are farm cultivators which may include kaingin and pastureland farmers. Entry must have a farm area which 5 hectares and below.

Limit of farm size, Balbalan MIO explained was decided to give way to those who have lesser farmlands the chance to win the search.

“The most productive farmers with the highest cultivation in production of rice, vegetables, fruit trees, having poultries, domesticated animals, and with fisheries too, will be declared winners,” reports the Balbalan MIO.

In addition to said qualifications, participating farmers should have also engaged themselves in agricultural production for a minimum of five years, and farming should be their main source of livelihood.

The search is set to be conducted annually with the winners to be declared during the commemoration of the founding anniversary of Balbalan town.

Prizes to be awarded will be agricultural tools and equipment which may include portable rice mills, grass cutters, insecticide sprayers, shovels, freezers, and many more.

“Cash equivalent should not be higher than P 50, 000 for the first prize. Consolation prizes are in the cash equivalent of P 5, 000 which will be given to all entries who lost in the competition,” report said.

Amount of prizes are as follows:

· First Prize: P 50, 000

· Second Prize: P 40, 000

· Third Prize: P 30, 000

· Fourth Prize: P 20, 000

· Fifth Prize: P 15, 000.

As recalled, the ordinance authored by SB members Cerilo Tega, Bernabe Basingan, Abraham Aromin, and Rex Dulansi institutionalizing the Gawad Saka program was presented in a public hearing held on April 20 this year.

The crafting of said ordinance, Balbalan MIO said was done for the Gawad Saka to become a regular program of the LGU and to ensure that regular funding from the municipality will be allotted annually.

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