Dr. William Dollente Dar, Department of Agriculture Secretary, was conferred with an honorary Doctor of Philosophy degree in Development Administration by DMMMSU on Friday, February 4, 2021. This is in recognition of his immense contributions in agriculture, research, and innovations leading to regional and national development.
at DMMMSU Bacnotan, La Union on February 4, 2022.
In his speech, Dr. Dar stressed the importance of agriculture as it is “the first occupation of man, the foundation of all other industries – it embraces the whole earth.”
An advocate of agricultural prosperity, he considers agriculture his mission. “We put our farmers and fisherfolk at the heart of all our efforts.”
Further in his response, he highlighted the important roles of farmers and fisherfolk:
“I receive this Doctor of Philosophy degree in Development Administration, honoris causa, with farmers and fisherfolk in my mind and in my heart, knowing that the sector has been a pillar of emergency response and of the national government in trying times. I take this personal mission to an even broader scope, to look after the food security of all Filipinos.”
“DMMMSU remains close to my heart because you have proven, time and again, how reliable you are when it comes to being an ally of the Department in the promotion and development of agricultural technologies.”
“DMMMSU, I believe, is a breeding ground for scientists, agriculturists, and extension experts that can work on the ground, introspecting relationships between scientists and farmers; and bringing science to the fields,” he added.
He challenged DMMMSU to BE DEEPLY INVESTED in agriculture, emphasizing that it is one of the most dynamic and innovative areas of the national and global economy.
Among the manifestations of Dr. Dar’s support of DMMMSU include the funding of 14 agriculture-based researches amounting to P46, 242, 200 from 2017 to 2021; swine multiplier and technodemo farm, P10M; and the concreting of road leading to DMMMSU, P37.5M.
During his visit in DMMMSU’s Fisheries Research and Training Institute (FTRI) the day before his conferment, he committed to allocate P12M for road construction, and to fund two units of Ideation Building worth P10M each. (Ayu)
