In the rich agricultural landscape of the Zamboanga Peninsula, the 蝌蚪视频 (PCAF) continues its journey of listening and learning through Lakbay Panayam or Conversations on the Move 鈥� an initiative of the Planning, Monitoring, and Knowledge Management Division鈥檚 Knowledge Management Section (KMS). Held last September 15鈥�19, 2025, the latest leg of Lakbay Panayam in Region IX shone a light on the inspiring women who have carved their place in the agriculture and fisheries sector through leadership, innovation, and quiet persistence.
These conversations revealed not only the technical knowledge of PCAF鈥檚 private sector partners but also their stories of resilience and transformation 鈥� women who nurture both their communities and the land they till.
A Voice for Women: Marivic Benitez, RAFC Sectoral Committee on Women Chairperson
For 65-year-old Marivic Benitez, empowerment did not begin with choice but with circumstance. When she married her husband, who inherited the role of tenant farmer on his family鈥檚 land in Polanco, Zamboanga del Norte, her life took a path she did not plan. Farming was not her dream, but it became her teacher, shaping her resilience, her understanding of hardship, and her belief in what women can achieve when given the chance.
From 1984, she and her husband managed a rice field and later cultivated coconuts. Her husband carried the responsibility of supporting his five siblings while they raised four children of their own, two of whom they later lost. The struggle of surviving on a single income made Marivic realize that farming alone could not sustain their family.
She turned to entrepreneurship, starting with buying and selling rice, copra, and corn and later expanding into household goods and beauty products. Over the years, Marivic became a familiar sight in the barangays of Polanco, Zamboanga del Norte 鈥� a roaming vendor on a motorbike, balancing whatever she could sell, from beauty products and clothing to appliances, Tupperware, and even insurance policies, just to make ends meet.
Today, her family鈥檚 growth and achievements stand as her pride and living proof of her efforts, showing that empowering women can create lasting change far beyond the household.
Determined to make a difference, Marivic joined local women鈥檚 groups, first as a member of the Sto. Ni帽o Women鈥檚 Association and later as president of the Rural Improvement Club. In 2021, she joined the Provincial Agricultural and Fishery Council (PAFC) and now serves as the Chairperson of the Regional Agricultural and Fishery Council (RAFC) Sectoral Committee on Women.
鈥�Ang mission ko kasi ay magkaroon ng boses ang kababaihan, dapat equal [sila sa mga lalaki].鈥� Marivic鈥檚 voice is firm as she shares her belief that women should take an active role in shaping their families鈥� futures.
She has since led numerous initiatives 鈥� from livelihood trainings and feeding programs to VAWC orientations and seed distribution for container gardening among women in the city jail. She also participated in the 鈥淧lant for a Cause鈥� project of the Municipality of Rizal, Zamboanga del Norte, where participants paid for each tree planted, and all proceeds were donated to the DSWD to support families in need.
As a woman leader in a male-dominated field, she has faced the challenge of encouraging women to take part in leadership despite financial limitations. 鈥�Ang mga kababaihan kasi ayaw maging women leaders kasi walang pera,鈥� she expressed.
Benitez is also candid about the challenges women face in agriculture, especially the lack of access to capital and the social expectations that confine them to the home. But her advocacy is simple yet powerful: 鈥�Kapag nagtulungan ang mag-asawa, walang ibang pwedeng mangyari kung hindi umunlad ang kanilang pamumuhay.鈥�
For her, empowerment begins when women are given both the voice and the means to participate fully in decision-making 鈥� in the household and in the sector.
Growing Change Organically: Ana Maria Lao, RAFC Sectoral Committee on Organic Agriculture Representative
At first glance, Ana Maria Lao鈥檚 path into organic farming may seem accidental. A commerce graduate and stay-at-home mother of three, her journey began in 2010 when she decided to grow tomatoes and eggplants in pots to save on groceries. What started as a personal project grew into a thriving enterprise 鈥� one that would eventually transform her into a regional model of organic innovation.
By 2013, she had established a small nursery behind her home. Nearly a decade later, in 2022, her enterprise 鈥� J5 Lao Farm 鈥� was certified by the Agricultural Training Institute (ATI) as a Learning Site for Agriculture. She now manages a 2.9-hectare learning site located on land lent to her by her cousin. She is also in the process of constructing a fishpond for tilapia fingerling production and setting up a facility for cultivating azolla.
Today, Lao manages her organic farm and leads vegetable trading operations that supply markets across Zamboanga, having secured contracts as a vegetable concessionaire in Gaisano Mall and as a supplier of black rice, brown rice, and adlai to SM and Lee Super Plaza.
Her leadership in the AFC as the RAFC Organic Representative and as the 2024 Regional Outstanding Rural Woman Awardee reflects her passion not only for farming but also for sustainability.
She recalls the difficulties of promoting organic agriculture 鈥� 鈥�Kung hindi malakas yung loob, wala talaga kasi madumi, mahirap.鈥� But for Lao, patience, persistence, and a nurturing spirit 鈥� qualities she believes women naturally possess 鈥� are essential to organic farming.
Her advocacy now extends to policy. Through RAFC Resolution No. 005, series of 2025, she helped push for increased budget allocation for the region鈥檚 Organic Agriculture Program. Her best practices include pre-composting biodegradable waste before vermicomposting and ensuring a steady source of organic fertilizer from wet market scraps 鈥� practices she believes should be replicated by other farmers.
She also finds creative ways to address consumer behavior by preparing ready-to-cook, pre-cut vegetable packs for dishes such as menudo, pakbet, chopsuey, and pancit, catering mainly to students who prefer convenience without waste.
Her dream is simple yet visionary: 鈥�Kung gusto nila ng healthy and sustainable food para sa pamilya, magsimula sila sa backyard organic ways of farming.鈥�
Leading Beyond Boundaries: Dr. Sitti Amina Jain, member of the NSC on PhilRubber
For Dr. Sitti Amina Jain, leadership has always been grounded in service. At 67, the former Regional Director of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI)鈥揨amboanga Peninsula and current member of the PCAF National Sectoral Committee (NSC) on Rubber continues to champion innovation in one of Mindanao鈥檚 major industries.
With a career spanning over four decades, Dr. Jain helped form the Philippine Rubber Technical Working Group (PhilRubber TWG) in 2012 as a convergence platform for the government, academe, and private sector. Following its dissolution in December 2024, the TWG鈥檚 responsibilities were formally transferred to the Department of Agriculture and subsequently integrated into the existing NSC on Rubber. To consolidate national efforts, streamline industry development, and retain international recognition, the Committee later adopted NSC on Rubber Resolution No. 03, Series of 2025, officially renaming the body as the NSC on PhilRubber.
鈥淢y profound commitment to develop the industry. Some stakeholders, both local and international, still call me for industry information so I might as well share what I know,鈥� she said when asked about her motivation to continue serving as a volunteer member in the NSC.
While she has spent much of her professional life in a male-dominated industry, Dr. Jain sees no barriers. 鈥溾�淚 was never conscious of gender differences probably because most national and regional executives in DTI at the time were women,鈥� she shares with quiet confidence. For her, diligence and professionalism transcend gender.
She also believes that women have advantages as leaders. 鈥�Mas matiyaga ang mga babae. We are more passionate and meticulous,鈥� she added.
Dr. Jain also highlighted the importance of networking 鈥� locally and internationally 鈥� as a best practice that NSCs and AFCs should adopt. She advocates for broadening exposure beyond domestic exchanges, suggesting that learning visits abroad could further strengthen farmer-leaders鈥� knowledge and technical skills.
Her dream for the industry is forward-looking: for the Philippines to become a provider of rubber products, not just raw materials, positioning Mindanao as the center of manufacturing, and for rubber farmers to rise above the poverty threshold.
Harvesting Wisdom, Cultivating Equality
The Lakbay Panayam in Zamboanga Peninsula stands as more than a documentation effort. It is a journey through the stories of women whose lives mirror the growth of the agri-fishery sector itself 鈥� rooted, resilient, and ever-reaching.
From the rice fields of Polanco to the organic farms of Titay and the government and industry hub of Zamboanga City, these women leaders embody the essence of Conversations on the Move 鈥� transforming experience into knowledge, and knowledge into empowerment.
As Lakbay Panayam continues across regions, it reaffirms that the heart of agricultural development beats strongest when women are heard, valued, and supported 鈥� not only as cultivators of land, but as cultivators of change through policies. | Text by Joy Camille Luza, photos by Jezebel Campaniel and Junry Danila
