Agriculture
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NFA: Rice reserves sufficient in Occidental Mindoro
Officials in Occidental Mindoro have said they have stockpiled 869,000 bags of unmilled rice and 90,000 bags of milled rice – enough for 144 days based on daily consumption patterns. “If we mill all the…
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Mindoro irrigation project to undergo public scrutiny as farmers seek water security
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has scheduled a public scoping meeting for July 17, 2025 to discuss the proposed Lipitan small reservoir irrigation project, which would serve 6,676 hectares of farmland through…
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Oriental Mindoro Offers Free Soil Testing to Optimize Rice Yields
Hundreds of rice farmers in Oriental Mindoro have benefited from a new program offering free, on-site soil analysis and immediate fertilizer recommendations. The program, spearheaded by the Provincial Agriculturist’s Office between March and May 2025,…
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Oriental Mindoro Mechanizes Farms to Counter Labor Drain, Distributes P162M Worth of Tools
Facing a persistent dearth of farmhands, Oriental Mindoro has equipped its agricultural sector with over P162 million in modern machinery. The move, a concerted push by the provincial government, is expected to improve output and…
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DA to Build P500M Cold Storage Facility in Mindoro to Stabilize Farm Prices
The national government will construct a 500-million-peso mega cold storage facility in San Jose, Occidental Mindoro, designed for preventing agricultural price volatility and reducing post-harvest losses, the Department of Agriculture (DA) announced. The 5,000-pallet-position facility…
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Naujan Hog Raisers Oppose Slaughter Pig Imports into Mindoro
A major hog raising cooperative in Oriental Mindoro is opposing the entry of slaughter pigs into the province, instead advocating for a strategic breeding program to address severe pork shortages caused by African Swine Fever…
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MIMAROPA Fisheries Up 30.8% in First Quarter as Tuna Production Nearly Doubles
MIMAROPA region recorded a substantial 30.8% increase in commercial fisheries production during the first quarter of 2025, driven primarily by a remarkable increase in frigate tuna catches, according to data released by the Philippine Statistics…
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DA-PRDP OKs P263-M Farm-to-Market Road and Bridge Project in Mindoro
The Department of Agriculture’s Philippine Rural Development Project (DA-PRDP) has approved a P263.2 million infrastructure project intended at improving agricultural transport and market access in Rizal town, Occidental Mindoro. The project includes the construction of…
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NFA Chief Inspects BBM Rice Shipped from Mindoro to Cebu
National Food Authority (NFA) officials inspected rice warehouses in Cebu City on Friday, May 23, 2025 as part of a government program to sell subsidized rice at 20 pesos per kilogram – less than half…
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DA Launches P20 Rice Program in Calapan City
The national government will extend its subsidized rice program to Calapan City in Oriental Mindoro province on Friday, May 16, 2025, offering rice at P20 per kilogram to low-income residents. The program will launch at…
Founder’S Profile
Romel “Direk” Ferriol Bernardo
Bernardo Creative Ventures, Inc., the company behind Direk Fuels, Oriental Mindoro’s homegrown gas station chain, and Direk Builders, which rents out heavy equipment, is expanding its portfolio by venturing into online media and content production.
The company’s entry into news media is not surprising, as its founder and CEO, Romel “Direk” Bernardo, was a television writer, producer, and director for over 15 years. From 2002 to 2007, he served as a researcher, writer, and producer for GMA-7’s top-rating show Imbestigador before becoming the executive producer for ABS-CBN’s award-winning documentary program, The Correspondents.
