OZAMIZ CITY – The ATI-RTC X recently launched the “Wow na Wow Sa Cacao”, A School-on-the-Air (SOA) Program on Cacao Production here in the city. The SOA is a 30-minute radio program to be aired at Radio Station DXDD Cool Radio in Ozamiz City at 5:30 to 6:00 AM every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Among the topics to be discussed on air include land preparation, planting and care and management of cacao. Also, in response to the Plant, Plant, Plant program of the national government, a topic on vegetable production is also incorporated in the program.

At least 300 cacao farmers and agripreneurs is targeted to benefit from this program through radio broadcast. The beneficiaries include the farmers and entrepreneurs from the municipalities of Tudela, Sinacaban, Clarin, Bonifacio, Don Vitoriano, and the cities of Ozamiz and Tanggub, all of district II. However, the radio frequency travels through the whole province and even outside of it, so that anyone can listen to or join the program.
Unusual compared to the previous SOA, this program will have no mass graduation where all the 500 graduates gather together for the closing ceremony. The target number of listeners is reduced from 500 to 300. This is due to the existing restrictions that the covid 19 pandemic is bringing to all of us. However, prizes and freebies will still be given to those top listeners or students of the school on-the-air. In addition to these, garden tools and vegetable seeds will also be distributed to encourage the participants to plant vegetables in their own backyard.

This radio program is in collaboration with the Provincial Government of Misamis Occidental, through the Provincial Agriculture Office headed by Mr. Dennis Leopoldo. The cooperation is a high time now that cacao is a priority commodity of the province. According to Mr. Rey L Barcenilla, Sr. Agriculturist of the province, the provincial government is supporting the DA program of cacao seedling distribution with fertilizer distribution to those who have planted and are planting cacao seedlings. He said, there is a need to intensify the production of cacao because there is really a lack of supply of beans in the province. He said further that manufacturers in the area still get their supply of cacao beans from Cebu or Davao in order to manufacture the tablea, a Filipino favorite drink.

With the expertise of the provincial staff, Ms. Marieta M. Florin is the program Anchor, while Mr. Rey L. Barcenilla is the resource person for cacao production. The radio program will run until mid-September 2020.