Lesson on TATAKalikasan Ateneo de Manila University
87.9 FM Radyo Katipunan, 11 to 12 a,m, Thursday
In celebration of National Pet Day April 11, 2024
(and National Pet Wellness Day and Month, October 12, 2023)
Pets are Humanizing
They remind us we have an obligation and responsibility to preserve
and nurture and care for all life. - James Cromwell
Dr Abe V Rotor
Co-Host with Prof Emoy Rodolfo
avrotor.blogspot.com
Part 2 - Dogs, two worlds apart
on your care.
At home in Lagro, Quezon, City, I maintain several large trees creating a four-layer mini-forest that surrounds our house,” my friend Abe continues. “With the adjoining watershed of theLa Mesa
Many more are strategically located around schools and churches, not to mention ambulant pet peddlers you meet on Sundays at busy sidewalks. These pet shops sells aquarium fish- from guppies to the giant aruwana,; common birds like maya (rest brown and grey with pink beaks known as mayang costa), lovebirds and parakeets. Four-legged pets include guinea pigs, hamsters and rabbits.~
Part 3 - The Dog That Found A Home
HenPower, an organization in Britain is gaining popularity in many parts of the world. Hen therapy is an addition to therapy with other animals. Hen therapy has been found effective to the elderly in combating loneliness, depression and isolation, other infirmities as well.
.Guardian: The hen project, which is supporting some 700 residents in more than 20 care homes in north-east England, was launched in London last week. Photograph: David Charlton/Equal Arts
Here is an excerpt from the Guardian.
In the north-east, where Henpower is now well established, volunteers known as “hensioners” have been taking hen road shows to schools, community events and to other care settings. The original Henpower site – sheltered housing in Wood Green, Gateshead – was set up four years ago.. .. Wood Green hensioner Alan Richards, a retired taxi driver, was recently awarded the prime minister’s Point of Light award for his volunteering with the scheme.
Dr Abe V Rotor
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Man may have succeeded in domesticating animals, but the Orangutan is better of in its natural habitat. More than the attention these primates receive every day in a zoo, they are apparently sad and are missing one important aspect of their wild life - freedom and home, which is the vast forest they roam as a family.
Hug a Bunny
If you feel blue, drained, or you just lack pep - hug a bunny. Bunny shares your pain and discomfort. It calms down your tension. Its gives you company and comfort. It never argues. It creates a quiet ambiance.
Bunny at home.
Bunny needs tender, loving care - TLC, the very things which you actually give to yourself. You are back to your feet and face the real world again - and bunny is back hopping with joy and a sense of fulfillment.
Watch Dog
Time out from work with Nikko, a Dobberman.
Here are animals that express their feelings which humans observe and relate to rationale behavior. Certain studies point out that animals have feelings over and above instinct level. These are associated with love, joy, grief, compassion, and the like, that we often underestimate or fail to recognize.
1. Crow - It may be dark symbol of human mythology, ugly biblical character in Noah's Ark, and a visiting spirit of the dead in Edgar Allan Poe's The Raven, but the crow appears to to have a heart. It is deeply moved when one of its kind dies, to the point of gathering together in a wake. Grief which is known only in humans is manifested by the crow - so with other animals, like the elephant.
2. Elephant - Elephants may attend the body of a dead member of the herd for days, and reverently examine the carcass or bones they find on the way. There are elephant cemeteries believed to be a sacred ground for the species, a place elephants spend their last days. An infant may remain with its dead mother, nudging and crying, and may die of starvation. Quite often it joins the herd where it finds a foster parent and is ultimately accepted.
3. Bonobo and Baboon - A mother may carry a dead baby treating it with care. Adults will fight to protect the body of a dead troop mate.
Like bonobo a baboon mother carries her dead baby for many days. Stress level in the blood rises after a relative or close social companion dies.
4. Dog - The dog is the most attached animal to humans. One Akita in Japan went to a train station looking its deceased owner every day for a decade.
"There's Hachiko, Japan's legendary Akita whose grieving appeared to extend across species lines. Hachiko accompanied his owner to a Tokyo train station each morning to see him off for work and then returned in the evening to greet him. When the owner died, the dog maintained its vigil, going to the station for a decade - and always plodding home alone." (Time April 15 2013, p 36)
Another case is a dog that guarded the grave of its master day and night. We can only imagine the tragic ending of this story. It challenges us if Aesop is true after all that human love and loyalty may not be the ultimate on this earth. More so to realize the consequence of unrequited love even to animals in William Blake's Auguries of Innocence:
5. Rabbit and Cat - In one reported case, a rabbit survivor spent a week making tragic search all round looking for a departed friend. Cats visit and revisit places in a house a deceased companion used to be found. Their grieving may be accompanied by crying.
6. Horse - Remember Black Beauty, the novel by Anna Sewell? Written a hundred years ago when the streets were busy with horse-drawn carriages, the story is about a foal growing up with its own kind and with humans. Generations love the story because of the man-horse relationship that grew with progress, how it survived change, and most important how it built character. ~
World Animal Day is an international day of action for animal rights and welfare celebrated annually on October 4, the feast day of Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals. The mission of World Animal Day is "to raise the status of animals in order to improve welfare standards around the globe. Building the celebration of World Animal Day unites the animal welfare movement, mobilizing it into a global force to make the world a better place for all animals. It is celebrated in different ways in every country, irrespective of nationality, religion, faith or political ideology. Through increased awareness and education we can create a world where animals are always recognized as sentient beings and full regard is always paid to their welfare."
Romantic countryside scene with the Philippine carabao by national artist, Fernando Amorsolo
Quaint countryside scene - carabao race, a popular sport during barrio fiesta. (Internet)
Part 3 - The Dog That Found A Home
Part 4 - How do you make your pet dog happy?
Part 5 - Henpower: Therapy with Chicken
Part 6 - Animals don't only have feelings - they have a sense of joy, grief,
compassion and loyalty
Part 7 - Saving the "Living Farm Machine" from Extinction
(RA 7307: Philippine Carabao Act of 1992)
Part 1 - Why Pets Make Life More Meaningful
In memory of the late veteran journalist, Dell H Grecia
By Dell H Grecia
Women's Journal
In our daily lives, no one is spared from feelings of isolation, especially when in pursuit of our goals and dreams. But like legions of animal lovers, my friend Abe finds comfort in his pets: “It doesn't get too lonely when you have a loyal pet by your side.”
Leo Carlo and his kid pet
If you like animals and have the time and capacity to take care of one, then try having a pet. This was what I learned from my friend, Dr. Abe V. Rotor, a professor at the University of Santo Tomas
In our daily lives, no one is spared from feelings of isolation, especially when in pursuit of goals and dreams. The more aggressive we are in pursuing our vision, the more chances we have that we’d encounter disappointment and frustration along the way. This is because not everyone shares your ideals.
It takes more than intelligence to be aggressive; one has to be enterprising, a risk taker, adventurous, pioneering, and courageous enough to rich horizons ordinary people dare aspire for. It is also said that in our moments of glory, we strive for more. Yet, in our moments of defeat, we sink into the deepest recesses of our psyche, where hope - like sunlight in the deep - is dim.
“You are alone at your lowest ebb,” reveals my friend Abe. “ But it doesn't get too lonely when you have a loyal pet by your side.” A pet dog, for instance, is not “man’s best friend” for nothing. Dogs are universally known to be capable of unconditional love, their loyalty and devotion to their masters unmatched by most human beings.
A. Pets Are Wonderful for your Well-Being
Caring for animals, however, is not a matter of merely acquiring one and having it around the house. Pets need nurturing, which goes beyond merely feeding and providing them shelter. In return, what we call “pet therapy” offers wonderful benefits to one’s health and well-being.
Here, my friend Abe reveals the role of pets in our lives.
1. Pets bring back happy memories. You have advantage over city-bred children if you grew up in the province. Caring for pets fills a gap - they give you a sense of connectedness to animals you knew and loved before. A dog brings sweet memories of the time when you were a farmhand. A pet goldfish reminds you of the fish you use to catch in the rice paddies during monsoon season. Goats on the range, chicken roosting on a tree branch, a kingfisher patiently waiting for its prey by the river, Labang, the bullock chewing its cud while at rest-these are childhood scenarios pets evoke.
2. Take a vacation in the province. While on vacation take the country road, go to a farm and leave all traces of urban life.
“I remember riding on the back of a carabao when I was a kid,” Abe relates. “Back then, time knew no limit, its pace sweetly dragged under the clear blue sky, or under a myriad of stars one didn’t bother to count. You became observant and discovered many things like the aestivating grasshopper and frogs, drawing figures on the clouds.
“Somewhere a pandangera or fantail bird sang its praise and joy, a dalag or mudfish stirred in a calm mountain pond, sending ripples that made the red Nymphaea and lanky reeds sway and dance while a dragonfly was disturbed in its slumber.”
3. Pets in the Wild. Not all pets rest on your lap, respond to your call, or depend entirely
on your care.Carabao, the country's beast of burden and most important pet on the farm.
At home in Lagro, Quezon, City, I maintain several large trees creating a four-layer mini-forest that surrounds our house,” my friend Abe continues. “With the adjoining watershed of the
“There are those birds that pick on the ripe petals of the Ilang-ilang with their beak, thus releasing its fragrance in the air. They then drop the flowers onto the ground in make- believe rites.
“The great painter Lanseer created his masterpiece, ‘Monarch of the Glen,’ from spotting a moose in the wild that apparently posed before him. The animal humbled the painter who put down his rifle and took out a pen and a piece of paper and sketched the magnificent creature. He renounced hunting for the rest of his life.”
4. Pets are priceless. According to Abe, no one sells his pet, much more if it were a family or community pet. Sometimes this becomes a problem.
“At home,” Abe continues, “we fatten hito or catfish in our garden pond. After a few months they are ready for harvesting. By that time my children call them their pets- our pets- so their goes any plan of using the brand-new barbecue stand we bought for the purpose of grilling our fattened hito.
“Yes, it is a paradox in the case of the dogs is seen as a gustatory delight.
“We cannot justify this predilection for dog meat as part of culture or tradition as the practice is not confined to our indigenous people. In our times there are those who are driven by economic necessity.
“At one time hundreds of letters were received by Congress, endorsing the passage of bill to prohibit the killing of dogs, more so the catching and rearing of dogs for food. As most of these letters came from the US Europe , we can only appreciate the importance of dogs in the heart of the people who have a deep regard for pets - and a reverence for life. The bill was never passed.”
5. From dolls and toys to pets. When dolls and toys are no longer scattered on the floor and stairways but are neatly kept in cabinets and glass cases, Abe explains, we know adolescence has arrived for our children. It is a time of transition from childhood to adulthood, from fantasy to reality, sweet nothings to serious matters. It is no longer Alice in Wonderland but Sweet Valley High.
Pets provide the bridge to this new phase in life to millions of adolescents. This is why pet shops abound. There is at least one pet shop in every mall, two or more around a public market or “busy center” in Metro Manila as shown in the survey made by Abe’s students in Field Zoology at the UST Graduate School
Aquarium fish vendor prepares his merchandise for the day.
Many more are strategically located around schools and churches, not to mention ambulant pet peddlers you meet on Sundays at busy sidewalks. These pet shops sells aquarium fish- from guppies to the giant aruwana,; common birds like maya (rest brown and grey with pink beaks known as mayang costa), lovebirds and parakeets. Four-legged pets include guinea pigs, hamsters and rabbits.~
It is an art and science in taking care of aquarium fish, and a lot of patience and time devoted to the hobby, not to mention the most important secret - the gift of naturalism. Photos taken by Dr AV Rotor at his residence in QC
Part 2 - Dogs, two worlds apart
Dr Abe V Rotor
The genes of the wolf come alivewhere the ultimate game is to survive;the species born in the wildmust in anywhere thrive.Pity these dogs if they are man's best friend,Else man is dogs' worst fiend.
Doomed these pets are - care to hate, to abandon -where have all the loving and caring hands gone?how empty their eyes are, where love once shone,longing for their masters and their homes bygone.
Test the rational side of man
the way he puts a stand
on behalf of his best friend
all the way to the end.
Who is sad, who is happy?To be tame, to be bold;the drama of life to unfoldbetween man and dog.
What a loss if help did come late;innocence to both is no excuse.Remembering the rescuer, White Bulldog;and the children have found another world;their language no longer whims and barknor friendly pat and leisure in the park.
A dog's yelp is a language of its own,expression of thanks for caring;a call, we humans simply understand,out of our thought and feeling. ~
Home he found and a happy company with us and the neighborhood.
Dr Abe V Rotor
Jemille and Ten-ten-ten (arrived on October 10, 2010)
It was a quiet afternoon and guess who was knocking at the gate?A starving dog, a mongrel, and what is there in him to gain?Could you spare me a morsel? His eyes moist and sad, begging,And food we gave, closed the gate, everything was quiet again.The sun was setting down, we saw a shadow seeping through the gate,He is still there, I told the children, and he was knocking again,Could you spare me a place for the night? His moaning told us so,Who are you, who is your master? Silence. I felt a little pain.We took him in. It was a special date on the calendar that comesBut once, and never again, not in a lifetime or generation.Tenth day, of the tenth month, of the first decade of the millennium,And we named this lost dog Ten-ten-ten. What a celebration!Home he found and a happy company with us and the neighborhood,Call his name, you wish luck and fortune, how easy to remember!And children tired from school come knocking to play with their friend,Can we play with Ten-ten(-ten)? Heaven sent a dog to love and share. ~
Part 4 - How do you make your pet dog happy?
If there is anything a dog is associated with, it is a big bone.
Dr. Abe V. Rotor
Dog-on-wheel (paralyzed hind legs)
How do you make your pet dog happy?
“Make these dogs happy,” I told a group of schoolchildren who were taking art lessons from me. I gave each of them a copy of a trace drawing of a pair of dogs. The dogs looked sad, docile and there is something pathetic about them.
With pastel coloring instrument they accepted the assignment. In their young minds I saw their pets at home. As I studied the expressions on their faces, matched with their actions I noticed they were not only coloring their pets, they we virtually “caring for their pets.”
And what do you think they did with these animals? How kind are these children to them? How good are they as masters or friends – as pets? These are the things I gathered from their drawings.
Unchain the dogs – A young participant made a drawing of a chain being sawed off in order to free the dogs. Truly there is nothing more important than freedom, even for an animal. This is also true with animals. Aren’t zoos today moved to bigger spaces where the habitats of the animals are simulated? In the African Safari tourists are taken out, caged in their vehicles, while the animals roam free.
Build a doghouse – Keep them from heat and cold. Give them a sense of security and comfort. Give the doghouse some art and a bit of aesthetic sense. The house is a status symbol but its functional features are foremost.
Provide a shade – A tree beside the doghouse is a magnificent scene:
a bird’s nest atop, bridling and parent singing at feeding time, ripe fruits hang, a kite is stuck up on a branch, a boy climbs to retrieve it, leaves fall and form a litter on which the dogs lay. These and many more, which the children drew, revive the childhood to every viewer of their art works.
Give them bone – If there is anything a dog is associated with, it is a big bone. Aesop saw it fitting for a fable, a lesson about greed. For the dog however, it is a form of security, as well as a plaything. Be sure you give your pet food, fresh water and proper nutrition. Do not overfeed them.
Play with them, give a plaything – I found out that many of my pupils drew themselves beside or playing with their pets. Others drew cats and mice playing with their dogs. Playing is universal among animals, tame or in the wild. Others raced with them on the meadow.
Groom them – Regularly bathe and comb them. Several drawings showed the dogs in attire, one in a circus outfit, another in casual wear, one eating on Chinaware. This is not rare because we often think of animal as human beings. Read “Animal Farm” by George Orwell. Or see the movie, “Babe.” Aesop’s fables are about animals that think like human beings – or it could be the other way around, as Aesop wanted to drive a point, quite often a painful lesson. Aesop was silenced because he was unwittingly hurting people with his fable.
Teach them tricks and discipline – A ball, a stick, an electronic gadget to open or close the doghouse, are among the things the young participants included in their drawings. There’s a saying, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” But children always see their pets young. This means they are growing up together, and sharing new tricks.
Vaccinate your dog – A participant drew a veterinarian administering an anti-rabies shot on his young pet. Precaution is always important, because catching rabies is dangerous.
Who are these children mirrored by their drawings? And who will they be through the keyhole of their imagination? How we regard our pets is what we are and become.
“A starving dog at his master’s gate predicts the ruin of the state,” thus William Blake in “Auguries of Innocence” tells us. I, for one, would gladly meet with confidence and ease the master of a contented and happy dog.
The art workshop for children in which I used the dog as an exercise to demonstrate love for animals may be a simple way of changing attitudes and developing values. Children are known to be very effective in carrying out the multiplier effect of a lesson and we hope that they will carry this as they grow.
“Make these dogs happy,” could mean a thousand dogs in the future, and a thousand enlightened children who follow the footsteps of those who unchained the dog, built a doghouse, gave a bone and, altogether, made the world a kinder one. ~
Posted by Abe V. Rotor at 12:02 AM
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1 comment:
JoeJimGee said...
Noted! I am reminded again that our dogs have feelings too. It's not all the time they are happy and enthusiastically wagging their tails.tails. December 4, 2012 at 7:40 AM
Errand dogs, at home
How do you make your pet dog happy?
“Make these dogs happy,” I told a group of schoolchildren who were taking art lessons from me. I gave each of them a copy of a trace drawing of a pair of dogs. The dogs looked sad, docile and there is something pathetic about them.
With pastel coloring instrument they accepted the assignment. In their young minds I saw their pets at home. As I studied the expressions on their faces, matched with their actions I noticed they were not only coloring their pets, they we virtually “caring for their pets.”
And what do you think they did with these animals? How kind are these children to them? How good are they as masters or friends – as pets? These are the things I gathered from their drawings.
Unchain the dogs – A young participant made a drawing of a chain being sawed off in order to free the dogs. Truly there is nothing more important than freedom, even for an animal. This is also true with animals. Aren’t zoos today moved to bigger spaces where the habitats of the animals are simulated? In the African Safari tourists are taken out, caged in their vehicles, while the animals roam free.
Build a doghouse – Keep them from heat and cold. Give them a sense of security and comfort. Give the doghouse some art and a bit of aesthetic sense. The house is a status symbol but its functional features are foremost.
Provide a shade – A tree beside the doghouse is a magnificent scene:
a bird’s nest atop, bridling and parent singing at feeding time, ripe fruits hang, a kite is stuck up on a branch, a boy climbs to retrieve it, leaves fall and form a litter on which the dogs lay. These and many more, which the children drew, revive the childhood to every viewer of their art works.
Give them bone – If there is anything a dog is associated with, it is a big bone. Aesop saw it fitting for a fable, a lesson about greed. For the dog however, it is a form of security, as well as a plaything. Be sure you give your pet food, fresh water and proper nutrition. Do not overfeed them.
Play with them, give a plaything – I found out that many of my pupils drew themselves beside or playing with their pets. Others drew cats and mice playing with their dogs. Playing is universal among animals, tame or in the wild. Others raced with them on the meadow.
Groom them – Regularly bathe and comb them. Several drawings showed the dogs in attire, one in a circus outfit, another in casual wear, one eating on Chinaware. This is not rare because we often think of animal as human beings. Read “Animal Farm” by George Orwell. Or see the movie, “Babe.” Aesop’s fables are about animals that think like human beings – or it could be the other way around, as Aesop wanted to drive a point, quite often a painful lesson. Aesop was silenced because he was unwittingly hurting people with his fable.
Teach them tricks and discipline – A ball, a stick, an electronic gadget to open or close the doghouse, are among the things the young participants included in their drawings. There’s a saying, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” But children always see their pets young. This means they are growing up together, and sharing new tricks.
Vaccinate your dog – A participant drew a veterinarian administering an anti-rabies shot on his young pet. Precaution is always important, because catching rabies is dangerous.
Who are these children mirrored by their drawings? And who will they be through the keyhole of their imagination? How we regard our pets is what we are and become.
“A starving dog at his master’s gate predicts the ruin of the state,” thus William Blake in “Auguries of Innocence” tells us. I, for one, would gladly meet with confidence and ease the master of a contented and happy dog.
The art workshop for children in which I used the dog as an exercise to demonstrate love for animals may be a simple way of changing attitudes and developing values. Children are known to be very effective in carrying out the multiplier effect of a lesson and we hope that they will carry this as they grow.
“Make these dogs happy,” could mean a thousand dogs in the future, and a thousand enlightened children who follow the footsteps of those who unchained the dog, built a doghouse, gave a bone and, altogether, made the world a kinder one. ~
Posted by Abe V. Rotor at 12:02 AM
Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to FacebookShare to Pinterest
1 comment:
JoeJimGee said...Noted! I am reminded again that our dogs have feelings too. It's not all the time they are happy and enthusiastically wagging their tails.tails. December 4, 2012 at 7:40 AM
Part 5 - Henpower: Therapy with Chicken
Dr Abe V Rotor HenPower, an organization in Britain is gaining popularity in many parts of the world. Hen therapy is an addition to therapy with other animals. Hen therapy has been found effective to the elderly in combating loneliness, depression and isolation, other infirmities as well.
In the north-east, where Henpower is now well established, volunteers known as “hensioners” have been taking hen road shows to schools, community events and to other care settings. The original Henpower site – sheltered housing in Wood Green, Gateshead – was set up four years ago.. .. Wood Green hensioner Alan Richards, a retired taxi driver, was recently awarded the prime minister’s Point of Light award for his volunteering with the scheme.
When I was a kid, my dad raised chicken, open range, on our spacious house lot. It was peacetime, just after WWII. I delivered live chicken and eggs to the convent where Chinese refugees were housed. Other than generating income, raising chicken - as well as a dozen goats and a family of carabaos - was therapeutic to dad and the three of us, his children, as we tried to cope up with the trauma of war and the economic crunch that followed.
We had other pets as well - dogs and cats - sweetly calling them names we love to hear. To doctors, this is also therapy. So with having a garden of vegetables and fruits, and ricefield we fly kites, and gather fish (hito, dalag gourami, ar-aro, tilapia) come end of monsoon. Our orchard was home of many birds (panal, perperroka, pandangera, maya, house sparrow, kingfisher and oriole), and some transients like herons, on their migratory route. How we loved to listen to birdsongs, and to keep company with them at work and play. They gleaned at harvestime, followed the plow for prey, built nests and tended their young. These, doctors affirm to have therapeutic value.
"Many studies have looked at the value of therapy animals in institutional settings. Although the reports are anecdotal, they show that the creatures can ease agitated behaviors that accompany dementia and help with loneliness. Animal therapy visits may lower blood pressure and promote well-being." says Guardian.
What is in a chicken, in a hen for that matter? Well, first of all she lays egg regularly, with or without the presence of the male or rooster. Fresh eggs are nutritious and regarded second to milk in importance in the diet. In fact, fresh egg taken fresh has medicinal and therapeutic value. Dad would reach out from a hen's nest newly laid eggs, and make a tasty mix with steaming rice in a large bandejado or serving plate. What a complete breakfast during the war and after! Or he would down an egg himself directly from the shell. It's good for the sickly and the convalescent.
Second, hens are amiable, especially when trained as pet. Like the rooster (except the purpose of raising it for the cockpit) the hen is a faithful companion and she is not as demanding in food and care as say, the dog or cat. Her muffled cockling sound is comforting like the purring of a cat. And her being a mother has a comforting effect as well, particularly to the lonely and depressed. The incubating warmth under her wings is comforting to the old and young as well especially in cold weather.
Third, hens are caring, from incubating the eggs to rearing the chicks to weaning age, And the cycle which takes a month or two is repeated. Indeed the whole process imparts not only knowledge but awe, love and care, bringing old and children close together, a social connectivity vital to our society.
Designs of chicken coops. There are modified usually improvised designs based on local conditions like climate, area, neighborhood, and most important, size of poultry
But what a radical change there is in poultry in our postmodern! The word chicken rings louder in fast foods chains than in the home. Home grown chicken however defies statistical record - 80 percent of the chicken population are still raised on the backyard, free range and in chicken coops.
First, it must be native chicken.
Karurayan is the term in Ilocos for a pure white native chicken which does not bear any trace of color on its feathers. It is preferably a female, dumalaga or fryer, meaning it has not yet reached reproductive stage. It is neither fat nor thin.
Chicken soup as a convalescent food is recognized in many parts of the world. Because of its popularity, chicken soup has become associated with healing, not only of the body – but the soul as well. In fact there is a series of books under the common title Chicken Soup - for the Woman’s Soul, Surviving Soul, Mother’s Soul, Unsinkable Soul, Writer’s Soul, etc.
Try chicken soup to perk you up in these trying times. But first, be sure your chicken does not carry antibiotic residues, and should not be one that is genetically engineered (GMO).
We had other pets as well - dogs and cats - sweetly calling them names we love to hear. To doctors, this is also therapy. So with having a garden of vegetables and fruits, and ricefield we fly kites, and gather fish (hito, dalag gourami, ar-aro, tilapia) come end of monsoon. Our orchard was home of many birds (panal, perperroka, pandangera, maya, house sparrow, kingfisher and oriole), and some transients like herons, on their migratory route. How we loved to listen to birdsongs, and to keep company with them at work and play. They gleaned at harvestime, followed the plow for prey, built nests and tended their young. These, doctors affirm to have therapeutic value.
"Many studies have looked at the value of therapy animals in institutional settings. Although the reports are anecdotal, they show that the creatures can ease agitated behaviors that accompany dementia and help with loneliness. Animal therapy visits may lower blood pressure and promote well-being." says Guardian.
What is in a chicken, in a hen for that matter? Well, first of all she lays egg regularly, with or without the presence of the male or rooster. Fresh eggs are nutritious and regarded second to milk in importance in the diet. In fact, fresh egg taken fresh has medicinal and therapeutic value. Dad would reach out from a hen's nest newly laid eggs, and make a tasty mix with steaming rice in a large bandejado or serving plate. What a complete breakfast during the war and after! Or he would down an egg himself directly from the shell. It's good for the sickly and the convalescent.
Second, hens are amiable, especially when trained as pet. Like the rooster (except the purpose of raising it for the cockpit) the hen is a faithful companion and she is not as demanding in food and care as say, the dog or cat. Her muffled cockling sound is comforting like the purring of a cat. And her being a mother has a comforting effect as well, particularly to the lonely and depressed. The incubating warmth under her wings is comforting to the old and young as well especially in cold weather.
Third, hens are caring, from incubating the eggs to rearing the chicks to weaning age, And the cycle which takes a month or two is repeated. Indeed the whole process imparts not only knowledge but awe, love and care, bringing old and children close together, a social connectivity vital to our society.
But what a radical change there is in poultry in our postmodern! The word chicken rings louder in fast foods chains than in the home. Home grown chicken however defies statistical record - 80 percent of the chicken population are still raised on the backyard, free range and in chicken coops.
I wrote this article as a lesson on Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid (People’s School on Air) about chicken soup claimed to be the best food for the convalescent. I received favorable audience response which I find interesting to research on. But it was my experience with my ailing father which I wish to share here.
I say it is true. Chicken soup is a “miracle” food, and herbolarios will support me. Here are the rules for the recipe. Or the specifications of the kind of chicken to be served.
Karurayan is the term in Ilocos for a pure white native chicken which does not bear any trace of color on its feathers. It is preferably a female, dumalaga or fryer, meaning it has not yet reached reproductive stage. It is neither fat nor thin.
Chicken soup, originally Filipino, tinola with green papaya and siling labuyo (red pepper) tops.
Usually the herbolario chooses one from a number of recommended specimens. He then instructs and supervises the household the way the karurayan is dressed, cut, cooked into tinola (stew) and served to the convalescent. He does not ask for any fee for his services, but then he takes home one or two of the specimens that did not pass the specifications.
Chicken soup as a convalescent food is recognized in many parts of the world. Because of its popularity, chicken soup has become associated with healing, not only of the body – but the soul as well. In fact there is a series of books under the common title Chicken Soup - for the Woman’s Soul, Surviving Soul, Mother’s Soul, Unsinkable Soul, Writer’s Soul, etc.
Of course, this is exaggeration. Nonetheless it strengthens our faith that this lowly descendant of the dinosaurs (Archeopterex) that once walked the earth has panacean magic.
Try chicken soup to perk you up in these trying times. But first, be sure your chicken does not carry antibiotic residues, and should not be one that is genetically engineered (GMO).
By the way, I was a participant in the rituals made by the herbolario I related. I was then a farmhand and I was tasked to get the karurayan. Our flock failed the test, but I found two dumalaga with few colored feathers. I plucked out the colored feathers and presented the birds to Ka Pepe. They passed the criteria, his specs.
Three days after, I asked my convalescing dad how he was doing. “I’m fine, I’m fine, now.” He assured me with a big smile.~
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NOTE: Dogs and cats are most commonly used in pet therapy. However, fish, guinea pigs, horses, and other animals that meet screening criteria can also be used. The type of animal chosen depends on the therapeutic goals of a person's treatment plan. Pet therapy is also referred to as animal-assisted therapy (AAT). InternetPart 6 - Animals don't only have feelings - they have a sense of joy, grief, compassion- and loyalty
In Observance of World Animal Day, October 4, feast day of St Francis of Assisi, patron saint of animals and the environment.
Dr Abe V Rotor
Living with Nature School on Blog
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"If humans and animal biologically share common characteristics, from physiologic to instinct, then where is the dividing line of feelings which both of them share? "
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Longing for Freedom and Natural Home
A family of Orangutan in a Metro Manila zoo in pensive mood.
Hug a Bunny
If you feel blue, drained, or you just lack pep - hug a bunny. Bunny shares your pain and discomfort. It calms down your tension. Its gives you company and comfort. It never argues. It creates a quiet ambiance.
Bunny at home.Watch Dog
Last days of Kulit at home watching over a sleeping baby in a
stroller, while keeping company with an budding painter. She
died a month later, age 13.
stroller, while keeping company with an budding painter. She
died a month later, age 13.
Two roles had she, to her own brood,and kids a generation past;And now in her sunset, homelysharing still a mother's task.Her life spans across - childrento grownups - to children again;A pet is always a pet, is more;a guardian and trusted friend.~
Pet Therapy
Time out from work with Nikko, a Dobberman.Pets compensate for the lack of feeling and concern in modern day living. They heal the wounds of broken relationships and help fill out the vacuum of absence. They buoy the sagging spirit, accept us when we are rejected, and give the “human touch” to the high tech world of specialized medicine. Everybody seems busy doing his thing. After a hard day’s work, a dog wagging its tail meets us at the gate, begging to be touched, revealing unashamedly how much it had missed us. A hug or pat may be all we can give, and our pet soon settles down, fully contentment in its world. That is because it has found our company again.
Top: Pako grows big in a garden pond. Although claimed to be a relative of the ferocious piranha, it is gentle and safe. Conditioned learning makes aquarium fish wonderful pets. Lower photo: Oscars respond to music like listening in a concert. Aquarium Pets
Here are animals that express their feelings which humans observe and relate to rationale behavior. Certain studies point out that animals have feelings over and above instinct level. These are associated with love, joy, grief, compassion, and the like, that we often underestimate or fail to recognize.
1. Crow - It may be dark symbol of human mythology, ugly biblical character in Noah's Ark, and a visiting spirit of the dead in Edgar Allan Poe's The Raven, but the crow appears to to have a heart. It is deeply moved when one of its kind dies, to the point of gathering together in a wake. Grief which is known only in humans is manifested by the crow - so with other animals, like the elephant.
2. Elephant - Elephants may attend the body of a dead member of the herd for days, and reverently examine the carcass or bones they find on the way. There are elephant cemeteries believed to be a sacred ground for the species, a place elephants spend their last days. An infant may remain with its dead mother, nudging and crying, and may die of starvation. Quite often it joins the herd where it finds a foster parent and is ultimately accepted.
3. Bonobo and Baboon - A mother may carry a dead baby treating it with care. Adults will fight to protect the body of a dead troop mate.
Like bonobo a baboon mother carries her dead baby for many days. Stress level in the blood rises after a relative or close social companion dies.
4. Dog - The dog is the most attached animal to humans. One Akita in Japan went to a train station looking its deceased owner every day for a decade.
"There's Hachiko, Japan's legendary Akita whose grieving appeared to extend across species lines. Hachiko accompanied his owner to a Tokyo train station each morning to see him off for work and then returned in the evening to greet him. When the owner died, the dog maintained its vigil, going to the station for a decade - and always plodding home alone." (Time April 15 2013, p 36)
Another case is a dog that guarded the grave of its master day and night. We can only imagine the tragic ending of this story. It challenges us if Aesop is true after all that human love and loyalty may not be the ultimate on this earth. More so to realize the consequence of unrequited love even to animals in William Blake's Auguries of Innocence:
"A starving dog at its master's gate
predicts the ruin of the state."
6. Horse - Remember Black Beauty, the novel by Anna Sewell? Written a hundred years ago when the streets were busy with horse-drawn carriages, the story is about a foal growing up with its own kind and with humans. Generations love the story because of the man-horse relationship that grew with progress, how it survived change, and most important how it built character. ~
Silly Duck
Little Mackie talks to her pet E-Duck as she pronounces it
What the world this silly duck sits for,bundled all from cold and rain;a coiled brand new garden hose his nest,in a sort of funny reign.Tell a joke, of all animals, it’s the duck;its behavior and look we mock;Donald Duck! Daffy Duck! The crowd roars,each guy inside a little duck.
Oscar in old ageOscar in old age, at home QC
Its time has come to die peacefully,this pet my children grew up with;love and attention it did not wantsave freedom from its own confine;between living in the wild uncared,love and freedom compared. ~
Lesson on former Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid (People's School-on-Air) with Dr Abe Rotor and Ms Melly C Tenorio 738 DZRB AM Band, 8 to 9 evening class, Monday to Friday
Part 7 - RA 7307: Philippine Carabao Act of 1992:
Saving the "Living Farm Machine" from Extinction
Philippine Carabao - a Threatened Species
Facts and Figures
Dr Abe V Rotor
Typical Philippine carabao
The carabao (Spanish: Carabao; Tagalog: Kalabaw; Cebuano: Kabaw; Ilocano: Nuang) is a domestic swamp-type water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) native to the Philippines.
Beating the summer heat. Agoo, La Union
The oil and food crisis revived much interest about the lowly water buffalo that nearly relinquished its old-age role to agricultural modernization. Although the animal still serves as a beast of burden on the farm, the fact is that it is now a threatened species in many parts of the world.
As a work animal it is efficient, it requires little maintenance, and depreciates slowly. As a biological unit, it is capable of providing food, articles of trade and services. As an ecological unit, it is key to sustainability in farm production and balance of the ecosystem .
How much do we really know about the water buffalo? Here is a question and answer review:
Q : How is the Asian water buffalo related to the American bison and African buffalo?
A : They are distant relatives although they belong to a common family (Bovidae) and genus (Bos) which also includes the Indian on Zebu cattle, Bali cattle, and all European cattle breeds. Each group has marked characteristics in anatomy, physiology and behavior.
Q : Is cross breeding among these groups possible?
A : Not for water buffaloes which breed strictly within its group (Water buffaloes are grouped under sub-genus Bubalinae. It is known that the other groups can be crossbred with Zebu cattle, and European cattle, bisons and Zebu/European cattle, Bali cattle and European/Zebu cattle.
Q : To what type of water buffalo does the Philippine carabao belong?
A : The Philippine buffalo or carabao, Bubalus carabanesis belongs to the swamp type. Its counterpart, the Indian buffalo, Bubalus bubalis belongs to the river type. It is not indigenous and therefore, is not locally popular.
Q : To what group does the tamaraw belong?
A : The tamaraw, Anoa mindorensis, is a related wild species, and belongs to the same family. Other off-lineages are the Anoa depressionis of Sulawesi (Indonesia) and the seros (Capricornis sumatraensis) of Sumatra.
Q : What colors are water buffaloes distinguished?
A : Buffaloes are predominantly grey, grey-black or normal black. There are however, few white ones or albino. The rarest is the black-and-white which is known to exist only in Toroja, South Sulawesi, which is highly prized for its value in religious offering.
Q : What is the productive life span of a working buffalo?
A : The Philippine carabao is put to continuous work from the age of 4 years up to 15 years, or over.Three females can perform the same work as two males.
Q : How is the draft of buffaloes compared with that of cattle?
A : At 4 to 11 years old male crossbred cattle has a power equivalent to 74 percent that of a 7 to 15 years old male carabao. A native male cattle delivers only 58 percent power. A young 4 to 6 years old male carabao is only half as strong as one twice its age.
Q : Buffaloes feed on low nutritious coarse roughages such as rice straw yet they attain remarkable size and fast growth rate. How do you account for this feat?
A : Surprisingly, they are able to convert low quality rations effectively and live over lengthy periods under conditions unsuitable for other domestic animals. Buffaloes have been found to enjoy high feed conversion efficiency. They have a 5 to 7 percent advantage over Holstein cattle on digestibility coefficients. It is proven that the bacterial count in the rumen of the buffalo especially the large Osillatoria type that aids in digestion, is 10 to 30 times more than in he cow. This is complemented by the longer retention time of the feed thereby further aiding to a more complete digestion.
Q : How long is the gestation of buffaloes and at what age are the calves weaned?
A : 322 days, 40 days more than cattle. Weaning time is 8 to 9 months. Calving interval is 1 1/2 to 2 years, or earlier under a breeding management program.
Q : Is the quality of carabeef is inferior to beef?
A : There is little difference if the slaughtered animals are of the same age.
Q : Buffalo milk is richer than dairy cows' milk. Is this true?
A : True. Buffalo milk is richer in all major nutrients and has much higher total which is important in creaming. Philippine carabao's milk has 9.65 percent fat (4.5 percent higher than Jersey's cow's milk), 5.26 percent protein, 4.24 percent casein, 5.29 percent lactose, 20.36 percent total solids, 0.083 percent chloride, 0.216 percent calcium, and 0.177 percent phosphorous. Philippine carabaos, produce the highest fat and total solids content than any domesticated buffaloes. Local soft white cheese is made from carabao's milk.
Q : How important is the hide of the water buffalo?
A : India and Pakistan are the souces of buffalo hide, while the US, UK, Yugoslavia, Italy and Australia are the major markets. The hide is used for all types of heavy leather manufacture from belts to upholstery, and recently, articles for the fashion world. In the Philippines, we consume a lot of chicharon which is made of carabao hide, kare-kare which is partly skin of the animal, and a favorite pulutan called caliente, softened thin slices of hide spiced heavily with ginger, onion and red pepper.
Q : How do carabaos contribute to ecological balance?
A : Firstly, their mud wallows serve as abode of useful organisms including edible snails, frogs, mudfish and shrimps which use them also as aestivating place during summer. When the monsoon rains come, the population of these organisms readily increases to the delight of farmers who depend on them for food. Secondly, they are agents, in fact, biological machine in recycling waste and residues on the farm.
Q : What value has the excreta of the animal?
A : it is a good organic fertilizer containing 18.5 percent nitrogen, 43.7 percent phosphoric acid, and 9.6 percent potash. It is a good source of fuel either as dried dung, or in generating biogas. By the way, per capital solid waste output is 18.8 kg. per day or 6,896 kg. annually. Thirdly, it is mixed with clay as a building material or as a plaster on the ground where palay is threshed.
With the efforts of the Philippine Carabao Research and Training Center* based at Central Luzon State University (Muñoz, Nueva Ecija), and its regional and provincial centers, carabao population is expected to increase not only for farm power but for meat and dairy, ecological significance notwithstanding.
As a work animal it is efficient, it requires little maintenance, and depreciates slowly. As a biological unit, it is capable of providing food, articles of trade and services. As an ecological unit, it is key to sustainability in farm production and balance of the ecosystem .
How much do we really know about the water buffalo? Here is a question and answer review:
Q : How is the Asian water buffalo related to the American bison and African buffalo?
A : They are distant relatives although they belong to a common family (Bovidae) and genus (Bos) which also includes the Indian on Zebu cattle, Bali cattle, and all European cattle breeds. Each group has marked characteristics in anatomy, physiology and behavior.
Q : Is cross breeding among these groups possible?
A : Not for water buffaloes which breed strictly within its group (Water buffaloes are grouped under sub-genus Bubalinae. It is known that the other groups can be crossbred with Zebu cattle, and European cattle, bisons and Zebu/European cattle, Bali cattle and European/Zebu cattle.
Q : To what type of water buffalo does the Philippine carabao belong?
A : The Philippine buffalo or carabao, Bubalus carabanesis belongs to the swamp type. Its counterpart, the Indian buffalo, Bubalus bubalis belongs to the river type. It is not indigenous and therefore, is not locally popular.
Q : To what group does the tamaraw belong?
A : The tamaraw, Anoa mindorensis, is a related wild species, and belongs to the same family. Other off-lineages are the Anoa depressionis of Sulawesi (Indonesia) and the seros (Capricornis sumatraensis) of Sumatra.
Q : What colors are water buffaloes distinguished?
A : Buffaloes are predominantly grey, grey-black or normal black. There are however, few white ones or albino. The rarest is the black-and-white which is known to exist only in Toroja, South Sulawesi, which is highly prized for its value in religious offering.
Q : What is the productive life span of a working buffalo?
A : The Philippine carabao is put to continuous work from the age of 4 years up to 15 years, or over.Three females can perform the same work as two males.
Q : How is the draft of buffaloes compared with that of cattle?
A : At 4 to 11 years old male crossbred cattle has a power equivalent to 74 percent that of a 7 to 15 years old male carabao. A native male cattle delivers only 58 percent power. A young 4 to 6 years old male carabao is only half as strong as one twice its age.
Q : Buffaloes feed on low nutritious coarse roughages such as rice straw yet they attain remarkable size and fast growth rate. How do you account for this feat?
A : Surprisingly, they are able to convert low quality rations effectively and live over lengthy periods under conditions unsuitable for other domestic animals. Buffaloes have been found to enjoy high feed conversion efficiency. They have a 5 to 7 percent advantage over Holstein cattle on digestibility coefficients. It is proven that the bacterial count in the rumen of the buffalo especially the large Osillatoria type that aids in digestion, is 10 to 30 times more than in he cow. This is complemented by the longer retention time of the feed thereby further aiding to a more complete digestion.
Q : How long is the gestation of buffaloes and at what age are the calves weaned?
A : 322 days, 40 days more than cattle. Weaning time is 8 to 9 months. Calving interval is 1 1/2 to 2 years, or earlier under a breeding management program.
Q : Is the quality of carabeef is inferior to beef?
A : There is little difference if the slaughtered animals are of the same age.
Q : Buffalo milk is richer than dairy cows' milk. Is this true?
A : True. Buffalo milk is richer in all major nutrients and has much higher total which is important in creaming. Philippine carabao's milk has 9.65 percent fat (4.5 percent higher than Jersey's cow's milk), 5.26 percent protein, 4.24 percent casein, 5.29 percent lactose, 20.36 percent total solids, 0.083 percent chloride, 0.216 percent calcium, and 0.177 percent phosphorous. Philippine carabaos, produce the highest fat and total solids content than any domesticated buffaloes. Local soft white cheese is made from carabao's milk.
Q : How important is the hide of the water buffalo?
A : India and Pakistan are the souces of buffalo hide, while the US, UK, Yugoslavia, Italy and Australia are the major markets. The hide is used for all types of heavy leather manufacture from belts to upholstery, and recently, articles for the fashion world. In the Philippines, we consume a lot of chicharon which is made of carabao hide, kare-kare which is partly skin of the animal, and a favorite pulutan called caliente, softened thin slices of hide spiced heavily with ginger, onion and red pepper.
Q : How do carabaos contribute to ecological balance?
A : Firstly, their mud wallows serve as abode of useful organisms including edible snails, frogs, mudfish and shrimps which use them also as aestivating place during summer. When the monsoon rains come, the population of these organisms readily increases to the delight of farmers who depend on them for food. Secondly, they are agents, in fact, biological machine in recycling waste and residues on the farm.
Q : What value has the excreta of the animal?
A : it is a good organic fertilizer containing 18.5 percent nitrogen, 43.7 percent phosphoric acid, and 9.6 percent potash. It is a good source of fuel either as dried dung, or in generating biogas. By the way, per capital solid waste output is 18.8 kg. per day or 6,896 kg. annually. Thirdly, it is mixed with clay as a building material or as a plaster on the ground where palay is threshed.
With the efforts of the Philippine Carabao Research and Training Center* based at Central Luzon State University (Muñoz, Nueva Ecija), and its regional and provincial centers, carabao population is expected to increase not only for farm power but for meat and dairy, ecological significance notwithstanding.
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* The Philippine Carabao Center (Sentro ng Kalabaw sa Pilipinas or Sentro ng Pilipinas para sa Kalabaw an attached agency of the Department of Agriculture, was established at Science City of Muñoz in Nueva Ecija province in 1992 to breed and cross carabao based on high-yield Murrah buffalo (native breed of Haryana state of India) in the Philippines as a multi-purpose animal that can be raised for milk, meat, hide, and draft. It was set up in 1992 on a 40 hectares (99 acres) piece of land donated by Central Luzon State University on its main campus, initially with 6 network centers in 1992. 7 more network centers were added in 1994 bringing the total to 13. The bill was sponsored by then senator Joseph Estrada and eventually enacted as a law through Republic Act 7307 i.e. the Philippine Carabao Act of 1992. RA 7307 was enacted into law during my term as consultant on food and agriculture under the chairmanship of the late Senator Butz Aquino. It is indeed a very significant piece of legislation considering the spiraling cost of mechanized farming, and the precarious state of the carabao as a threatened species. NOTE: Dr Rotor served as consultant on food and agriculture committee of the Senate of the Philippines in the drafting and passage of o the Carabao Act of 1992.
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The presence of the carabao on Philippine landscape adds aesthetics to rural life. National artist Fernando Amorsolo was fond of portraying the carabao is his paintings of countryside. ~
Quaint countryside scene - carabao race, a popular sport during barrio fiesta. (Internet) Let us not underestimate this lowly beast of burden. It is Nature's most efficient farm machine capable of providing food, articles of trade and services. It requires little maintenance and depreciates very slow. The carabao generally enjoys perfect health and long productive life. There is some truth in the aphorism that "a sick carabao is a dead carabao".
Reference: Living with Nature in Our Times, by AV Rotor UST
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Part B: RA 7307 - Philippine Carabao Act of 1992
Philippine Carabao Center, Central Luzon State University (CLSU),
Science City of Munoz, Nueva Ecija
Republic Act No. 7307: An Act Creating the Philippine Carabao Center to Propagate and Promote the Philippine Carabao and for other Purposes
Dairy products from carabao's milk
At least thirty (30) to fifty (50) percent of the carabaos maintained/propagated by each carabao center shall be of the pure native/indigenous stock to ensure the preservation of the Philippine carabao and provide option to the farmers.
The Mariano Marcos State University also referred to by its acronym MMSU, is a higher education institution with campuses and facilities throughout Ilocos Norte province in the Philippines. Its main campus is in Batac. MMSU is the regional carabao center for Region I (Ilocos Region)
SECTION 13. Farmer’s Participation. — The farmer-participants shall be encouraged to establish strong farmers associations or cooperatives to serve as focal point for government assistance in the propagation and dispersal of Philippine carabaos and dissemination of technology on the carabao.
SECTION 14. Beneficiaries. — The beneficiaries of the CARP and those under Presidential Decree No. 27, and other smallholder farmers shall be given priority in the carabao dispersal program.
SECTION 15. Participation of the Department of Agriculture and Local Government Units. — The carabao centers, the regional and provincial offices of the Department of Agriculture, specifically the Bureau of Animal Industry, and the local government units shall implement a carabao dispersal and propagation program within their respective areas in accordance with the national policy and program of the PCC. The PCC shall adapt a national dispersal program to primarily benefit the smallholder farmers and CARP beneficiaries. Any income from the sale of the carabao shall be placed in a revolving fund to be used in the propagation and distribution of carabaos.
SECTION 16. Use of Funds. — Not more than thirty percent (30%) of funds allocated under this Act and in subsequent annual appropriations shall be used for personal services, and maintenance and operating expenses, ten percent (10%) for research and development, sixty percent (60%) for carabao dispersal and distribution.
SECTION 17. Annual Report. — The PCC submit an annual report to the Office of the President, the Senate, and the House of Representatives indicating among others the number of carabaos distributed and the names of the beneficiaries.
SECTION 18. Transfer of Carabao Programs to the PCC. — Upon approval of this Act, this existing carabao programs and projects implemented by various agencies shall be transferred to the PCC.
SECTION 19. Appropriation. — The amount necessary to carry out the provisions of this Act shall be included in the General Appropriations Act of the year following its enactment into law and thereafter.
SECTION 20. Separability Clause. — If any part, section, or provision of this Act shall be held invalid or unconstitutional, the rest of the provisions shall not be affected thereby.
SECTION 21. Repealing Clause. — All laws, executive orders, rules and regulations, or parts thereof which are inconsistent with this Act are hereby repealed or modified accordingly: Provided; however, That nothing in this Act shall amend, modify or repeal the provisions of Republic Act No. 7160, otherwise known as the Local Government Code.
SECTION 22. Effectivity. — This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days from the date of its publication in the Official Gazette or in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation. ~
SECTION 1. Title. — This Act shall be known as the “Philippine Carabao Act of 1992”.
SECTION 2. Declaration of Policy. — The Constitution provides that the State shall develop a self-reliant and independent national economy effectively controlled by Filipinos. It also provides that the State shall support indigenous, appropriate, and self-reliant scientific and technological capabilities, and their application to the country’s productive systems and national life. Towards this end, the State shall establish various programs to conserve, propagate and promote the Philippine carabao as a source of draft animal power, meat, milk, and hide.
SECTION 3. Definition of Terms. — As used in this Act, the following terms shall mean:
a) “Philippine Carabao Center” refers to the National Carabao Center at the University of the Philippines at Los Banos, the other carabao centers in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, and those that will be created pursuant to this Act:b) “Draft animal power” refers to power provided by the carabao as a farm animal;c) “Smallholder farmer” refers to a farmer owning or cultivating five (5) hectares or less of farmland;d) “Semi-Commercial Production” refers to the raising of twenty (20) to forty-nine (49) carabaos.
SECTION 4. Creation of the Philippine Carabao Center. — There is hereby created a Philippine Carabao Center, hereinafter referred to as the PCC which shall under the supervision and control of the Department of Agriculture.
SECTION 5. Powers and Functions of the PCC. — The PCC shall have the following powers and functions:
a) Conserve, propagate and promote the Philippine carabao as a source of draft animal power, meat, milk, and hide;b) Enable the farmers, particularly smallholder farmers and CARP beneficiaries to avail themselves of good quality carabao stocks at all times and at reasonable prices through an organized program of production, breeding, training and dispersal;c) Undertake training programs for farmers, particularly smallholder farmers and CARP beneficiaries, designed to transfer technology on the proper care and reproduction of the carabao and the processing of its meat and milk;d) Encourage backyard dairy development in rural areas by raising carabaos so as to meet the nutrition needs of the smallholder farmers and their families and reduce dependence on imported milk by-products;e) Undertake research activities in all disciplines that lead to the improvement of the over-all productivity of the Philippine carabao;f) Increase the existing annual population growth of the Philippine carabao to keep pace with human population growth; andg) Enter into memoranda of agreement and received donations through the Department of Agriculture from local and foreign sources. Upon the recommendation of the PCC Advisory Board, the individual carabao centers may enter into agreements directly with funding agencies through their respective board of regents or head of agency.
SECTION 6. Priorities. — The PCC shall give priority to the following activities:
a) Increase in carabao population and productivity;b) Development of feeding systems for backyard and semi-commercial production, improving reproductive efficiency, physiology and schemes to reduce losses caused by parasites and diseases;c) Reproduction, breeding, nutrition and animal health;d) Socio-economic researches to ensure economic viability and acceptance of technology by farmers ande) Development of appropriate technologies that are cost-effective, simple and practical.
At least thirty (30) to fifty (50) percent of the carabaos maintained/propagated by each carabao center shall be of the pure native/indigenous stock to ensure the preservation of the Philippine carabao and provide option to the farmers.
SECTION 7. PCC Advisory Board. — The PCC Advisory Board shall be composed of the following:
a) Secretary of the Department of Agriculture or his representative, as Chairman;b) Undersecretary for Regional Operations, Department of Agriculture, as Vice Chairman;c) Executive Director, Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources, Research and Development (PCARRD);d) Chancellor of the University of the Philippines in Los Baños (UPLB) and presidents of Central Luzon State University (CLSU), Central Mindanao University (CMU), Cagayan State University (CSU), Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University (DMMMSU) in La Union, Visayas State College of Agriculture (VISCA), West Visayas State University(WVSU)in Iloilo, University of Southern Mindanao (USM), and the president of the state college or university where a carabao center may be established pursuant to this Act;e) Director of the Bureau of Animal Industry;f) Executive Director of PCC; andg) Farmers’ representative to be appointed by the Board.
SECTION 8. Functions of the PCC Advisory Board. — The PCC Advisory Board shall perform the following functions;
a) Formulate policies, programs and projects for the development of the Philippine carabao;
b) Review and recommend the annual budget of the PCC;
c) Evaluate the implementation, efficiency and effectiveness of the program and projects of the PCC; and
d) Recommended the establishment or abolition of carabao centers as may be deemed necessary.
SECTION 9. Executive Director of PCC. — The Executive Director of the PCC shall be appointed by the Secretary of the Department of Agriculture. The Executive Director of the PCC shall perform the following functions:
c) Evaluate the implementation, efficiency and effectiveness of the program and projects of the PCC; and
d) Recommended the establishment or abolition of carabao centers as may be deemed necessary.
SECTION 9. Executive Director of PCC. — The Executive Director of the PCC shall be appointed by the Secretary of the Department of Agriculture. The Executive Director of the PCC shall perform the following functions:
a) Oversee the implementation of the policies, programs and projects of the PCC;
b) Assist the PCC Advisory Board in the review, evaluation and monitoring of the Carabao Program; and
c) Perform such other functions as may be assigned by the PCC Advisory Board.
b) Assist the PCC Advisory Board in the review, evaluation and monitoring of the Carabao Program; and
c) Perform such other functions as may be assigned by the PCC Advisory Board.
SECTION 10. Appointment of Directors or Project Leaders of Other Carabao Centers. — The Directors or Project Leaders of the carabao centers shall be appointed by the respective board of regents or head of agency.
SECTION 11. Functions of the Directors or Project Leaders of Other Carabao Centers. — Subject to the policies of the PCC, the Directors or Project Leaders of other carabao centers shall perform the following functions:
a) Administer the policies, program and projects of the PCC in their respective centers;b) Recommend the creation of divisions and sections including the staffing pattern of the centers;c) Prepare the budget of their centers;d) Approve the expenditures of their respective budgets;e) Recommend to their respective head of agency the appointment of personnel or consultants;f) Recommend policies, programs and projects to the Executive Director of the PCC; andg) Perform such other functions as may be assigned by the Executive Director of the PCC.
SECTION 12. Implementation and Coordination of the Program. — The PCC Advisory Board through the Executive Director shall coordinate, monitor and evaluate the implementation of the carabao program.
It shall identify, through the Directors of carabao centers and Project Leaders from the various implementing stations, the programs and projects in the areas of reproduction, breeding, distribution, nutrition, animal health, and processing of carabao meat and milk.
It shall formulate strategies relative to the reproduction and distribution of the Philippine carabao. Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao shall initially have total of thirteen (13) carabao centers.
The Centers in Luzon shall be located at U.P. Los Baños (UPLB) in Laguna; Central Luzon State University (CLSU) in Nueva Ecija; Cagayan State University (CSU) in Cagayan; Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University (DMMMSU) in Ilocos Norte; and Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University (DMMMSU) in La Union.
The centers in Visayas shall be at La Carlota Stock Farm in Negros Occidental; Ubay Stock Farm in Bohol; Visayas State College of Agriculture (VISCA) in Leyte; and West Visayas State University in Iloilo.
The centers in Mindanao shall be at Central Mindanao University (CMU) in Bukidnon; University of Southern Mindanao (USM) in Cotabato; Mindanao State University in Marawi City and Mindanao Livestock Development Complex in Kalawit, Labason, Zamboanga del Norte.
These centers shall specialized in the development of technology on reproduction, breeding, nutrition, animal health and processing of meat and milk.
SECTION 13. Farmer’s Participation. — The farmer-participants shall be encouraged to establish strong farmers associations or cooperatives to serve as focal point for government assistance in the propagation and dispersal of Philippine carabaos and dissemination of technology on the carabao.
SECTION 14. Beneficiaries. — The beneficiaries of the CARP and those under Presidential Decree No. 27, and other smallholder farmers shall be given priority in the carabao dispersal program.
SECTION 15. Participation of the Department of Agriculture and Local Government Units. — The carabao centers, the regional and provincial offices of the Department of Agriculture, specifically the Bureau of Animal Industry, and the local government units shall implement a carabao dispersal and propagation program within their respective areas in accordance with the national policy and program of the PCC. The PCC shall adapt a national dispersal program to primarily benefit the smallholder farmers and CARP beneficiaries. Any income from the sale of the carabao shall be placed in a revolving fund to be used in the propagation and distribution of carabaos.
SECTION 16. Use of Funds. — Not more than thirty percent (30%) of funds allocated under this Act and in subsequent annual appropriations shall be used for personal services, and maintenance and operating expenses, ten percent (10%) for research and development, sixty percent (60%) for carabao dispersal and distribution.
SECTION 17. Annual Report. — The PCC submit an annual report to the Office of the President, the Senate, and the House of Representatives indicating among others the number of carabaos distributed and the names of the beneficiaries.
SECTION 18. Transfer of Carabao Programs to the PCC. — Upon approval of this Act, this existing carabao programs and projects implemented by various agencies shall be transferred to the PCC.
SECTION 19. Appropriation. — The amount necessary to carry out the provisions of this Act shall be included in the General Appropriations Act of the year following its enactment into law and thereafter.
SECTION 20. Separability Clause. — If any part, section, or provision of this Act shall be held invalid or unconstitutional, the rest of the provisions shall not be affected thereby.
SECTION 21. Repealing Clause. — All laws, executive orders, rules and regulations, or parts thereof which are inconsistent with this Act are hereby repealed or modified accordingly: Provided; however, That nothing in this Act shall amend, modify or repeal the provisions of Republic Act No. 7160, otherwise known as the Local Government Code.
SECTION 22. Effectivity. — This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days from the date of its publication in the Official Gazette or in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation. ~
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