MMSU Extension Directorate

09/10/2026

𝐌𝐌𝐒𝐔 𝐉𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐏𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐑𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐁𝐚𝐭𝐚𝐜'𝐬 2026 𝐋𝐚𝐤𝐛𝐚𝐲 𝐏𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐲 𝐄𝐱𝐡𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐭

Continuing their long-standing partnership to support farmers, Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU) once again joined the Philippine Rice Research Institute (DA-PhilRice) Batac Station for its annual Lakbay Palay Wet Season activity on October 8, 2026, in Brgy. Tabug, Batac City.

With the theme "PhilRice’s Best: Handa Laban sa El Niño," the Lakbay Palay focused on climate resilience and adaptation to El Niño. It aimed to enhance the knowledge and preparedness of farmers and other stakeholders through interactive learning and technology demonstrations. It featured guided tours, institutional exhibits, farmer-partner testimonies, and Palay Talakayan, highlighting key R4DE initiatives and climate-ready technologies.

Showing the University's continuous support, MMSU displayed products, planting materials, and reading materials. Visitors at the MMSU booth bought university products such as black garlic, malunggay guipang, black garlic and malunggay cookies, sukang Iloco, and bamboo propagules.

To support local livelihood groups, MMSU also displayed products from partner farmers, including rice coffee, malunggay powder, turmeric tea, tanglad (lemongrass) juice, and dragon fruit products.

To help farmers cope with extreme weather, the booth featured short videos on "Heat Stress and Dehydration for Farmers" and "Hydrating Vegetables." Reading materials on crop and livestock production, including processing methods, were also provided to interested Lakbay Palay participants.

The activity highlights how the two agencies work together: while PhilRice focuses on high-yielding rice varieties and practices including farm equipment, MMSU adds value through food processing, crop diversification, and community training.

Other exhibitors included the Philippine Carabao Center (PCC), private agricultural companies, and local farmer cooperatives.

During the closing ceremony, DA-PhilRice Batac Station Director Dr. Mary Ann U. Baradi awarded Certificates of Appreciation to MMSU and other partner groups in recognition of their continued support (𝐌𝐑𝐆𝐚𝐧𝐨).

07/10/2026

06/10/2026

𝗡𝗘𝗪𝗦 | Site validation prepare Batac elem schools for biointensive gardening

By Ian Paul Villanueva

Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU) and Rotary Club of Laoag Sunshine have reached the next phase of their collaborative extension partnership, “Gender-Responsive and Culture-based Bio-intensive Gardening Program,” following the successful site validations across four partner elementary schools in the City of Batac on September 10 and 18.

The beneficiary schools included Mariano Marcos Memorial, Quiling, Hilario Valdez Memorial, and Tabug Elementary Schools. Each school was visited by a technical team from various units in the university, looking at topography, sun and shade exposure, water sources, and soil conditions.

The validation team was composed of Dr. Arnel Felipe, Mr. John Marlo Bangayan of the College of Agriculture, Food, and Sustainable Development; Engr. Roxanne Joy Antonio and Engr. Stephenleigh Guittap of the College of Engineering; and Mr. Meynard Saclayan of the Extension Directorate.

With the information gathered from the validations, the technical team now finalizes the customized farm layouts and targeted crop recommendations suitable for each campus.

The on-site validations build upon the official launch of the school-based vegetable production program on August 21 that was followed by a corporate social responsibility contribution from Bakers PH, which provided recycled containers for vegetable planting across all partner campuses.

Other key partners in establishing and sustaining the school gardens include the city government of Batac, the DepEd Schools Division of Batac, the Department of Agriculture - Ilocos Norte Research and Experiment Center, and the Provincial Agriculture Office.

As a significant step toward a robust, school-based vegetable production program, this initiative aims to transform campuses into hands-on learning sites for nutrition, food security, and student enterprise.

Currently, the project’s expansion to other local government units is also underway. On September 28, representatives from Solsona Central, Santiago, and Maananteng Elementary Schools in Solsona underwent orientation to be included as beneficiaries of the project. (𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘔𝘦𝘺𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘚𝘢𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘢𝘯)

https://www.mmsu.edu.ph/article/news/3209/site-validations-prepare-batac-elem-schools-for-biointensive-gardening

02/10/2026

𝐁𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐭: 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐂𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐄𝐥 𝐍𝐢ñ𝐨

With weather forecasts warning of a potential El Niño bringing warmer temperatures and reduced rainfall in the coming months, taking early action is essential. Raising awareness and applying simple preventive farming practices today can help safeguard our crops against upcoming dry spells and water shortages.

One of the easiest and most effective ways to prepare is mulching. Mulching helps retain soil moisture and keeps plant roots cool. It also prevents soil erosion in planting beds and improves the overall look of your garden.

By keeping the soil moist, you won't need to water your plants every day. This helps avoid water scarcity issues caused by El Niño or delayed rains.

There are many materials you can use for mulch, such as sawdust, rice straw, and fallen leaves. If you have a budget, you can also use plastic mulch.

When applied properly, organic mulch gradually decomposes into additional nutrients for your plants. Most importantly, it improves soil quality, leading to a better harvest.

Mulching isn't just for vegetables—you can also apply it around trees to preserve the moisture in the soil where they are planted. However, make sure the mulch is positioned properly so it doesn't attract or shelter pests like rats.

When we act early and prepare our soil before the heat sets in, we protect our crops from stress, save precious water, and ensure a steady, healthy harvest even through tough weather conditions.

02/10/2026

01/10/2026

𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗻𝗼 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗼𝘀 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝘂𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗦𝗨𝗖𝗖𝗘𝗘𝗗 𝗶𝗻 𝗤𝟮 𝗙𝗬 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲.

The university’s academic programs achieved a strong 79.14% overall licensure passing rate, outperforming national averages across twelve board examinations. This quarter's success is highlighted by perfect 100% passing rates for Physicians, Master Electricians (BSIT Ladderized), and LET-BSE (BSIT Ladderized). In advanced education, 20% of Graduate School faculty remain actively engaged in scholarly work. In research, the univesrity successfully published 13.33% of research outputs in international or CHED-recognized or international journals within the year.

Through the extension programs, MMSU continues to make a meaningful community impact by expanding to 19 active partnerships across local government units, industries, non-government organizations, national government agencies, and small and medium-sized enterpprises. Most notably, 100% of extension program beneficiaries rated the training courses as ‘Satisfactory’ or higher in quality and relevance.

Congratulations to the entire MMSU community!

01/10/2026

Happy World Coffee Day! ☕✨

Celebrate every sip with your favorite local coffee blends. Here’s to good coffee, good vibes, and supporting local! 💚🤎

📍 Available at the Marketing Center

30/09/2026

𝗡𝗘𝗪𝗦 | MMSU orients Batac farmers on microgreens production project

By Ian Paul Villanueva

The MMSU College of Agriculture, Food and Sustainable Development (CAFSD) and Extension Directorate, in partnership with the City Government of Batac, conducted a community orientation on microgreens production at Barangay Quiling Norte on September 22.

Bringing together 30 participants from various local barangays, the orientation was led by Dr. Raymund Julius Rosales, who discussed microgreen species, proper growing containers, suitable substrates, and value-added products. Also present were Mr. Ricardo Sibucao from the City Agriculture Office and Batac City Councilor Rizalino Castillo, who reaffirmed the local government's support for the project.

The activity was conducted as part of the three-year urban agriculture project titled “Urban Farming of Microgreens Production for Sustainable Food Supply Through Skills Development,” which commenced in January this year.

In February 2026, Dr. Rosales, together with project team members Prof. Jovy Anne Pedro and Engr. Aira Lilac Pungtilan, Mr. John Marlo Bangayan, and Dr. Glisten Faith Pascual, met with the MMSU Extension Directorate to align project operations with university standards. This coming October, the university will formalize its partnership with the City of Batac for a fuller implementation of the microgreens project.

By November 2026, the team plans to conduct more training workshops and establish three communal microgreen production setups across select Batac City barangays. (𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘑𝘰𝘺 𝘈𝘤𝘥𝘢𝘯)

📸 𝘔𝘔𝘚𝘜 𝘌𝘹𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘋𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦

https://www.mmsu.edu.ph/article/news/3199/mmsu-orients-batac-farmers-on-microgreens-production-project