TACLOBAN CITY, May 26 (PNA) – The Leyte provincial government thanked Koreans for their continuous support to the recovery and rehabilitation of the province.
Leyte Governor Leopoldo Dominico Petilla expressed this during Monday’s turn over ceremony of farm inputs from South Korea to the province, almost five months since its humanitarian military forces concluded their mission.
Representing the Korean government were former Defense Minister Kwon Young Hae, Defense Attaché Colonel Kim, In Soo and Director for International Agricultural Institute Dr Lee, Byung Hwoa.
Resiliency of Leyte province can be seen on how fast the agriculture sector managed to revive after super typhoon Yolanda through the help of foreign government, said Petilla.
“South Korean armies are gone, but they did not stop supporting agriculture sector of the province,” the governor added.
The farm inputs handed over to the provincial government consist of vegetables seedlings, commonly used by Korean for their “kim chi” and several sacks of fertilizers.
Farmers from the province are already propagating these variety vegetables from Korea, according to Petilla.
Farmer groups identified by the provincial government in their upland organic farming program will receive the seedling through the provincial agriculture office.
”We want our people to plant more vegetables so they could start earning because we are an agricultural province and this is our way of showing our resiliency in every calamity,” Petilla said.
Former Defense Minister Kwon in his message said that this continuous help provided by the South Korean government to the Filipino people is not only a way of returning the gratitude to Filipino soldiers who sacrifice their lives during the Korean War.
“This is also a way of nurturing friendship and brotherhood of two countries,” Kwon said.
The official is curious on the agricultural aspect of the province, which according to Dr Lee of the Korean-backed school Araw Institute, is very fertile and suitable and ideal for farming.
The South Korean government through the Araw Force as part of their continuous assistance to the provincial government created the Araw International Agricultural Institute in Tanauan, Leyte that trains local farmers in modern method of farming. (PNA)
CTB/SQM/ROEL T. AMAZONA/EGR
