LOS ANGELES, Butuan City – To assess the implementation of the School-on-the-Air (SOA) program on Swine Production, the Agricultural Training Institute – Regional Training Center 13 conducted a Mid-Assessment last July 17, 2019.

The activity was attended by the Provincial and Municipal SOA coordinators with their respective Municipal Agriculturists to evaluate the progress of the SOA activities and determine the issues and concerns relative to the implementation of the program in the municipalities of Agusan del Norte. OIC Center Director Samuel L. Calonzo acknowledged the cooperation of the Local Government Units (LGUs) in the implementation of the program.

Common concern raised during the assessment was the decrease in the number of enrollees in some municipalities because of the limitation in the radio station coverage especially in remote barangays. Worth noting, there are some LGUs who have initiated strategies to cope with such limitations. Some of them gathered the enrollees in one area to collectively listen to a recorded/canned broadcast especially those who are in far-flung barangays. They also find replacements to those who dropped out from the enrollees list. LGU-Nasipit through the SOA coordinator Eduardo Cardoniga has sourced-out a one-hour radio program in a local station where they aired the canned episodes. The local radio program is funded by the LGU.

With the active participation and cooperation of the Provincial Veterinary Office through the program anchor Raul C. Cornites and the LGUs, the SOA program continues to deliver information and technology in swine production to various stakeholders throughout the province.