Hw 2 be u po?

This is a common millennial lingo which means that the one asking the question is idolizing the person he is addressing and would like to emulate him.

Who better to emulate but the Hon. Nemia Penita Buhian of Manticao, Misamis Oriental? Penny as she is fondly called seemed to have a Midas touch since everything she did, she succeeded.

At 23 years old, Penny is already an Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW). She worked as a Domestic Helper in Hongkong for six years and a nanny in Australia for five years. At that time, she felt that the only way to earn is to go abroad. She said that “There is no better way to succeed but experience being out of your comfort zone. Abroad, you get to be exposed to menial jobs which you have not even done here in the Philippines. It makes you stronger and ready to meet the challenges in life.”

In 2004, after 11 years of nonstop working battling loneliness, she decided that she is ready to change her career and went home permanently. “I felt that I have enough savings and I could start a business here. I am not getting any younger.” With her earnings abroad, she was able to buy a house and lot and vehicle. She also bought a 1-hectare lot in Camiguin which she plan to develop as a vacation place in the future. What was left was used for a copra buy and sell business. Later, the income from this business was used to buy a 5-hectare coconut land.

Being back in her hometown, she was urged to run for public office. On her first try, she won as 1st Kagawad in their Barangay. After a term, she run for Municipal Councilor and won as 3rd highest in votes. She was tasked to head the Committee of Agriculture, an opportunity that opened doors to her.

That Committee Chairmanship led her to the Agricultural Training Institute (ATI) when she attended a Training on Organic Agriculture. That training led to more trainings including Farm Business School which had a strong impact to her as it showed her the importance of identifying the market before going into an enterprise. Another experience that has greatly influenced her is her visit to Costales Nature Farm where she is more convinced that she is on the right path. Every time she learned something new, she immediately applied it in her farm.

In just one decade, the once monocrop farm of coconuts is now an Integrated Diversified Farm that is going organic. Together with her husband, Engr. Edgar Buhian, the farm is now a thriving agri business. It now boasts of various farm enterprises such as free range chicken, layered chicken, ducks, turkey, goats, pig, tilapia fishpond, mushroom, assorted organic vegetable and herb production. They also processed their produce into Virgin Coco Oil, Coco Jam, Coco Bread, Coco Pancit, hot chili sauce and other coco-based products.

The Buhian Diversified Farm is accredited by the ATI as a Learning Site. As a Learning Site, she opened her farm to the public. She leads in conducting briefings and lectures on the practices and technologies they used in the farm. She has built two training halls and dormitory for trainings. She is slowly developing the facilities of her farm to make it ready as a farm tourism site.

Within 10 years, the farm is slowly gaining recognition. Visitors are slowly trekking in. Also, she received numerous awards. The accolades Penny received is sweeter because she considers herself a neophyte in farming. In 2015, she was awarded as Outstanding Woman Farmer from The Outstanding Farmers of the Philippines (TOFARM). She also won as AgriBida from ABS-CBN. She was also the Grand Winner for the Micro Entrepreneurial Award for Mindanao by Mindanao Alliance for Self-help Societies - Southern Philippines Educational Cooperative Center (MASS SPECC), a well known Cooperative. The Buhian couple were also awarded as an Outstanding Organic Farm Family by Department of Agriculture –Regional Field Office (DA-RFO) 10 during the 2nd Agri Fisherfolk Month last May 2017.

In the 2016 elections, she made a bid for reelection and got the 2nd highest votes for Municipal Councilor.

What’s next for Penny? For sure, with her experiences, she will definitely succeed.