GOVPH

UP AND KOICA TO COLLABORATE ON CAPACITY-BUILDING FOR HIGHER EDUCATION AND ESTABLISHMENT OF AGRICULTURAL GENOMICS RESEARCH CENTER IN UPLB

16 July 2023, Seoul. The University of the Philippines and the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), are set to collaborate on a project that will strengthen science and technology adaptation in agriculture through the enhancement of genomics research and development in the Philippines.

UP and KOICA signed a Record of Discussions to collaborate in conducting the project “Capacity-Building for Higher Education and the Establishment of Agricultural Genomics Research Center at the University of the Philippines Los Baños” on 15 July 2023 at the Quezon Building of the University of the Philippines in Diliman. The 6-year project with a US 14.95 Million grant will include the establishment of a state-of-the-art Agricultural Genomics Research Center and capacity-building scholarships, training, and research programs. 

UP President Angelo R. Jimenez and KOICA Philippines Country Head Kim Eunsub signed the Record of Discussions with UP and KOICA officials in attendance. 

The project is another example of the growing engagement of the Philippines and Korea on science and technology cooperation. END     

FOUR FILIPINA ILLUSTRATORS JOIN THE 15TH SEOUL ILLUSTRATION FESTIVAL

09 July 2023, Seoul. Four Filipina illustrators joined the annual Seoul Illustration Festival (SIF) held from 06 to 09 July 2023 at the COEX Exhibition Hall C. Illustrators Ella Lama, Gianne Encarnacion, Elle Shivers and Marci Delfin were selected from a pool of global applicants for their strong vision and creative illustrations that resonate with the theme “Joy of Illustration.” All are accomplished illustrators whose works have been featured by various publications and in hit corporate marketing campaigns. The Philippine Embassy’s Third Secretary and Vice Consul Jilliane De Dumo-Cornista and Cultural Officer Anthony Cornista were on hand to visit the Philippine exhibition section.

First launched in 2015, the 15th SIF is a biannual event focusing on various forms of artwork including graphic design, picture books, typography, and webtoon designs, among others. This year’s event was attended by more than 800 illustrators worldwide, and attracted more than 10,000 visitors over the course of five days. The artists’ works and profiles may be found at the SIF website at http://seoulillustrationfair.co.kr/. END

PHILIPPINES JOINS THE 1st GLOBAL SAEMAUL UNDONG MINISTERIAL MEETING IN BUSAN, KOREA

08 July 2023, Busan. The Philippines participated in the 1^st Global Saemaul Undong Ministerial Meeting (GSMM) which was held from 4 to 7 July 2023 in Busan, Republic of Korea. The Philippine delegation was headed by Department of Agriculture Undersecretary Agnes Catherine T. Miranda together with Agriculture Attaché Maria Alilia G. Maghirang, and Philippine Rural Development Project and Farm and Fisheries Clustering and Consolidation (F2C2) Program Director Shandy Hubilla. Delegates from thirty cooperative countries attended the ministerial meeting.

Saemaul Undong, under the flag of “Again Saemaul Undong, To the World and Beyond” promotes the spirit of diligence, self-help and cooperation globally as it became the driving force in ROK’s attainment of economic development dubbed the “miracle on the Han.”

Undersecretary Miranda thanked the ROK government for inviting the Philippines to participate in the GSMM. Delivering the PH intervention, she stated that “the early contribution of Saemaul Undong in the eradication of poverty in rural Korea is an achievement worth commending, changing the paradigm of what community development ought to be, to its holistic approach to modernization. Indeed, this is a great opportunity for us to learn Saemaul Undong, its role in sustainable development, both at the regional and the national level.”

The Philippines proposed a bilateral MOU on Saemaul Undong Cooperation with ROK, which aims to facilitate rural and urban development, poverty eradication, and to promote mutual cooperation between the two countries for the successful implementation of Saemaul Undong during the ministerial meeting. DA’s F2C2 Program and the National Urban and Peri-Urban Agriculture Program (NUPAP) commits to engage closely with the Korean Ministry of the Interior and Safety (MOIS) in fostering Saemaul Undong Cooperation in the Philippines.

Philippine Ambassador to Korea Theresa Dizon-De Vega commended DA’s initiatives in pursuing active agriculture and fisheries cooperation with ROK and now integrated development through the Saemaul Undong. “The Philippines, like the Republic of Korea, is equally zealous in solving problems of poverty by building communities and creating platforms for productivity and prosperity. And like the Saemaul Undong Movement, we seek to engage all sectors to work together in ending poverty. We look forward to the signing of the Philippines-ROK MOU on Saemaul Undong Cooperation”, she said.

The MOU on Saemaul Undong Cooperation will open opportunities for sharing of  experiences and arrangements in rural and urban agricultural development, as well as the organizational development of farmers cooperatives and associations (FCAs), through learning exchange programs with Saemaul Undong officers and/or volunteers; cooperation in the field of Community Credit Cooperatives (“Saemaul Geumgo”); training of agriculture personnel, Farm and Fisheries Clustering and Consolidation Program implementers, cluster leaders, farmer and fisherfolk groups, and local leaders in Saemaul Undong activities and agricultural operations such as production, processing and market facilitation and linkage; among others. END