INCIDENTS of infections of the virus are tumbling down now everywhere.
Credit it to massive vaccination drive among local government units and the continued adherence to minimum health protocols by people.
This simply means, the country is slowly easing down to the new normal where business can slowly reopen, people can return to work, and more activities on tourism, and others.
But some say things will never be the same again, at least in the next two to three more years.
So, this leaves us, for the time being, to step into the sphere of the New Normal.
The national government, cities, municipalities, and provincial governments are now bracing to adjust to it, to be abreast with the requirements where health protocols will remain as a norm vis-a-vis livelihood, propagation of food resources, especially on agriculture.
The province of Batangas, behind the leadership of Gov. Hermilando Mandanas and a supportive provincial council, are right into it right now.
Through its capability development fund, on instructions of the office of the governor, the Provincial Agriculturist (OPAg) is now in the mode of providing local farmers with the right and necessary equipment that would further raise their harvest.
It would actually be a “two birds with one stone thing” by hitting and addressing two basic factors of society: livelihood and food resources.
And the more production the farmers have, the more it will provide jobs and business opportunities for people.
Batangas is right next to Cebu as among wealthiest provinces because aside from playing host to hundreds of light industrial parks and factories, the province stays agricultural.
It is next to Benguet among big players in the supply of vegetables and also right behind Bulacan as a source of poultry and pork.
In terms of aquaculture, Batangas is not also far behind Pangasinan as far as the supply of live tilapia fish is concerned.
Did we hear somebody whisper “Kapeng Barako” too?