October 3, 2020
October 3, 2020
One of the people who touched my life the most. He introduced me to sustainable agriculture along with my Crop Science 1 B teacher, Ted Mendoza. He taught me that sustainable agriculture is a philosophy and not a packet of technology. He inculcated the importance of ownership and control over land, seeds, knowledge and technology. He made me appreciate traditional knowledge and traditional food.
I was not a UPLB Volunteer and was able to join him in Mt. Pinatubo in 1992 only once. But that single fieldwork with him in Mt. Pinatubo taught me to pay attention to power dynamics as he tasked me make kwentuhan with the Visayan migrant settlers na umaaligid-aligid. He asked me to know what's happening with the distribution of relief efforts that came in the area while majority of our team engaged in FGD.
He introduced me to the discussions on GATT-WTO and Intellectual Property Rights and how it would affect the state of agriculture and the plight of farmers in our country. And exposed me to the CRs built in Mt. Pinatubo. He challenged me to enter them para makita ko ang toilet bowl na ang laman ay malalaking bato.
Conversations with Doc Oca can swing from global relations and national situation to the workings of the plant at the cellular level. He says that if you see how plants work, maniniwala ka talaga na may God. It's so perfect, someone must have made it. I think he was describing plant physiology with me at that time. I was like just wondering paano napunta doon ang conversation when we were just discussing farmers' situation?
Doc was always candid with me. He made fun of me and how I ran. And said that while he finds me smart, he finds my sister smarter than me. Mabilis daw pick-up ko sa general concepts at paano i-apply sa communication, but my sister, Golda would probe and pay attention to details and get the technical aspect of things. He commended my interest and passion. And always reminded na aralin ang technical aspects kasi it helps you argue things in the end. Hindi pwedeng rara.
Doc always said teaching can be lonely. Sa dami-dami ng tinuturuan mo sa agriculture, only a few would really have the perspective of sustainable agriculture. And pursue it as a career. Kaya talagang he finds time to mentor. Happy na daw siya na may paisa-isa na sumunod. Basta meron.
I was never been his student. Or mentee. But feeling ko, kahit nakikitambay lang ako sa office niya for three years of my college life, ilang courses na natutunan ko. My interest on land, rice and seeds, and my first push to work on IP rights issues after college came from him.
For these, thank you, Doc. Oca. At mahigpit na yakap, Aloi Santos, Benilde, at Mima.
I was not a UPLB Volunteer and was able to join him in Mt. Pinatubo in 1992 only once. But that single fieldwork with him in Mt. Pinatubo taught me to pay attention to power dynamics as he tasked me make kwentuhan with the Visayan migrant settlers na umaaligid-aligid. He asked me to know what's happening with the distribution of relief efforts that came in the area while majority of our team engaged in FGD.
He introduced me to the discussions on GATT-WTO and Intellectual Property Rights and how it would affect the state of agriculture and the plight of farmers in our country. And exposed me to the CRs built in Mt. Pinatubo. He challenged me to enter them para makita ko ang toilet bowl na ang laman ay malalaking bato.
Conversations with Doc Oca can swing from global relations and national situation to the workings of the plant at the cellular level. He says that if you see how plants work, maniniwala ka talaga na may God. It's so perfect, someone must have made it. I think he was describing plant physiology with me at that time. I was like just wondering paano napunta doon ang conversation when we were just discussing farmers' situation?
Doc was always candid with me. He made fun of me and how I ran. And said that while he finds me smart, he finds my sister smarter than me. Mabilis daw pick-up ko sa general concepts at paano i-apply sa communication, but my sister, Golda would probe and pay attention to details and get the technical aspect of things. He commended my interest and passion. And always reminded na aralin ang technical aspects kasi it helps you argue things in the end. Hindi pwedeng rara.
Doc always said teaching can be lonely. Sa dami-dami ng tinuturuan mo sa agriculture, only a few would really have the perspective of sustainable agriculture. And pursue it as a career. Kaya talagang he finds time to mentor. Happy na daw siya na may paisa-isa na sumunod. Basta meron.
I was never been his student. Or mentee. But feeling ko, kahit nakikitambay lang ako sa office niya for three years of my college life, ilang courses na natutunan ko. My interest on land, rice and seeds, and my first push to work on IP rights issues after college came from him.
For these, thank you, Doc. Oca. At mahigpit na yakap, Aloi Santos, Benilde, at Mima.
