TUBURAN, Cebu (PIA) — Over 300 coffee and regular farmers in Tuburan, Cebu will participate in the 2024 Post-SONA Forum on Nov. 8 at the municipal covered court to gain insights from invited national government agencies on boosting agricultural harvest that could impact on tourism growth and opportunities.
Tuburan, located more than 80 kilometers in northwestern Cebu, is the venue of the 2024 Post-SONA Forum under the theme “Cultivating Agriculture for Tourism Development and Opportunities under a New Philippines.”
Implemented by the Philippine Information Agency (PIA), the 2024 Post-SONA Forum is spearheaded by the Presidential Communications Office (PCO).
It aims to further stress and substantiate the pronouncements made by Pres. Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. in his State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 22, where the importance of the tourism sector is lauded as a source of job generation among many Filipinos.
Cebu’s edge is tourism, but tourism has evolved beyond sights and attractions to include farm, culture, arts, cruise, education, food and beverage, and even sports, among others.
Tuburan, on the other hand, is known for its local coffee product ‘Tuburan Coffee,’ the first homegrown coffee brand in Cebu.
This has the potential to attract tourist coffee lovers and regular tourists to visit the town that boasts of other attractions in the area as well.
Selected government agencies have been invited to present their programs and services that could enhance and boost the agricultural productivity of the local farm sector for tourism growth and related opportunities under the Bagong Pilipinas, a call that focuses on an all-inclusive plan for economic and social transformation.
Among the agencies that will join the forum include the Department of Agriculture to talk on “Climate Change Resiliency for Sustainable Farming,” Department of Science and Technology on “The Use of Technology to Boost Farm Harvests,” Department of Trade and Industry on “Branding, Packaging and Marketing Strategies for OTOP Product,” and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources on “Expanding NGP Barangays to Boost Coffee Production.”
Invited keynote speakers are Tourism Sec. Christina Garcia-Frasco on “The Vital Role of Agriculture to Tourism Growth and Opportunities,” and Agriculture Sec. Francisco T. Laurel, Jr. on “Thee Establishment of the Bureau of Agricultural Research Center in Tuburan for Agri-Tourism Development.”
PIA Director General Katherine Chloe S. De Castro will present the program overview, which includes an audio-visual presentation about the agency.
Tuburan Mayor Democrito Diamante said he is happy to host the 2024 Post-SONA Forum so the new developments in his town can be showcased.
According to Diamante, the poverty incidence in Tuburan in 2010 was at 45.90 percent.
It was drastically reduced to 24.14 percent in 2018, which Diamante attributed to coffee farming.
The drop in their poverty incidence pushed the municipal government to reposition their cash assistance to capitalization for livelihood for a more sustainable source of income for local households.
Cebu’s Post-SONA activity is the third to be conducted nationwide, after Sultan Kudarat in Region 12 and Calapan City, Oriental Mindoro. (FCR/PIA-7)
