F.I.T.S. establishment in the city pushed

February 4, 2017 Opinion Sideglance

There are still available pieces of land in the City of Baguio suitable for agricultural purposes.

This is the basis for a proposal from City Councilor Leandro Yangot in introducing a legislative measure that will establish a Farmers Information and Technology Services (FITS) or Techno Pinoy Center in the locality.

In his explanation of his proposal Councilor Yangot pointed out that there are still many areas in the city utilized for agricultural purposes and that according to the City Agricultural and Fishery Council (CAFC), of the twenty (20) barangays located at the outskirts of the city fourteen of these villages have landowners who still use their lands for agricultural purposes or farming activities and that through farming they were able to send their children to school, with some of them already professionals.

Likewise, Yangot based his proposed legislative measure on the 1987 Philippine Constitution which mandates the State to encourage the widest participation of Local Government Units (LGUs), private groups and community based organizations in the generation and utilization of science and technology as well, as regulate the transfer and promote the adaptation of technology from all sources for national benefit. Adhering to the said mandate LGUs were tasked to provide extension delivery services, particularly in terms of food production extension plans and budgets. The alderman also cited Republic Act No. 8435 otherwise known as the “ Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Act of 1997” prescribing urgent related measures to modernize the agriculture and fisheries sectors of the country in order to enhance their profitability and prepare said sectors for the challengers of globalization through an adequate, focused and rational delivery of necessary support services. Subsequently, Executive Order No. 801 was issued encouraging LGUs to adopt the Techno Gabay in their agricultural extension programs and the concerned government agencies to provide the required assistance for the purpose. Under the said program and through the Department of Agriculture Numerous F.I.T.S have been established in the different parts of the country to serve as a one-stop shop service facility for farmers, entrepreneurs and other clients providing fast access to information and technologies in forms appropriate to the clients’ needs.

The proposed measure further explained that in the localities while conventional agriculture and farming methods are accepted as a practice, due to technological advances, agricultural modernizations have become inevitable, and there is a need for the farmers and agricultural practitioners to broaden their knowledge and cope with the present agricultural and fishery reforms.

Councilor Yangot bared that with the establishment of a F.I.T.S. in the city of Baguio, in close coordination with the D.A. farmers and agricultural practitioners in the locality stand to enjoy the following benefits: (a) access to multi-media formatted technology that is easy to comprehend, (b) online connection to experts, firms and other financial institutions for possible partnerships, (c) internet link that offer unlimited opportunities to participate in e-commerce through quick information access and quick response to queries through short message service (SMS) technology, (d) enhancement of knowledge and skill through IT trainings, (e) potential increase in productivity/profitability, (f) online access to new updates on the latest technology through technology clinic, reduced operation cost on production cost, and (g) establishments of F.I.T.S. databases for easy retrieval of feedbacks on information needs.

The proposed ordinance is set to be tackled during the next regular session of the City Council on Monday.