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Bea Alonzo remains to be one of the prettiest faces and most accomplished actresses of her generation.
Being in the industry since she was 15, it was but natural for Alonzo to branch out and try other endeavors — including hosting, singing and later on, vlogging.
But beyond her creative hats, Alonzo is also involved in an industry not commonly explored by her contemporaries: farming.
The actress said she has her mom to thank for influencing her to get into farming.
“One of my first businesses with mom was a fishery in Real Quezon. Then, 12 years ago, I got into farming when I bought our land in Iba, Zambales,” Alonzo said in an interview.
She recalled that it was actress Isabel Rivas, also a farm owner, who told her that a farm land near the latter's property was for sale.
“I was much younger in 2011 so initially, I thought of it as a long-term investment. But when we started developing the land, when I got the chance to know the farmers who helped us in planting and building the rest of the farm, I fell in love with farming, too.
“I got more into it when I saw my trees growing and when I started to get harvests from them.”
That parcel of land eventually became Beati Firma — which translates to “Blessed Farm” from Latin. The 16-hectare farm boasts of mango and other fruit bearing trees. Surrounding the property are almost 5000 mahogany trees.
“We also have livestock like cows as well as chickens, peacocks and local horses. We're trying to keep it as a sustainable farm and we're very proud that until today, we haven't sprayed [harmful chemicals] to our crops,” Alonzo shared.
Apart from that, Alonzo is also a proud owner of a rice field in Botolan, Zambales.
Her hands-on experience in farming also afforded Alonzo an understanding of farmers and their struggles.
“As a farmer, it's heartbreaking to see the crops you're growing hit or damaged by typhoons. It takes us years to grow our mango trees so it's very sad to see them knocked down. In my rice field, one of the challenges is the rising cost of seedlings.”
As such, it was easy for Alonzo to agree to partner with Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) as its celebrity endorser for the 2022 Census of Agriculture and Fisheries (2022 CAF).
The 2022 CAF is the seventh of a series of decennial agricultural censuses and the sixth of the decennial census of fisheries in the country since 1903.
The census is important as updated information on agriculture and fisheries shall enable economic development planners to respond to the challenges and opportunities in these sectors for our country to grow and prosper.
The 2022 CAF started on September 4 with 15,841 enumerators and 5,430 census supervisors nationwide conducting surveys on agriculture and fishery households, agriculture operators, aquaculture operators, fishery operators, and barangay officials.
Using Computer Assisted Personal Interviews (CAPI), these enumerators are gathering data that will provide government executives and policymakers a basis for formulation of programs and policies for betterment of the situation of the agriculture and fisheries sectors in the country.
Minerva Eloisa Esquivias, Deputy National Statistician of PSA, Alonzo gives a valuable contribution to raise awareness on the ongoing census as farmers, unaware of the activity, would often shy from census supervisors.
“I was very happy to do it. I didn't think twice because this is very dear and close to my heart. I am aware of the challenges that farmers face,” Alonzo finally said when asked why she accepted this new role.
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Credit belongs to : www.manilatimes.net
