Nearly two hectares of Army camp in Tanay to be converted to farmland

April 13, 2020

Almost two hectares of Philippine Army camp in Tanay, Rizal will be converted into farmlands to prevent a food crisis as the nation battles the COVID-19 pandemic.

Major General Arnulfo Marcelo Burgos Jr, commander of the 2nd Infantry Division, said "the initiative is a three-pronged approach designed to keep the people afloat during, and even beyond, the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) period being implemented by the government to prevent the spread of the deadly coronavirus."

​“First, the idle lands of vast military reservations which are to be developed will be put to good use” while making sure ''soldiers will be performing their mandate to serve the people, this time in the field of food security”, he said.

Burgos said ​the unprecedented response of soldiers from the 2nd Infantry Division is in partnership with DV Boer International Farms Corp. which has 20 farms located across Calabarzon.

​​Dexter Villamin, president and CEO of DV Boer Farms emphasized the importance of ensuring food security to prevent greater problems such as hunger and civil disobedience, which may arise as a result of the measures to contain COVID-19.

​“If the situation drags on, people will be hungry and the government will have to deal with another problem.  We feel that it is our social responsibility to avert such problem not only by providing products to serve as food but also to give our people a means of living while most of the industries are on shut down," Villamin said.

​“Filipinos, coming from a country that is primarily agricultural, have a natural skill for farming, on top of our innate resiliency. What we are doing is merely going back to the basics, tapping our strengths and heritage to survive this very challenging phase of our lives”, he added.

Capt. Jayrald Ternio, public affairs chief of the 2nd Infantry Division,   said "under the partnership, the farms will be providing technical assistance in livestock raising, crop production and food processing to the soldiers.''

''Volunteers from the community and paramilitary forces will be tapped to augment the manpower of the private farms that will be converted into 'Quarantine Farm Camps' which is projected to produce 32 tons of farm-fresh food in just 8-10 months, 65 percent of which will be donated to the needy to serve as one of the local government units’ sources of relief for their constituents,'' said Ternio.

"The group of farms will provide free board and lodging to the soldiers-trainees while they are being trained in actual food production until the time that they are ready to share the knowledge to their fellow soldiers," he said.

Initially, around 50 civilian volunteers and CAFGU Active Auxilliaries coming from Tanay will augment MDT Farm, a 7-hectare agri-business located in Brgy Sampaloc, to bolster its production from its current inventory of almost 500 high-breed goats, more than 300 chickens, native swines and imported turkeys, he said.

Ternio said Tanay Mayor Rex Manuel Tanjuatco expressed his appreciation for being selected as the host municipality of this maiden project.

“I am optimistic that this out -of-the-box program will turn out to be the extraordinary action that will help ensure my constituents’ survival during these extraordinary times”, said Tanjuatco.

Burgos also emphasize that the project will make the camp self-sustaining and they will be able to preserve their forces through a steady source of nutritious food for soldiers.

​He said even the community around the camp "will benefit because the food supply in the market will be higher for the locals and, at the same time, the troops’ produce can be shared to the neighboring villages, should the need arise." Robina Asido/DMS