On the outset, the town of Castillejos barely looks like it has any patch of land for agriculture. Tucked between Subic and San Marcelino from one end of the National Road to the other, Castillejos is more or less a straight line with very few turns. Driving from one bookending arch to the other would barely take twenty minutes – a fair amount of time to judge what the town of Castillejos has to offer but only on the surface. Castillejos has many veins that lead deeper into its less traveled areas, areas where nature remains mostly undisturbed by concrete buildings and crawling wires, and areas with rich soil where the town’s much valued farmers enrich Castillejos from the shadows. It is a complete misconception to dismiss the competence of Castillejos’ agricultural sector as it is, in fact, thriving. 

From his speech during the 1st General Assembly of the Farmers’ Federation of Castillejos, it has been a long-standing dream of Mayor Jose Angelo Dominguez to assist with the needs of the town’s own farmers and to boost the quality of their crops and produce. Through his term, Mayor Dominguez has provided better equipment and harvesters that would ease their work. But there is no defined end goal. It is a continuous effort towards a better farming sector in Castillejos, and part of this effort is by giving recognition to these farmers. March 16 marked the start of this year’s Farmers’ Week – an annual week long event for the town’s farmers to showcase their havest right at the Municipal Park. The Farmers’ Week overlapped with the Suman Ibos Festival 2019 hosting events that culminated with the Farmers’ Night on March 19, 2019.