1st rubber forum in Sarangani stirs interest

By BETH N. RAMOS MAITUM, Sarangani (June 2, 2012) - If you plant a tree be sure it's rubber. This was the reminder of Engr. Remus Villavicencio during the 1st Sarangani Rubber Forum attended by 165 rubber growers, traders, and government representatives from the seven municipalities of Sarangani. Villavicencio, municipal administrator of Makilala in Cotabato Province, emphasized in his keynote speech Wednesday (May 30) that the Rubber Development Project has become the centerpiece of Makilala's development agenda. He cited two important goals of his town’s Rubber Development Project: “to address poverty in order to empower our people in their entire economic endeavor and help arrest the continuing degradation of the environment.” “With this, we humbly would tell our future children of our noble piece at mitigating the effects of the present condition of climate change," Villavicencio said. Villavicencio disclosed that in Makilala, the local government unit (LGU) gives free rubber seedlings in order to provide wider opportunity to marginal farmers to acquire planting materials to make their lands sustainably productive in the future. The rubber industry if pursued vigorously by LGUs, he said, would assure them higher revenue as farmers become economically empowered which eventually enable them to pay their taxes. “Soon we will claim the ‘Rubber Capital’ (tag) of Region XII and in the next 30 years, we are definitely certain that the rubber industry to include our neighboring municipalities and provinces and definitely Sarangani for that matter would be the leading economic activity that would capacitate our people," Villavicencio said. He ended his speech with this reminder: “If you plant a tree be sure it's rubber." Other speakers shared their expertise and knowledge about the rubber industry which stirred the interest of the participants especially the marginal rubber growers to continue with what they have started. Dr. Harem Roca, a University of Southern Mindanao professor, presented the trends, prospects, and challenges of the rubber industry. Roca cited major challenges of the rubber industry as follows: limited access to credit and financing, peace and order and land tenure, inadequate services and infrastructure support, processing, and marketing, among other things. However, Roca also highlighted the opportunities like production, growing domestic and global market and carbon credits. Jack Sandique, CEO of Platinum Rubber Development, Inc, shared his hands-on and practical experience on rubber propagation and development. Sandique said, “I am sharing my trade secrets which I haven’t said before because I see in your faces the big interest to learn about rubber development.” The forum was organized by the Maitum Rubber Growers Association MARUGA) and the Sarangani Rubber Industry Cluster Development Team in partnership with PLGU-Sarangani, MLGU Maitum, and the Department of Trade and Industry – Sarangani. During the forum, Mayor Elsie Lucille Perrett inducted the first set of officers of MARUGA. “There is a tiger opportunity in the rubber industry that could make our economy leap to its highest plane,” said Gary Lee Perrett, MARUGA president. Mayor Perrett was happy of the outcome of the forum. “It was a big success not only in terms of attendance but more importantly because the speakers shared vital information for the participants to learn from.” Maitum has 1,500 hectares planted to rubber. It has a potential area of more or less 4,000 hectares. Mayor Perrett was confident that Maitum would be one of the leaders in rubber industry in the near future. “Rubber development will be my banner program,” the mayor said. Rubber development in Maitum was started during the term of the late Mayor George Yabes and is now being actively pursued by the administration of Mayor Perrett. For more news and updates, please visit the Province of Sarangani . (Beth N. Ramos/MAITUM INFORMATION OFFICE)