We might say that the 9th National Convention of the Devolved Agriculturists of the Philippines, Inc. (DAPI) held May 13 to 15, 2009 at Villa Caceres Hotel in Naga City was punctuated by announcements… some were good, some very good, and a few not so good.

Before the Opening Program, the Master of Ceremonies, the Ms. Zeny Marcos of Region 12, announced the happy news that a mobile phone left by a delegate from Region 1 inside a tricycle was returned by the honest tricycle driver. That brought out applause from the participants.

Considered as the training arm of the Department of Agriculture (DA), it is but a public knowledge that the Agricultural Training Institute (ATI) is tasked to harmonize all training activities which are agricultural by nature (yes, aquaculture included). Its 16 Regional Training Centers (and one center for swine sensibility through ITCPH) sprawled across the country indicates its conscious effort to deliver extension services to its farmer-clients and extension workers.

Promoting e-Learning is a daunting task considering that each coordinator has to cover a wide area in their respective regions. That's why every help we can get goes a long way.

When ATI-CO had formally demystified ATI-RTC 7 sometime in April 2008, a lot of concerns cropped-up to the minds of those who were present (both my co-personnel and a handful of Agricultural Extension Workers (AEWs) in Bohol). Concerns like the viability and applicability of the e-extension program to our stakeholders.

Some were skeptics but others showed enthusiasm amidst uncertainty, as change is indeed the only thing in this world which is constant.

To intensify our information drive on the e-Learning program of the Institute and to get more enrollees to our on-line courses, ATI 8 has tapped the Visayas State University's Radio Station DYAC to come up with radio plugs on e-Learning in English, Cebuano and Waray. The plugs will be given for airing to the different radio stations in the region through the Regional Applied Communication Officers of the Visayas Consorium for Agriculture and Resources Program who are handling agri-radio programs.

It seems only yesterday, as the often-quoted expression goes, but that is how it does feel.

In March 2008 ATI Central Office initiated a series of demystifying e-learning seminars in various ATI training centers across the country. In Region 5 (Bicol) the seminar came to be in April 2008. In hindsight, the activity was not only an eye-opener, it was also a preview to ATI’s upbeat, future-looking, information and communication technology (ICT)-based focus.