Ilocos Sur Honors Internationally-Known Son
The province of Ilocos Sur has finally started to honor its scions who have become highly successful in agriculture as the provincial government conferred on Dr William D. Dar, director general of the International Center for Research in the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), the Father Jose Burgos Award in Agriculture during the recent Kannawidan Ylocos Festival.
Dr. Dar is now in his third term as ICRISAT director general. Before he assumed this post, he was the Philippines’ acting secretary of Agriculture, executive director of the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCARRD), executive director of the Bureau of Agriculture Research (BAR), and vice president for research and extension at the Benguet State University (BSU).
In his acceptance speech, which was read for him by his wife, Betty, Dr. Dar said the award validates in a way “all I struggled for during my childhood.” He dedicated his award “to all the nameless and faceless poor farmers who live under debilitating and grinding poverty,” who, he said, “are a reminder that the world we live in is harsh, yet it has the capacity to be a nurturing and caring place, which is possible through hard work and a will to think out of the box.”
Popularity: 4%

