23/05/2026
๐ฆ๐๐ฒ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ถ๐ป ๐จ๐ป๐ถ๐๐: ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐๐๐ ๐บ๐๐๐ฐ๐ผ๐๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ผ ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ถ๐๐ต ๐ ๐ข๐๐ฅ๐, ๐๐ฎ๐ฝ๐ถ๐
โLife is about sharing. If we are good at something, pass it on.โ โ Mary Berry
As the saying goes, if we are experts at something, we must have best practices that should be shared and passed on.
In the fields of Antique, farmers carry the sweetness of muscovado sugar as part of their history and heritage. From its roots to its juice, every Antiqueรฑo sugar farmer remains steadfast in preserving traditional practices, expertise, and knowledge in sugar production through the decades.
Consumers also acknowledge that no refined sugar can match the richness of muscovado, and the neighboring provinces understand this well.
And heritage, as ancestors believe, must be shared.
The spirit of sharing reached Capiz, the neighbor of Antique. Teresita Billonid, Montecarba Agrarian Reform Cooperative (MOARC) chairperson, shared that their major crop is sugarcane and noted that their province currently has no muscovado sugar manufacturers. Driven by hope, MOARC begins to write its own story of becoming the first producer of muscovado sugar in Capiz.
As the Village Level Farm-Focused Enterprise Development (VLFED) Project of the Department of Agrarian Reform Provincial Office (DARPO) Capiz opened doors for inspiration, learning, and connection, MOARC was determined not to miss the opportunity to gain practical insights into muscovado production and the proper implementation of Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP).
Through eagerness, MOARC explores new opportunities, particularly learning from the sweetness of Antique. All the way from Capiz, MOARC travels to Patnongon, Antique, and learns new knowledge from the Aureliana Apgahan Agrarian Reform Community Farmers Association (AAARCFA), Inc., sharing what they know and learning what they still need in the sugar-making process.
From simple talks to a room filled with insightful discussions, MOARC members attentively listened to Carlos Marcelino, President of AAARCFA, who shared generations of knowledge in muscovado sugar production.
At the sugar mill, MOARC members carefully examined each tool, continuously learning and taking notes on how they could apply these insights to their own future operations. MOARC remarked: โReady to take the leap!โ
More than the process of muscovado production, this exchange of best practices among farmers across Western Visayas proves that unity is key to uplifting one another for the progress of Region VI and in championing muscovado sugar in the region.
Because in the end, the true sweetness lies not only in the sugar but in the hands that pass it on.
