So how did you end up in the farming business
Since my childhood, farming was our source of livelihood
But
I was not a farmer right away. I used to work as a Sales Insurance agent
and when I was assigned to work here in Abra
I went back to our old farm
and it brought back the passion i had in farming
so i thought about
becoming a farmer myself
where and what my market would be
so before i left my profession as an insurance agent
i went back to Manila and looked for clients to supply my crops to
once i found my clients
thats when i told myself that
we have a big unused land back here in Abra
why not go back
and make use of it again
here we have my crops
mostly eggplants
theyre 31 days old
if you can notice, this stick right here
it is used as a support for the crop
so when strong wind or storm comes
the crops are sturdy
and wont fall down easily
 
if youre going to plant during rainy season
you need to plan ahead
the pegs and support
are very important
for protection
"was this a practice even back then?"
i think i am the only farmer to implement it here
i have yet seen other farmers here install supports on their crops
because they plant without much planning
but for me, this whole thing is my livelihood
so i really need to take care of it
so to maximize my profit
and avoid losses
i installed protection
"how long have you stayed in Manila"
We lived in Manila since 2006
so almost 8 years
"8 years"
Were there adjustments when you decided to move back to your hometown and start a farming business
Yes. Quite big because I sold our house in Manila and used them
to buy machinery
for the farm
as capital
to start my business here
and at the same time
the things you used to have in a city are not available in the province
thats one of the main adjustments for me
"can you describe the difference on"
"how was your lifestyle back in the city"
"compared to your lifestyle here now in the province"
back then when i was still working as an agent
there is a quota and you need to meet the quota
so you have to do everything
just to make a living
rain or shine.  i have to get to work.
but when i started farming
and once i had clients to supply. because that was my priority
my market
i started planting. eggplants
siling labuyo
and other crops
our
first harvest
worked out really great for us
we used our first income to build a new house
"so this has been your life for the past"
5 years
"5 years"
was it hard for you to give up
corporate world
it was at first
on the first to second month
because all your money and savings goes straight to investments and capital
but on the third month
on harvest season
i am very thankful that
everything worked out fine the first time
maybe that's the reason
it was not that hard
to leave the corporate world behind
how big is your farm today compared to when you just started cultivating it
i started with a land ranging around
2.2 hectares
Now its almost 5
is there a difference?
yes, a big difference. starting from the capital budget
so you really have to manage your budget carefully
to have a better yield
and the income
is
3x the amount
as long as you dont get hit
by a bad storm
in farming
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
