Farmers! & Chemical Fertilizer Manufacturers! & Chemical Pesticide Makers – Why Blame The Typhoons? As Well As Farmers, We Free Citizens Are Our Own Worst Enemies When It Comes To Climate Change!

Above image (Pixabay, pixabay.com): Yes, as of now, we primates are all observers, essentially unmoving. What’s the spectacle? Wrong spectacle! You don’t know? To those of us who are Roman Catholics: “What is Saint Peter going to say to us when we die?”

This: “We primates are the sorry spectacle of the world! We should all be looking into ourselves – to correct in each of us when it comes to the good of the world!

Yes, all over the world, from Albuquerque to Zenya, we are all contributors to Climate Change! To stop Climate Change, let the world start Primate Change – before it’s too late for us primates!

In the Philippines, from Aparri to Jolo, in the Americas from North America to South America, to Thailand to Vietnam to Zimbabwe – we primates must change in our farming if we are to save us all primates – Americans, Thais, Vietnamese and Zimbabweans – from Climate Change!

No more excuses! No more chemical fertilizers, no more chemical pesticides!

And to help our people in the Philippines decide, all people in the United Nations must decide on this:

Stop Chemical Agriculture!

Step in to Regenerative Agriculture!

Stop in the name of Love! Then we will have healthy episodes of the environment.

I am thinking all that from reading the advice of Ramon Ike V Senerez, that we Earthmen must limit our “unlimited rice” (Facebook post, 05 July 2025).

Mr Senerez’post refers only to “Rethinking Our Rice Consumption” – but if we follow his advice, we must be rethinking all of our agriculture 100%!

“The bottom line: We need to reduce our rice consumption and embrace a more diversified food culture. Doing so is not only good for our health and environment but is also a step toward safeguarding our nation’s food security. Unlimited rice may be tempting today, but if we don’t rethink this mindset, tomorrow’s plate might be empty.”

In short, the longer time we customers safeguard the rice in the market as our staple food supply, the shorter time it will get away from us!

And no, for Filipinos, rice is not our only food agriculture. There are these:

Coconut,
Eggplant,
Corn,
Onions.
Poultry
Rice, Indigenous.
Sugarcane,
Taro (Gabi)
Tomato
Watermelon.

It doesn’t have to start with a national movement. Just one small dedicated farming family in each of the regions of the Philippines.

Wikipedia says (en.wikipedia.org):

“As of 2024, the Philippines is divided into 18 regions. Seventeen of these are … (each) provided by the president of the Philippines with a regional development council (RDC)…

Mr Senerez again:

“The bottom line: We need to reduce our rice consumption and embrace a more diversified food culture. Doing so is not only good for our health and environment but is also a step toward safeguarding our nation’s food security. Unlimited rice may be tempting today, but if we don’t rethink this mindset, tomorrow’s plate might be empty.”

Empty as in …….@517

My country the Philippines is celebrating its “Agriculturists’ Month” the whole of July, and the foreseeable & progressive aim is to transform Philippine Agriculture from low profitability to high profitability, “Beyond Sustainable, Towards Enhanced Nationwide Agricultural Productivity And Competitiveness.”  (image “Transformative” from sg.images.search.yahoo.com) This is all-of-July celebration.

Philippine agriculturists are celebrating the “Agriculturists’ Month” with the theme, “Beyond Sustainable, Towards Enhanced Nationwide Agricultural Productivity And Competitiveness.”

Careful there now! Our agriculturists are and/or I am assuming that their agriculture is already “enhanced” so much as to produce so much. I don’t blame them – but that’s it: The productivity of modern agriculture can only multiply so much – that is, without degrading the soil, without debilitating the crops via chemical fertilizers and chemical pesticides – and can never be self-sustaining. Sustainable, but not self-sustainable – there is a great difference!

Here are alternatives, and any of the 13 practices of Regenerative Agriculture (RA) – name & scheme borrowed from the American Rodale Institute – is highly productive and highly self-sustaining:

(1) Cover Cropping,
(2) Crop Rotation,
(3) Farm Crops + Tree Crops (Agroforestry),
(4) Green Manuring,
(5) Intercropping,
(6) Multiple Cropping,
(7) No-Till Farming,
(8) Organic Fertilization,
(9) Ratooning,
(10) Rotational Grazing,
(11) “Three Sisters” Planting,
(12) Trap Cropping, and
(13) Trash Mulching.

Wow!

July is “Philippine Agriculturists’ Month” as declared by President Ferdinand “BBM” Marcos Jr (Proclamation 544, 10 May 2024) (see top image):

WHEREAS, Republic Act No 8435 or the "Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Act of 1997" declares it a policy of the State to enable those who belong to the agriculture and fisheries sectors to participate and share in the fruits of development and growth in a manner that utilizes the nation's resources in the most efficient and sustainable way possible by establishing a more equitable access to assets, income, basic and support services, and infrastructure…

I am a teaching agriculturist – BSA Ag Edu 1965, UP Los Baños – now then, I’m eager to “participate and share in the fruits of development and growth in a manner that utilizes the nation's resources in the most efficient and sustainable way possible…”

In fact, as one of The Editor In Chiefs hanging around (about me, you can ask any member of the Philippine Journal of Crop Science), I am more interested in this; at home I can produce the reading & viewable materials:

“The celebration of the Philippine Agriculturists(‘) Month will engage professional agriculturists in agricultural advocacy, policy research and formulation, and provide an avenue for enterprise-building, communications training, and community development.”

Agricultural advocacy – as an agriculturist, I hereby advocate that RA be taught in all barangays in the Philippines immediately! None of those practices are sophisticated, none requires new varieties and new ways of growing them – See easy list above.)

”Whereas, the celebration of the Philippine Agriculturists(‘) Month will engage professional agriculturists in agricultural advocacy, policy research and formulation, and provide an avenue for enterprise-building, communications training, and community development.”

Filipino farmers, here comes me with RA! Here is science to fall in love with!

To say is to believe!@517

Climate Change – Who’s To Blame? All People Who Walk The Earth! The Farmers Are Lucky, As They Can Do Regenerative Agriculture To Regenerate Their Lives – If We Teach Them How!

Why does Climate Change happen? Even if they don’t know, the farmers have to contribute to the fight – they are causing much climate damage by their farming systems of chemical agriculture!

On Facebook 30 July 2025, Climate Change shares this info:

“The richest 1% of the global population are responsible for more carbon emissions than the poorest 50% combined.”

Yes! The rich are guiltier of the Crime of Climate Change! What about the farmers? Wikipedia says (30 July 2025, en.wikipedia.org):

The amount of greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture is significant: The agriculture, forestry and land use sectors contribute between 13% and 21% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

Surprised? If you trample the Earth, you are also contributing to Climate Change even if you don’t know or realize it! (image from Pixabay, pixabay.com)

No, farmers would contribute zero to Climate Change if they practised Regenerative Agriculture (RA). Yes, with RA, they would become much richer than they are now – instantly!

And there is a farmer surprise from RA – every single time a farmer practices RA, he’s a winner! These RA practices have very low costs and therefore very high returns:

(1) Cover Cropping,
(2) Crop Rotation,
(3) Farm Crops + Tree Crops (Agroforestry),
(4) Green Manuring,
(5) Intercropping,
(6) Multiple Cropping,
(7) No-Till Farming,
(8) Organic Fertilization,
(9) Ratooning,
(10) Rotational Grazing,
(11) “Three Sisters” Planting,
(12) Trap Cropping, and
(13) Trash Mulching.

With RA, farming is no longer a crime against humanity – it’s a boon for all mankind! If only for these 2 reasons: (1) RA’s very low cost (VLC) and (2) RA’s very high returns (VHR). In high contrast, Chemical Agriculture is VHC and VLR.

Consider: Urea per sack, PhP3,000 (May 2022 (Business Mirror, businessmirror.com.ph). Now then, if you did not use any chemical fertilizer, you could save so much money!

So we go back to any and all of the Regenerative Agriculture practices.

(1) Cover Cropping: Another crop completes soil cover.
(2) Crop Rotation: Next crop is leguminous.
(3) Farm Crops + Tree Crops (Agroforestry).
(4) Green Manuring: First crop enriches the soil.
(5) Intercropping: 2 crops are better than 1.
(6) Multiple Cropping: More crops are better than 1!
(7) No-Till Farming: You don’t cultivate the soil.
(8) Organic Fertilization: Apply organic fertilizer.
(9) Ratooning: The ratoon is your “2^nd crop”.
(10) Rotational Grazing: Patches take turns feeding cattle.
(11) “Three Sisters” Planting: Literally 3 crops.
(12) Trap Cropping: One crop harbors the enemy.
(13) Trash Mulching. Surface materials enrich soil.

If you notice, in Regenerative Agriculture, with any of those 13 practices, you are literally all over the place! You will want to visit your farm every single time to see what’s happening!

Well, any and all those 13 practices work up the soil naturally so that richness is reached at any time and all the time.

Unending returns to natural richness is the unique promise of Regenerative Agriculture – zero in Chemical Agriculture!@517

NEDA, If You Have No Objections, I am self-appointing me The Editor In Chief Of Your 2025 Annual Report Up To A 3^rd-Party Digital Printing Of Distribution Copies

News – 2024 NEDA Annual Report is out now, July 2025 (depdev.gov.ph). The Editor In Chief (TEIC) in me says that’s five (5) months late! Digitally, NEDA & I could have desktop published that report mid-January 2025 yet. To say is to believe!

In these times, where the railroad is digital, I don’t see any excuses why the big, huge, giant NEDA should be 5 months late (June 2025) in coming out with its annual report (Jan-Dec 2024)! I Frank A Hilario, as The Editor In Chief (TEIC) in many a public and private publications in the last 25 years, here and abroad, notably starting with the nternational Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) when Filipino William Dar was the Director General (DG), 2000-2015, for which/whom I wrote and desktop-published 8 books of ICRISAT accomplishments from 2005 when, 7 books of which were printed by ICRISAT (except the would-be 8^th book, 2010, when Mr Dar had to retire because of bureaucratic age). I’m pointing this out to you to show that I am The Editor In Chief (TEIC) you have been looking for – the kind of TEIC that NEDA should have been looking for!

What about your office/group?

I suppose it’s not easy being The (Digital) Editor In Chief, but it is to me because I love it! The doing of it, I mean. (No, ICRISAT did not make me rich in the pocket but it did in the experience. Thanks, ICRISAT!)

So! If NEDA or any other PH government department invites me to demonstrate everything that I am saying here, you’re welcome! No, I don’t have to be physically present in the office premises – digital is all we need. I just have to have a few of those component reports to edit and convert into pdf for printing into an annual report. You will get the drafts for the would-be book as they come along.

You have the right to say, “How dare you insinuate that we in government offices cannot do what you in the private sector can in terms of writing for & editing publications, not the least the annual rerpot!?”

In case you are in doubt, next month I will be 85 years old. Ah, ladies and gentlemen, if you want to try me, I can do it gratis et amore! Please email me a draft report of your office, with image/s to put it, and within the week, I will be done – for the 3 reports, I will have sample pages for you to print, and I will not charge you anything!

I repeat: “No charge.”

How come I am that bold in stating the above. Because I love being TEIC – the pleasure is mine, the treasure is yours!

So, NEDA (whatever you are called now), as The Editor In Chief, I am offering you an editing job you cannot find anywhere else: 1 month for a completely new NEDA 2024 annual report!@517

Leni Robredo Will Make A Really Good Naga City Mayor, I Say. And An Excellent Philippine President!

First, I say: “This is being Mayor!”

Happy and emboldened, I am reading Jason Neola‘s article, “Leni Robredo Takes Oath As Naga’s First Female Mayor, Unveils Agenda For Inclusive, Sustainable City” – 30 July 2025 (Facebook sharing).

”NAGA CITY --- Mayor Maria Leonor Gerona Robredo assumed office today, June 30, 2025, with a bold and comprehensive development agenda centered on inclusive growth, environmental resilience, and citizen-centered governance.

Inclusive, environmental, citizen-centered – what else do we want from the Naga City Mayor? (From the Philippine President!?)

“In her inaugural address, Mayor Robredo unveiled a city roadmap built on eight priority goals – or “2028 Finish Lines”– that aim to raise the quality of life of every Nagueño, strengthen the city’s reputation for good governance, and make Naga a happier, more livable, and forward-looking city.”

“2028 Finish Lines” – I see in them “The beginnings of the total roadmap to the Presidency of the Republic of the Philippines.

“Among the major thrusts of her administration are the creation of an inclusive local economy; stronger environmental stewardship; walkable, orderly, and secure neighborhoods; efficient social protection systems; preservation of cultural identity; and the institutionalization of open and digital governance.”

She calls them “Finish Lines,” the road being “ to make Naga a happier, more livable, and forward-looking city.”

I look forward to this woman as President of the Philippines, my country!

Women!

“Strong women don’t have ‘attitudes,’ we have standards” – Marilyn Monroe

“We’re here for a reason. I believe that reason is to throw little torches out to lead people through the dark” – Whoopi Goldberg

“There are two powers in the world; one is the sword and the other is the pen. There is a third power stronger than both, that of women.” – Malala Yousafzai

“It doesn’t matter how strong your opinions are. If you don’t use your power for positive change, you are, indeed, part of the problem.” – Coretta Scott King

“The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any.” – Alice Walker

“Power can be taken, but not given. The process of the taking is empowerment in itself.” – Gloria Steinem

“Hope is often misunderstood. People tend to think that it is simply passive wishful thinking: I hope something will happen but I’m not going to do anything about it. This is indeed the opposite of real hope, which requires action and engagement.” – Jane Goodall

(The above are FAH’s selections from “92 Best Quotes By (And For) Strong Women.” goodgoodgood.co.)

Concluding her address, Mayor Robredo assured her constituents of her unwavering commitment to public service. “Rest assured, this mandate you have given me will not go to naught. Together, we will build a Naga that is not only admired across the nation – but truly loved by its own people.”

“With purpose and unity, we declare the kind of city we are determined to build together– anchored on the promise made many years ago by Jesse (Robredo+, her husband): to make Naga a happy place for every Nagueño.”

Filipinas, here we come!@517

Artificial Intelligences (AI’s) Versus Human Intelligences (HI’s) – Are We Thinking For Better Or For Worse?

“Digital Skills” are the obvious standouts in today’s world; chances are very high that you feel out of place if you were not holding one of those modern gadgets or tools: cellphone, iPad, laptop, MacBook, MP3 player, smartphone etc. Holding one of those and you “feel you belong,” right? (upper image from pixabay.com).

Here’s a press release from the Philippines, author unidentified (05 Feb 2024, PIDS, pids.gov.ph): “Current Filipino Workers Often Lack Soft Skills To Adapt To Digital Age – PIDS Study.” To quote from the Philippine Institute of Development Studies (PIDS):

Filipino workers often lack soft skills like adaptability and collaboration, leaving them ill-prepared for the challenges of artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies, according to a new study by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) titled “Toward Measuring Soft Skills for Youth Development: A Scoping Study”.

“The PIDS study was conducted by De La Salle University Distinguished University Professor and University Fellow Allan Bernardo, PIDS Senior Research Fellow Jose Ramon Albert, former Supervising Research Specialist Jana Flor Vizmanos, and Research Analyst Mika Muñoz. The study “reveals that this weakness in soft skills, also called “Transversal Competencies” (TVC), stems from the administration of training and skills development that are largely geared towards the pre-digital era.”

“The consequences are significant, impacting not only individual career prospects, but also hindering the Philippines’ economic competitiveness and innovation potential.”

Oh oh!

“As we move deeper into the 21st century, the need for a workforce proficient in TVCs becomes increasingly critical,” the authors say.

Just a minute! The Editor In Chief says. “You have your skills all mixed up!” Thinking is not simply the use of modern knowledge tools such as enumerated above but starts with any number of nine intelligences, the ones that Harvard professor Howard Gardner calls “multiple intelligences” (MI), which are:

1. Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence (“Body Smart”),
2. Creative Intelligence (“Thinking Smart”), added by FAH,
3. Existential Intelligence (“Life Smart”),
4. Interpersonal Intelligence (“People Smart”),
5. Intrapersonal Intelligence (“Self Smart”),
6. Mathematical-Logical Intelligence (“Number/Reasoning Smart”),
7. Musical Intelligence (“Music Smart”),
8. Naturalist Intelligence (“Nature Smart”),
9. Spatial Intelligence (“Image Smart”), and
10. Verbal-Linguistic Intelligence (“Word Smart”).

I call them “Human Intelligences (HI’s), and the use of modern gadgets only amplify those intelligences, not supplant them! (image from Getty)

Again, from the PIDS study:

“Addressing this gap requires a concerted effort from educational institutions, policymakers, and industry leaders to redefine skills development frameworks and prioritize the cultivation of these essential competencies.”

I say the skills to further develop are the MI ones: body smarts, thinking smarts, existential smarts,people smarts, self smarts, number smarts,  nature smarts, spatial smarts, and word smarts.

Yes Sir, yes Ma’am, those TVCs such as “critical thinking and cognitive skills, interpersonal skills, and intrapersonal skills” need to be developed in persons in schools. Unfortunately, these are not enough: we need creative & cooperative thinking!@517

And yes, since nobody can perform all such skills wonderfully, we need contributions from many individuals much of the time!@517

Digital Is My (Whole) World Now – I Pity Those Who Are Not Digital! So, I’m At Your Service As The Editor In Chief

Young at heart (and mind) although not in body, at 85 (Sept 17), I am very happy to announce to the world what keeps me going (aside from the grace of God), is that I know, as a fulfilled digital person, I tell you now as self-advertisement that The Editor In Chief has a handful of abilities to offer the world: digital writing, digital editing & desktop publishing (good for commercial printing). I provide some details below.

(“Digital man” from freepik.com)

Now then, here are “Frank's 5 Digital Talents For Hire” – what I have to offer the universe of information, journals, knowledge banks, media, publications, research reports and science books – these 5 personal computer-based expertises:

(1) Digital Writer From Home (WFH)

Available as a WFH since 2007, when William Dar, Filipino agriculturist, was on his 7^th year as Director General (DG) of the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), appointed me as WFH. I created and maintained the blog “iCRiSAT Watch.” At the end of 2014, when Mr Dar retired as DG after those15 years, ICRISAT had published 7 books of mine based on the articles in my blog.

(2) The Editor In Chief (TEIC)

Born 17 Sept 1940, and self-taught in digital works, I say age does not matter when talent is concerned, especially digital talents (plural). At 63 years of age, in 2003, I was hired as The Editor In Chief of the triannual Philippine Journal of Crop Science (PJCS), which was then 2 years late in its issues: 2001 and 2002. As a one-man digital band, with Teodoro C Mendoza as Chair of the International Board of Editors, I singlehandedly made the PJCS up-to-date in 2006, meaning as a one-man band I worked double time – and in 2007, made the PJCS included in the elite international journal list called “ISI” (now “Web of Science”). (All this should be in the Guinness Book Of World Records!)

(3) Blogger

As you can see, I continue to blog today that which I began to do sometime in the year 2000 with the digital publisher “The American Chronicle” (since extinct, sorry!). With Blogspot.com, as of today, I have blogged at least 40,000 essays of different lengths, mostly on the subjects of Agriculture and Editing.

(4) Apostle of Regenerative Agriculture (RA)

I Filipino am one of the world’s persistent pursuer of Regenerative Agriculture (RA), a component of Regenerative Capitalism (RC) (see my 16 Jan 2024 essay, “How Good Is ‘Sustainable Capitalism’ AKA ‘Creative Capitalism’ Vs ‘Regenerative Capitalism’?” Communication for Development of Vibrant Villages (ComDev2), blogspot.com); this is another blog of mine.

(5) Persistence in “Communication for Development of Vibrant Villages (ComDev2)

To simplify, I now say: “If your agriculture does not bring about the continued cultivation of vibrant or vigorous villages, it’s capitalistic agriculture; it improves the lives of the capitalists while millions of farmers remain poor.”

Now then, how can I stop proselytizing for the tens of millions of poor Filipino farmers?@517