Farmer in QC Succeeds in Vegetable Gardening
Talk about Quezon City and one would think of cars, buses, trains, and tower-high, classy buildings. It seems that there’s no room for farming, but there are few who succeeded and one of them is Bernabe Atenta.
Using only chicken dung as fertilizer, he has been raising pechay, mustard, lettuce, beans, spinach, and other vegaables in the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman Stud Farm. Mang Bebe as his neighbors and friends call him. is proud of his profitable vegetable garden because if not for it, he wouldn’t afford the education of his children. His daughter Amelita is now a nurse, his son Joel has a degree in computer science, and his daughter Maribel is taking up tourism.
His success in veggie gardening today wouldn’t be a reality if he had not dreamed of prospering years ago. This 59-year-old farmer came from a poor family in Tacloban, Leyte, and he only finished the second grade. But he did not let poverty and lack of education stop him from succeeding.
He decided to go to Manila in 1964 to try his luck, hoping to get a job. He did. For vears he worked as a gardener in of the farms owned by a Chinese in Catmon, Malabon. Unfortunately, he was not able to help his family financially for he was just earning 30 centavos a day, which was considered very low at that time.
The good thing was his low-paying job has enabled him to enhance his innate skill in farming. Knowing this, Mang Bebe thought of establishing his own farming venture. He started looking for vacant lots where he could raise vegetables. He was lucky he got acquainted with another gardener who was close to the family of former First Lady Imelda Marcos. Seeing Mang Bebe’s skill and potential, the gardener persuaded him to in the Green Revolution Project then.
Mang Bebe recalls: “At that time, I was one [of] those who spearheaded the expansion and development of more vegetables growing projects. The Green Revolution was so successful it was being pushed aggressively in some parts of the country by local government units. As a result, it provided livelihood to many people.”
And he was one of those who had. He made vacant government-owned lots into vegetable gardens. His first lot was near NAPOCOR, but he moved out from it when former President Cory Aquino ordered the erection of the Bantayog Ng Mga Bayani. Mang Bebe and his family moved to the vacant lots in front of the SSS Main Office in QC. Unfortunately, they were again asked to go elsewhere because development projects would be conducted in the area. When they move to GAO area-it’s now COA-they were also asked to leave.
Hopefully, that wouldn’t happen to them again now at the UP Stud Farm. For it would be unfortunate for a farmer like Mang Bebe who works hard to keep his veggie garden profitable. His wife is also as hardworking as he is. As early as two o’clock in the morning she is ready to deliver their produce to Q-Mart and Farmer’s Market in Cubao.
Their sales proceeds are more than enough to buy food and other needs, and this is exactly what Mang Bebe had longed for then when he was poor. He attributes his success to his hard work and persistence, and he hopes that his fellow vegetable farmers, whether they are based in the city or in the province would do the same so that they, too would have a better life.
