PAA Bicol Chapter Regional Conference Kicks Off in Legazpi City
The 2025 ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ด๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ฎ๐น ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ด๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฐ๐๐น๐๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐น ๐๐ป๐ป๐ผ๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป, ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐น๐ถ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐, ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฆ๐๐๐๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ถ๐น๐ถ๐๐ (RCAIRS) organized by the PAA Bicol ๐ช๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ Chapter officially opened last 28 April 2025 at the Legazpi City Convention Center, Legazpi City, Albay.
Led by Dr. Lester M. Narvaez, the Philippine Association of Agriculturists (PAA) Bicol Chapter gathered about 400 professional agriculturists, policymakers, undergraduate students, and other stakeholders from the region in a three-day convention to foster transformative change in the agricultural sector through innovation and collaboration.
Guided by this yearโs theme on โ๐๐บ๐ฝ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ด๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฐ๐๐น๐๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐๐ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ฎ ๐ง๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ป๐๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐บ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ด๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฐ๐๐น๐๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐น ๐๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐น๐ผ๐ฝ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐,โ the event served as an important avenue for knowledge-sharing, policy advocacy updates, and sharing of best practices in agricultural technologies. The event also highlighted the latest advancements in agricultural practices, innovation, and sustainability as presented by a selected pool of experts in various fields in agriculture.
To represent the PAA national office, PAA National President Dr. Fernando C. Sanchez, Jr. graced the event with his opening and inspirational messages. Dr. Karen S. Bautista, PAA Immediate Past President, was also invited for a one-hour plenary talk on the updates on the Philippine Agriculturist Bill. Under the Soil Science session, she also discussed the strategic initiatives on the sustainable management of soil resources for agriculture. Under the Crops Sciences Session, PAA Business Manager Dr. Jessica D. Rey was likewise invited to discuss innovations for resilient food systems.
RCAIRS 2025 emphasized the regionโs shared commitment to building resilient and sustainable agri-food systems through synergistic cooperation. While RCAIRS 2025 underscored the value of agricultural modernization, it did not discount the vital role of agriculturists as agents of transformation in the VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity) world.
The PAA national office would like to congratulate the PAA Bicol ๐ช๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ Chapter led by Dr. Lester Narvaez, together with the Department of Agriculture Regional Field Office V (DA RFO V), the DAโAgricultural Training Institute Regional Training Center V (DAโATI RTC V), and the Bicol Consortium for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (BCAARRD) for a well-attended convention.
