The ‘jail’ that taught agriculture

In the town of San Vicente, Catbalogan City, there is an abandoned jailhouse with nine hectares of mostly forested land.

Archimedes Fabellar did not know why he signed up for the monumental task of transforming it into a senior high school for agriculture but from the way things have turned out, he is glad he took on the challenge.

The jailhouse in Catbalogan City was built in June 2001 by the provincial and city governments. What the LGU did not account for, however, was the many NPA attacks that hounded the area at that time. Fearing for the safety of the inmates and jail wardens, the government decided to abandon the building.

In 2017, the city government offered the facility to the Department of Education for its productive use. The DepEd Schools Division of Catbalogan City proposed to transform the jailhouse into a farm school to help address food sufficiency and security of the city. Catbalogan is the number one importer of basic commodities in Eastern Visayas. It also aims to encourage the younger generation to become professional farmers by honing their skills, knowledge and attitude.

Fabellar, a science teacher specializing in research at the Catbalogan Comprehensive National High School, was assigned to lead the planning and implementation of its schoolbased management (SBM) thrust. His work helped the school reach level 3 of SBM practice, the highest standard in the SBM criteria. This led the school division superintendent to see him as a potential principal for the new school for agriculture. He was also asked to research for possible agricultural technologies that could help solve the food security problem of the province. It was an offer he could not refuse.

“My future job was levels higher than what I imagined. But DepEd believed in me, and I am always up for a challenge so I accepted,” he disclosed.

STARTING FROM THE BOTTOM

The establishment of the Catbalogan City Agro-Industrial School (CCAIS) was in an unusual manner: it did not have a formal identity and concrete funding. As a school that just started out, it already had 44 Grade 7 and 60 Grade 11 enrollees. This was a result of the city recruiting two scholars from every barangay. While the funds for Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE) of CCAIS were still being processed, Fabellar had to rely on city government funds with supposed counterparts from 57 barangays. Based on the plan, each barangay would donate PhP5,000 per student every year, but even that was not realized.

Fabellar used to teach classes with three more teachers he borrowed from other schools. As part of their Brigada Eskwela, he would request volunteers from the army, barangay, and parents to help clear the forested lands so they could use them for their lessons. When not teaching, he would continue working on the documentary requirements of their school and funds.

“The first six months were really tough. With LGU funds, bidding for supplies took longer so we made do with whatever available desks we could get. We constantly needed funds because the school has a dormitory where our students stayed, so their daily needs like food had to be met. I had to be at the city hall every day to ensure the timely release of the monthly allowances for food,” Fabellar revealed.

GETTING TO THE TOP

Thankfully, most of the school challenges were solved through a twoyear project by Standard Chartered Bank (SCB) and Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP). The oldest international bank in the Philippines initially funded a program for another school in Catbalogan City, and it was during the turnover that the DepEd superintendent requested for assistance for CCAIS. When SCB and PBSP toured the school, they knew instantly that they needed to help.

It was a dream come true for Fabellar. Through the project, they received a computer laboratory, audio-visual materials for education and recreation, farm tools and equipment, and skills training for teachers and students. The project also included the development of a five-year operations manual for CCAIS and the creation of a school governing council. It also funded the exposure trips of students to various industries in Samar for knowledge enrichment.

Because of the project’s assistance, the school is now closely reaching its vision of becoming a center of excellence in farming in Eastern Visayas. The operations plan, in particular, helped Fabellar plan ahead for the coming years in developing the school’s curriculum. 

“We have so many plans and so many dreams but we still need technical assistance. The project taught us how to look at the school from a different perspective, such as sustainability schemes, and I am really thankful for that,” he said.

FULFILLING DREAMS

CCAIS is now making its operations sustainable so it does not rely so much on government funds. It has a demonstration farm with a vermicomposting area and chicken coop, where students can apply the skills they learned in the classroom. The school is also starting to build a livestock farm, focusing on hogs, cows, and carabaos.

To date, CCAIS started delivering close to 15 trays of brown eggs every day. They used the income to purchase feeds for their animals and are also planning to mass produce blue ternate (or butterfly pea flower) for a high-end farm in Leyte.

Graduating students will also be offered an opportunity to build their own farms in their homes and sell their produce in their respective barangays as part of the city’s food sufficiency plan.

This year, SCB is also turning over four agribusinesses to 41 (from the first batch of SHS graduates in April) students to help them become young agri-preneurs. These young farmers will be organized and registered as an association. Aside from these agri-enterprises, the company is also providing an agribusiness and enterprise management seminar as well as training and exposure trips on different agribusiness technologies.

As for Fabellar, his stint at CCAIS taught him to appreciate agriculture. In fact, he is even starting to build his own small farm. By mixing this new love with his passion for research, he has also ventured into pet projects with his teachers. One of which is to crossbreed chickens so it could produce different kinds of eggs.

“Two years ago, I would have never thought that I’ll be where I am right now. I feel truly blessed. This is a oncein-a-lifetime opportunity, and I’m glad I took it. I got to meet people who helped build this school and I am trying my best to do my part so all their help and investments will not go to waste,” he concluded.