Columnists Of The World, Unite! You Have Nothing To Lose But Your Chains! Your Book Needs An Index – If You Don’t Mind, No Matter!

If you are a long-time columnist of a newspaper or writer of a magazine, you may have published a book out of your works or are planning to come out with one. But you did not think of coming out with an index – well, think again! That is, if you want to sell a great many more copies of your book. 
(“Book Index” from kindlepreneur.com, “How To” from tckpublishing.com)

Filipinos or not, columnists invariably do not invite their readers to think – just to believe what they are saying. The columnists automatically assume that the readers appreciate what they’re saying!

If you have published your book, or are planning to publish one based on your articles, The Editor In Chief that is in me advises that you include an exhaustive index at the back of your book – or as a separate, and free (and therefore attractive) offer.

Actually, your book Index is another platform to convince readers of your acumen or smarts about broad topics or field(s) of national interest – and buy your book!

As I write this, I am about to win, or lose, somebody’s “Yes” in going ahead to prepare an index for his book, the broad field of which is Economics. He is hesitant (undecided) or reluctant (undecided!) at the moment. No matter – if he decides “Thanks, but no, thanks!” I will forgive him, but he will be forsaking the golden opportunity to open a thousand – a million? – more readers of his book.

No classroom or digital lecturer will teach you this, but: “A book index is a sure sign that your book is rich in content, and a very helpful guide to explore such content topic by topic, subject by subject!”

Sonya Shelton says (“Index Vs. Table of Contents | Definition, Purpose & Differences,” (Study.com, study.com):  “The index is an alphabetical list of words, phrases, or topics mentioned in the book.” The Table of Contents lists only chapter titles and pages.

So? So I offered to generate an index to a book that is about Agriculture – my field, BSA major in Ag Edu, UP Los Baños, 1965 – and Economics (definitely not easy to comprehend!) If the author finally says “No, thanks!” I will understand; if he says, “Yes, Sir, go ahead!” then the literature on agriculture and economics will be so much the richer – and reachable by more readers.

Again, why a book index? To entice the reader to open the page/s where a certain topic or group of topics of personal interest is to be found.

(If the data/information is incomplete, s/he can go and explore the Internet – or ask the author.)

In fact, I am right now ready with 15 pages of index entries – and I’m only on page 49 of that book! Because an index is supposed to be a finger pointing exactly to the pages where the reader wants to go.

Now, if the author decides against my index to his book, “Thanks, but no thanks!”@517

Selections From The Book (3): Doc Ciel Says, “Food Security, Not Rice Self-Sufficiency!”

Some 5 months ago, President Ferdinand “BBM” Marcos Jr approved the “Masagana Rice Industry Development Program” (MRIDP) [June 2023? Sorry, PH media are vague on the exact date]. The MRIDP calls for a “97.5% rice sufficiency in 5 years.” 
(“Food Security” from istockphoto.com, “Govt Intervention” from PhilStar, as cited below)

Bella Cariaso says (“Government Intervention Needed For 97.5 Percent Rice Sufficiency” (03 June 2023, PhilStar, philstar.com):

A farmers’ group yesterday urged the government to implement the interventions needed to achieve 97.5-percent rice sufficiency in five years, as envisioned by President Marcos through the Masagana Rice Industry Development Program…

“We’ve been talking over and over that it (rice sufficiency) is achievable if we have the right programs like fertilization, use of hybrid rice, irrigation. We need all of these,” [Danilo] Fausto said. … Our local palay production dropped last year as there was a problem on the use of fertilizers because of a spike in the prices. (Mr Fausto is President of the Philippine Chamber of Agriculture and Food Inc.)

Aha! Ex-NEDA chief Cielito F Habito (Doc Ciel) is publishing his economics book No Free Lunch (Essays On Philippine Agriculture), coming out Friday, 01 Dec 2023 – and he debunks (sorry BBM Sir!) “rice self-sufficiency” for the Philippines!

In his book, Doc Ciel says:

I’ve never said that the Philippines cannot be rice self-sufficient, as scientists and others often insist. The issue has always been: at what cost?

No, PH cannot afford to go after rice self-sufficiency!

With the right science and inputs, we can squeeze as much rice as we can from our much smaller rice area relative to our Greater Mekong Subregion neighbors, and yes, be self-sufficient – but it would still cost much higher than our neighbors can provide that rice to us.

For PH, Masagana Dream: Sufficient in rice. Unfortunately, Masagana Wishful Thinking: Deficient in thinking intelligent economics!

It makes far better sense to produce as much as we can only to the extent that its cost is comparable to that of our rice surplus neighbors.

In rice, PH has to add cost of production – and subtract its dream of self-sufficiency!

But we Filipinos are stubborn, aren’t we?! Doc Ciel says:

…Maintaining our age-old policy of shielding the domestic rice market via import restrictions will only keep permitting our domestic rice prices and production costs to remain up to twice higher than what other Southeast Asians pay for the staple.

You can quarrel with Doc Ciel, but not with Economics.

Doc Ciel says:

I have no doubt that with proper efficiency improvements, we have enough competitive farms and scientific resources to permit us to still produce the bulk of our rice needs, even at or close to Southeast Asian prices that are [today] only about half ours.

Doc Ciel’s rice economics is clear to me: Efficiency, not Sufficiency!

Government is not supposed to be helping our farmers persist as high-cost producers; it’s supposed to help them become high productivity, low-cost and competitive ones.

Wake up, sleepy PH Government; wake up, sleepy PH Agriculture!@517

Selections From The Book (2): “The Alabat Mystique” – Economic Lessons From An Island Town Of Quezon Enriching Farmers

I continue browsing the pages of ex-NEDA Chief Cielito F Habito’s book “No Free Lunch” (coming out 01 Oct), and it continues to surprise me. This time the astonishment comes from the pages of “The Alabat  Mystique,” where Doc Ciel explains “how agribusiness, diversified farm activities and good linkage to value chains appear to have made the difference for the town, and brought its poverty level down, quite unusual for an island town.” 
(“Aerial Alabat” from facebook.com)

3 lessons from Doc Ciel:
Agribusiness – farming is a business; if you don’t appreciate that, you’re a farmer loser.
Diversification – My God, most of Filipino farmers are monocroppers!
Linkage to value chains – “Global value chains connect producers to consumers across the world,” says OECD (oecd.org). These value chains help deliver supplies of food and fiber – and in return, reward the farmers much.

Doc Ciel says:

Agribusiness initiatives and deliberate initiatives to widen sources of livelihood for the farm populace indeed appear to have set Alabat apart from adjoining Perez and Quezon towns, which have thrice and twice as much poverty, respectively. Calamansi alone seems to have made a major difference. … In years past, natural calamities and diseases had nearly decimated the crop, with only Alabat town managing to keep a prominent chunk of the industry. Its break came when local calamansi farmers secured a contract to supply Jollibee with the product.

The widened sources of livelihood have set Alabat apart from next towns Perez and Quezon, which “thrice and twice as much poverty, respectively.” One source of this man-made (economic) phenomenon is the calamansi – via farmers enjoying a contract to supply the fruit to Jollibee, the #1 food chain in the Philippines.

Calamansi or onion or any other crop – if farmers connect to a value chain, they can become millionaires!

Doc Ciel credits Alabat’s enriching farmers also to the town’s leadership:

We witnessed first hand Mayor [Fernando] Mesa’s sharp and active mind in action, always thinking well beyond the current state of things, and seemingly seeing opportunities for his townspeople at every turn. “Challenge the status quo” is one of his mantras, and doing so has served his town well.

“Challenge the status quo” I almost always do, but not negatively –unlike those street protesters who endlessly shout, “Down with..!”

It was in fact through his proactive push that many of the alternative economic activities in his town have progressed. But his deep spirituality and Christian faith could very well spell the greatest difference for his leadership. Mentored by the Fellowship of Christians in Government (FOCIG) since his army days, he has changed traditional mindsets in his own bureaucracy by offering FOCIG’s leadership enrichment seminars to his municipal officers, and soon, the town’s teachers and youth groups as well.

If you are a leader, please do not separate your spirituality with your work. I am a Roman Catholic and a writer; I do not separate my “old Catholicism” with “modern” ideas of agriculture. After all, Father Adam came from the earth!@517

I Filipino Male Believe Michelle Dee Should Have Won The Miss Universe 2023 Crown – She Was Body Beautiful & A Voice For Change!

“Miss Universe Philippines deserves to be Miss Universe 2023!” Today, Tuesday, 21 Nov 2023, that is the unstated message that I Filipino read from 99% of posts & sharings on media, especially Facebook. It looks like to me that the judges of Miss Universe 2023 were prejudiced against Miss Universe Philippines Michelle Dee!

(“Stunning” from onesports.ph, “Pampanga’s Best” from facebook.com)

Kylie Padilla said cryptically on Instagram: “The world knows.” (kami.com.ph). “PROUD OF YOU, MY KAMBAL!” Proud of you, my twin! (They look alike.). Ms Kylie is an actress, singer and model. “You have made us all tremendously proud with your poise, grace, and confidence on that stage. Your preparation and hard work showed in your every move, and you truly shone like the queen you are.”

Here are more media statements of Filipinos disappointed with Miss Universe 2023 contest results:

Winwyn Marquez says, “Ikaw pa din Miss Universe namin” (“You are still our Miss Universe”) [Kami, kami.com.ph].

Miss Universe Philippines National Director Shamcey Supsup-Lee says, “You have put the Philippines back on the map as a pageant powerhouse, and for that, we are immensely grateful” (twitter.com).

Khryzztine Joy Baylon quotes Shamcey Supsup as saying, "I still believe you deserved a spot in the top 5" (PEP, pep.ph)

ANN says (“’You Are Such A Force’: PH Beauty Queens Applaud Michelle Dee’s Miss Universe 2023 Performance” (Author Not Named, 19 Nov 2023, Rappler, rappler.com):

Dee was also one of the Gold winners for the pageant’s “Voice for Change” category… (focusing) on autism acceptance, inclusivity, and empowerment.

Hours after the pageant, Dee also took to Instagram to express her gratitude to her supporters, saying that while she’s trying to process the results, she said that she knows that she’s “truly indebted” to her fans. “We showed the whole universe what our bayanihan spirit can do,” she said.

Fellow Filipino beauty queens left a comment in Dee’s post to share how proud they are of the Philippine bet’s performance.

“You are such a force! From your thoughts and ideas to your willpower and dedication for the Philippines,” Miss Supranational 2023 1st runner-up Pauline Amelinckx wrote.

Reina Hispanoamericana 2017 Winwyn Marquez also penned a lengthy social media post to congratulate her cousin for an “incredible achievement.” “You have made us all tremendously proud with your poise, grace, and confidence on that stage. Your preparation and hard work showed in your every move, and you truly shone like the queen you are,” she said.

Also from Rappler (cited):

As several Filipino pageant fans rallied that she deserved a higher placement, Dee reminded her supporters to choose “love and kindness over everything.” “Thank you so much for raising our flag with me,” she said.

Actress, model & singer Rhian Ramos tweeted, “Something [fishy].”

After all is said and done, what has Miss Universe Philippines 2023 done? I say: “She was a Voice for Change. She showed Brains with Beauty – that subtle combination which the Miss Universe 2023 judges failed to note.”@517

Selections from the book (1): “The Philippines Is An Agricultural Economy, But It’s Uneconomic” – Ex-NEDA Chief Cielito F Habito

 

Surprise! Ex-NEDA head Cielito F Habito, PhD, says, “Many Filipinos think of our country as an agricultural economy. It is not.”

I did not know that! and I am a BSA graduate, UP Los Baños 1965; published writer since 1975; and an explorer of the Internet since 1991.

Doc Ciel makes that eye-opening statement in his book: No Free Lunch (Essays On Philippine Agriculture), coming out Friday, 01 Dec 2023, according to his Facebook post of Sunday, 19 Nov 2023.

Well, teachers are not exempted from re-learning!

The particular source of that statement is Doc Ciel’s 19-year old Inquirer essay, “Raising Farm Incomes” dated 19 April 2004, the year President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (GMA) won a second term. GMA was herself an economist.

Here is the first paragraph of that essay as part of Doc Ciel’s Inquirer long-running column “No Free Lunch:”:

Only one-fifth (20%) of the economy’s total output, as measured by gross domestic product (GDP), actually comes from agriculture. And yet the sector accounts for more than one-third (37%) of total employment. In contrast, services now account for almost half (45%) of our economy’s output, while taking up also about half (47%) of our workers. These numbers indicate that there must be something wrong with labor productivity in agriculture. No wonder farmers and farm workers are poor.

In other words, to put it kindly, “Agriculture is under-performing!”

“There must be something wrong with the labor productivity in agriculture. No wonder farmers and farm workers are poor.” Doc Ciel attributes poor productivity in farms not to the farmers themselves but to inputs, technology, and facilities. He says:

It is not the farmers’ or farm workers’ fault that output per worker is low. They are simply working in an industry where lack of modern inputs (seeds, fertilizers and machines, to name some) and of support facilities (irrigation, post-harvest facilities, communication facilities and roads) severely limits how much they can produce. As a result, our average rice and corn yields are much lower than that of most of our neighbors, being only half that of China and two-thirds that of Indonesia, for example.

Doc Ciel is saying the modern inputs that are lacking in PH agriculture include seeds, fertilizers and machines; the support facilities include irrigation, postharvest and communication.

“What would it take to boost our farm productivity and incomes?” I will quote 2 precious bits of advice from Doc Ciel:

Local responsibility – Resources and responsibility for raising productivity on the farms must be given to the units of government closest to the problem, and not be centrally managed from Manila.

Agricultural cooperatives – the way to achieve greater efficiency through economies of scale is for farmers to band together into cooperatives. This would permit them to gain bargaining strength and lower unit costs… both in the procurement of their inputs including access to credit, and in the marketing of their produce.

I gather Doc Ciel’s lesson in Agricultural Economics: “Economics is for the greater number for the greater good!”@517

PH Secretary Of Agriculture Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr Has 20 New Roadmaps – Where Are They Coming From & Where Are They Going?

Today, Friday, 17 Nov 2023, I was enchanted to see a new logo  that says, “Bagong Pilipinas” (top image) – inspiring, to say the least. This image appears on the website of our Department of Agriculture (DA) now under November-appointed Secretary of Agriculture Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr (https://www.da.gov.ph/), and the webpage proclaims: “Para sa Bagong Pilipinas!” (For the New Philippines!)

Meaningfully, the webpage shows logos of 20 roadmaps never before drawn and/or seen:

1, Yellow Corn Industry Roadmap 2021-2040
2, Abaca Industry Roadmap 2021-2025
3, Banana Industry Roadmap 2021-2025
4, Cacao Industry Roadmap 2021-2025
5, Coconut Industry Roadmap 2021-2040
6, Coffee Industry Roadmap 2021-2025
7, Mango Industry Roadmap 2021-2025
8, Onion Industry Roadmap 2021-2040
9, Vegetable Industry Roadmap 2021-2040
10, Carabao Industry Roamap 2021-2026
11, Dairy Industry Roadamp 2021-2025
12, Hog Industry Roadmap 2021-2026
13, Poultry Broiler Industry Roadmap 2021-2040
14, Poultry Layer Roadmap 2021-2040
15, Small Ruminants Industry Roadmap 2021-2040
16, Milkfish Industry Roadmap 2021-2040
17, Seaweed Industry Roadmap 2021-2026
18, Shellfish Industry Roadmap 2021-2025
19, Shrimp Industry Roadmap 2021-2040
20, Tilapia Industry Roadmap 2021-2025.

The webpage proclaims: “Para Sa Masaganang Bagong Pilipinas!” (my translation: “For The New Abundant Philippines!”).

Congratulations! You have 20 roadmaps already, and Sec Tiu Laurel Jr is just starting.

But now, now, ladies & gentlemen – you are over-excited.
2 things:
(1) You are not showing where you are coming from.
(2) You are not showing where you are going!
(“Where” from shows.acast.com)

Certainly: Your roadmaps for 20 agriculture-based industries are welcome – but I see 3 More Prior & Pressing Problems of PH Agriculture that need to be addressed before considering those roadmaps intelligently:

(1) Where are those roadmaps leading to?

What is the common Destination in terms of the country?
Mr Tiu Laurel, in other words, what is your Vision for the Philippines as the DA under you follow those roadmaps?

“Without Vision, the People Perish!”
Read your Bible, Proverbs 29:18.
This is figuratively, and literally true.

Don’t forget:

(2) How do you solve the problem of Farmer Poverty?
(3) How do you resolve the problem of Climate Change?

You have not done so, I know, Mr Secretary, but you have to confront the poverty of millions (plural) of Filipino farmers. Priorly, you have to investigate what is the main cause of such poverty. If you ask me, I will tell you it is Chemical Agriculture (CA). The applications of chemical fertilizers and chemical pesticides are:

(1) at the expense of the natural fertilities of soils,
(2) at the expense of the natural health of crops,
(3) at the expense of the healthy foods that those naturally healthy crops produce;
(4) at the expense of consumer-craved-for farm produce; and, therefore
(5) at the expense of profits of farmers!

Mr Secretary, we must practice Regenerative Agriculture (RA)!

RA directly solves Farmer Poverty and indirectly resolves Climate Change.

And yes, if you address those 2 problems, you will be priorly addressing the concerns of your 20 industries you have built roadmaps for!@517

 

“Boycott Sci Journals!” Nobel Winner Says; “Make Sci Journals Attract Climate Change Research!” The Editor In Chief Says

Nobel Prize 2013 winner American biologist Randy Schekman called for a boycott of sci/tech journals 10 years ago yet. His reason: “Many journals are more concerned [with] getting clicks than publishing the best science” (Ian Sample, “Nobel Winner Declares Boycott Of Top Science Journals,” 09 Dec 2013, The Guardian, theguardian.com). Very much more relevant, 2023.

Now, referring to myself as “The Editor In Chief” (TEIC) in digital print since 05 March 2020 (“Is William Dar Sleeping On The Job, Or BusinessMirror Sleeping With The Mouse?” Re-Discovering Heroes,  blogspot.com), I Agriculturist and TEIC say, “Better than boycotting people – convince sci journals to attract papers addressing Agriculture and Climate Change!” “Publish or Perish” applies to both scientists and sciences.
{“Publish” from thegamecrafter.com)

And what credentials have I to claim being “The Editor In Chief” in all the digital universe? My accomplishments:

1, 1975-1980, Typewriter-based publications – Founder & The Editor In Chief of the monthly newsletter Canopy, quarterly technical journal Sylvatrop, and quarterly color magazine Habitat, the 3 publications of the Forest Research Institute.

2, 1985: Typewriter-based ommercial publishing. At the Farming Systems & Soil Resources Institute (FSSRI) of UP Los Baños. My last non-digital book that I produced was Focus On The Small Farmer, 138 pages, published by FSSRI in 1985. Then I began teaching myself digital works.

3, 2001-2008 , The Editor In Chief. This was of the Philippine Journal of Crop Science (PJCS) at the time when the PJCS was late by 9 trimestral issues! As TEIC for PJCS, I was the only staff for PJCS! As TEIC, I made the PJCS up-to-date in 3 years – and with my quality editing, the PJCS became included in the coveted international list of journals called ISI (now “Web of Knowledge”).

4, 2007-2014, desktop publishing – In 2000, I started blogging. For 2007-2014, I was Writer From Home (WFH) for the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT). ICRISAT published 7 books with the contents all digitally produced by this WFH.

Now then, instead of boycotting those international sci journals, let us encourage them to accept – with pleasure and treasure – quality technical papers that deal with researchable aspects of Farmer Poverty and Climate Change!

I do declare: In relation to the people and the planet, that the utmost concern of science today should be: Regenerative Agriculture (RA). Why? RA is designed to
solve Farmer Poverty and
resolve Climate Change!

And so this TEIC is encouraging the State Colleges & Universities in the Philippines to conduct studies on how to –

(1)          clean up Climate Change with regards to greenhouse gases (GHGs) produced in Chemical Agriculture (CA).

(2)          improve the business situation in agriculture so that even small farmers will gain big, via Regenerative Agriculture.

What kind of research can be done in the name of Regenerative Agriculture? See my list of 13 that I call “Good Pluck 13” (05 Nov 2023, “Mixing Business With Pleasure Serving The Country – Would New PH Secretary of Agriculture Francisco Tiu Laurel Demonstrate It?” Rediscovering Heroes, blogspot.com).