It was a monumental gathering at the Municipal Rooftop last January 25 as the Farmers’ Federation of Castillejos held its first General Assembly. The event was headed by Mayor Jose Angelo M. Dominguez, councilor Albert Tugadi and the Municipal Agriculture Office, and attended by representatives of over 400 members of the Farmers’ Federation. 

In his speech, Mayor Dominguez lauded the federation’s successful development and expressed his plans for it and its members moving forward. The idea of a Farmers’ Federation came from the desire to protect and unite the farmers of Castillejos so that the fruitfulness of programs funded by the local government unit could be maximized. It is also to ensure that projects by the national government, which the LGU has no control over, do not create conflict with the interests of the municipality’s local farmers. 

With only a few months left on his term, Mayor Dominguez gave a brief overview of the paths he would like the Farmers’ Federation should take beyond his term. Among these that the mayor stressed is the production of high value crops that can be harvested even during off-seasons which would then lead to Castillejos being a primary supplier of produce for larger, more accessible markets. Another would be the procurement of more equipment like the recently acquired harvester to provide assistance to the farmers. 
The local farmers of Castillejos indeed play an integral role towards the continued growth of the town. As the mayor pointed out the farmers are among those highlighted in the Himno Castillejos, “Pagsasaka payabungin” (“Make farming Thrive”), and through their efforts it did and continues to do so.