INFARMCO participates in the 25th National Hog Convention and Trade Exhibits in Bacolod City from April 14-16.  The event which was organized by the National Federation of Hog Farmers, Inc. and the Pork Producers Federation of the Phils, Inc. is an annual gathering of commercial and backyard hog farmers where participants and experts share their techniques and experiences.

The biogas conversion and waste water treatment facility in Lexus Multiplier Farm (LMF) is nearing completion.  According to Mr. Mel David, GM for LFM, the facility should be fully operational by 2^nd quarter of 2016.  When fully operational the facility will be able to provide electrical power, harnessed from the waste material of the animals to produce methane gas, to power the entire complex.  This will translate in big savings for LMF in terms of electricity costs.  Moreover, any excess power production can be provided to neighboring communities contributing a vital role in one of INFARMCO’s values of social responsibility.

Aside from generating electrical power, the facility will also have a by-product of organic fertilizer.  These fertilizers can be sold as additional income or be used in LMF’s own fruit and vegetable plots.

 

IFC (International Farms Corporation) of the INFARMCO Group companies registered a record breaking achievement for getting the highest ever performance index in 27^th INAHGEN Boar Auction.  The performance index with a score of 269.8 was highest ever recorded since the auction which began 1984.  The breed which was a Landrace boar also garnered the highest bid in the auction with a price of P195,000. IFC also placed highest in the Large White category which got an index of 244.5 and the 2^nd highest bid price at P170,000.  IFC also garnered third place in the Large White category. While ISGI (International Swine Genetics, Inc>) got the 2^nd and 3^rd places in the Duroc category.

by Gary D. Veloso

The INFARMCO Group held its Christmas Party last December 23 at the North Greenhills Clubhouse.  The highlights of the evening were company Christmas presentations, a singing contest, raffle prizes, employee service awards and the Chairman’s Award for the best performing company.

Chairman’s Award 2015

Europhil Swine Genetics Inc,. (ESGI) wins the Chairman’s Award 2015.  The award is given to the company which garners the highest points in performance parameters such as net income, accounts receivables, and the like.  This is an annual award which comes with a winner-take-all cash prize of P100,000.

 

Employee Service Awards

The INFARMCO Group also gave recognition to employees who have their shown loyalty and dedication to the company.  The awards were given those who have served 10, 15, 20 and 30 years in the INFARMCO Group.  Each employee was given a plaque of appreciation and a cash gift.

In Recognition of Butch Peralta

In remembrance of Mr. Serafin “Butch” Peralta also known as 1BP, a special moment of recognition was given by the INFARMCO Group in his honor.  As Mr. Tony N. Chua said, “1BP has made immeasurable contribution to the growth of the INFARMCO Group in general and to the farm based companies in particular.  And I know, he is up there looking after us.”

 

INFARMCO Christmas Party 2015

 

 

 

 

 

 

First allow me to wish everyone and your family a Joyful Christmas.  As the year 2015, comes to a close I’m pleased to let you to know that this year, despite the challenges, has been good for members of INFARMCO Group.

This is largely due to you, the family spirit of the INFARMCO Group.  Everybody, from employees, the farm-based companies, the staff here at central office, the account executives and metro based companies have contributed to the continued to good image and growth of the INFARMCO Group.  The management of INFARMCO Group is proud to have such a dedicated and efficient team.

This year, we wish to recognize and give commendation to our staff who have been with us this many years.  The recognition will take place during our Christmas party.

We also like to take this occasion, to remember a dear friend and colleague, who has departed us to join our Creator.  Butch, has indeed left a lasting legacy in Infarmco.  The growth of our Company, can partly be attributed to his dedication and zeal for work.  I’m sure Butch, continues to watch over us.

As 2016 approaches, old and new challenges await us.  I enjoin you to continue your dedication to be part of the INFARMCO family as we embark on new endeavors.

The Chairman sharing blessings with children of INFARMCO employees.

No.      Name                                     Date hired                    Years             Company

1          Ruth L. Lanario                    May 19, 2005              10 yrs.             SCHIPPERS

2          Roy  J.  Padilla                      July 26, 2000              15 yrs.             ISGI

3          Febian  P.  Panuelos            February 24, 2000     15 yrs.             PVP

4          Mesael  R.  Sabalza              October 1, 1995           20 yrs.             NBCC

5          Leonida  M.  Santos             June 15, 1995               20 yrs.             NBCC

6          Marissa  F.  Cruz                  March 16, 1995            20 yrs.             WZI

7          Raul  B.  Corocoto                 February 1, 1995         20 yrs.             NBCC

8          Dennis  M.  Arzaga               February 11, 1985       30 yrs.             NBCC

9          Antonio M. Asiñero              July 1, 1985                 30 yrs.             NBCC

By Danilo S. Venida

By tradition, Christmas is a time for giving and receiving, a time of loving and being loved, a time of great expectations and meeting them. Christmas is a celebration of fulfillment. Yet, in this season, many are empty and wanting.

When there is so much hate in the world, Christmas seems meaningless. And amid terror and counterterror, in the depths of poverty amid plenty, it is time to go back to the first Christmas and know that in that silent night, when the Child was born, the greatest wish came to be: Peace on earth, goodwill to men. Gloria in excelsis Deo!

The first Christmas was not about religion; it was about presence. It was not about power and might; it was about empowerment of the lowly, the poor. It was about encountering: shepherds and kings. There were conflicts and human dynamics centering on power play, including the denial of a room in the inn for a family in dire need of a place to stay. The images of contrast project light and darkness, a chiaroscuro. But by and large, peace and joy were the overriding messages on that first Christmas night.

And the Child grew up. A “kingdom not of this world” He proclaimed. There is constancy in the message. The true reality of being human transcends the conditions that manifest in the world. Being human is never an excuse for deprivation or greed. Being human presumes intrinsic and boundless greatness in every person. There is power in the Person of Jesus, not power by conquest but power by affirmation. The universal salutation: Peace! Shalom! As-Salaam-Alaikum!

The wish for peace continues for this Christmas. This is a perpetual Christmas wish for the country and for the world, for all generations.

Election campaign 2016 is the primary concern in the Philippines going toward the first six months of next year. It is opportune to wish that peace rule the duration of this political exercise. The challenges going against peace are great. The accusations among the candidates are getting very deep and personal. High stakes are building up on the table. Vested interests are actively in play. Appeals to emotion are being pursued, getting the contending camps riled up. The dominant determinant of action: surveys and spin.

For peace to have a chance, going back to the basics, to the truth of the candidates and their supporters, is called for. The foundation of peace is deeply personal. The song hit it right on the head: “Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me.” Authentic peace can be realized only when every person finds personal peace. And how can this happen? Through self-awareness. Knowing who one really is inevitably brings peace. The Child in Bethlehem, in the manger, knew who He was. He was whole, not wanting, and He shared the good news that all are as He is. For this, the world crucified Him. And He proclaimed that He and every person are One, He is the vine and we are the branches.

And the world crucified many who believed, and continues to crucify believers.

The world misses its real identity when it defines itself in terms of power and wealth, pleasure and fame. The crisis in the world is one of identity. If only every person can proceed from the Truth of the Child that is the reason for the season, that we are all one under and in One God, the world will be at peace. War becomes meaningless.

John Lennon’s imagery of “all the people, sharing all the world” becomes real.  Elitism is the root of all conflicts in the world. Haves and have-nots, powerful and powerless are distinguished, and social classes established. Structures that abet the differences that seem to define peoples create blinders. They hide the real identities that otherwise will show: that we are all equal, circumstances notwithstanding. All men and women are created equal. It is a sad twist of fate that inequality has become humanity’s dominant preoccupation since time immemorial.

Last Dec. 12, I traveled to Nakar, Quezon, with Bernardo Villegas, Jesus Estanislao, Florencio Orendain, Ciriaco Reyes and Ricardo Pascua in a bus along with other professionals and experts in coconut, livestock, bamboo, township development, management, and social engineering, among others. We met with close to 1,000 coconut farmers who, with about 5,000 more, own 15,000 hectares of coconut land in the area. We were joined by Quezon Gov. David Suarez and Nakar Mayor Leovigildo Ruzol and community leaders. Together, we provided the faces that will form The Nakar Initiative, the Experimental Living Community of Tomorrow (Elcot). Together, we will work and beat poverty, first in Nakar, then in the province of Quezon, and then in the country. We will partner with overseas Filipino workers as investors for the Initiative.

Dreaming makes sense. This is a Christmas wish: that men and women of goodwill can join hands, in peace, and uplift one another. Coconut farmers are among the poorest in Philippine society. By our first encounter in Nakar, that has changed. The Nakar coconut farmers are no longer alone. A diversified communal enterprise based on coconut will be worked out with and for them by professional groups motivated by the message of the first Christmas: presence, empowerment of the lowly and the poor, encountering one another in the spirit of our one humanity.

The Child in Bethlehem constantly challenges every human being to do as He did: to go and share of oneself and spread the message of peace. That is the only call that matters. A blessed Christmas to all!

This article was published in the Philippine Daily Inquirer on December 17, 2015