An American photographer, Berenice Abbott, once said “Photography helps people to see”.

To showcase the abundance of the agriculture and fishery sectors in Caraga and at the same time intensify the promotion of agriculture, the Department of Agriculture – Caraga through the Regional Agriculture & Fishery Information Section (RAFIS) conducted Agri Galing Year 2: Mobile Photography Competition.

 The competition ran for one month.  And on December 1, as one of the highlights of the culmination of the celebration of the National Rice Awareness Month and the Organic Agriculture Month, the Awarding Ceremony of the said competition was conducted.

The National Rice Awareness Month aims to raise awareness on the benefits of buying and consuming locally produced rice and also urges the public to support local farmers. On the other hand, the Organic Agriculture Month theme “OA4K: Organikong Agrikultura sa Kumikitang Kabuhayan para sa Kalusugan at Kapaligiran” calls for a food-secure Philippines with prosperous farmers and fisherfolk through the organic agriculture way.

Through the mobile photography contest which is part of the DA-Caraga’s Agri-Youth Campaign, the DA hopes to establish a stronger connection with the youth and encourage their participation in agricultural endeavors. With the theme “Survive. Reboot. Grow”, the participants presented their take on the various initiatives and undertakings of the agriculture and fishery sectors in the region. 

Some of the awardees were physically present to receive their awards while those who could not make it physically, participated virtually through google meet.

DA-Caraga Regional Technical Director Rebecca R. Atega thanked the participants for joining the competition and for helping to spread awareness about the agriculture sector through their photos. In addition, she said that the participants also served as instruments in inspiring others to support the development of agriculture.

The winners for the Gen Z Category are: 1^st Place – Aaron Dax Ucat, 2^nd Place – Jobert Cordero, and 3^rd – Jan Edcel Man-on. For the Millennial Category, the winners are: 1^st Place – Charmagne Dela Peña, 2^nd Place – Ribeth Morgado, and 3^rd Place – Garald Rago.

Special awards were also given away. For Gen Z, Most Shared Photo was won by ZapMorgado while the RAFIS Choice Award was given to Kristine Gaid. For the Millennial Category, the Most Shared Photo was the entry of Jezreel Salino while the RAFIS Choice Award was given to Claire Oblimar.

The Millennial Category winner Charmagne Dela said that she joined the competition because she saw it as an opportunity to show that agriculture is very much alive in their town despite the pandemic. (Vanessa P. Sanchez/DA13-RAFIS)