In the fertile landscapes of the Davao Region, a quiet revolution is taking place, one powered by cultural pride, entrepreneurial grit, and transformative council leadership. At the heart of this movement are two distinct individuals serving on the Regional Agricultural and Fishery Council (RAFC): Jeciry Antik, a Bagobo-Tagabawa champion advocating for Indigenous Peoples (IPs) and coffee farmers, and George Allen Callora, a 33-year-old agri-preneur redefining youth participation through high-value chili production.
Rooted in Community: Jeciry Antik鈥檚 Journey from Sacrifice to Indigenous Agri Leadership
For Antik, the journey to agricultural leadership was paved with personal sacrifice. Forced to interrupt her BS Agricultural Engineering studies at Davao del Sur State College, she moved to Dubai at the age of 21 to earn money for her mother’s medical expenses. Upon returning home, she drew on her earlier leadership experience as Sangguniang Kabataan Chairperson from 2002 to 2007, renewing her commitment to serving her community.
“Leaving my studies and going to Dubai wasn鈥檛 in my original plans, but when my family needs me, I didn’t hesitate,” Antik reflected during our face-to-face sit-down. “When I finally returned home to our land, I realized my heart never left community service, I just needed to direct that passion toward helping our farmers.”
In 2017, she became the Secretary and Marketing Manager for the Tibolo Farm Workers Association (TIFWA). Demonstrating her commitment to the association, Antik personally donated a portion of her 2.9-hectare land allocation to serve as TIFWA鈥檚 project site.
“When TIFWA was looking for a place to start, I saw an opportunity to give back,” Antik shared, gesturing toward the surrounding fields. “Donating a part of my land allocation wasn’t a loss; it was an investment in our collective future. If our community prospers, we all rise together.”
Since 2017, TIFWA has grown significantly, from 69 members and 1,000 coconut seedlings planted across 15 hectares to a thriving association with 200 active members. Under Jeciry鈥檚 guidance, members intercrop coconut trees with coffee seedlings and vegetables provided by the Department of Agriculture (DA), practice selective hand-picking of red cherries for premium robusta quality, and hold Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) certification for vegetable production.
Antik’s work within the Municipal Agricultural and Fishery Council (MAFC) in 2022 and the RAFC as an IP sector representative in 2025 involves navigating complex social dynamics. Advocating for tribal members means tackling systemic discrimination, helping quiet members overcome inherent shyness, and strictly adhering to tribal governance protocols that involves consulting local IP leaders, tribal chieftains, and the National Commission for IP before bringing policy proposals to various AFC councils.
“In our culture, leadership is not about standing out individually; it鈥檚 about honoring our roots,” Antik emphasized during the interview. “When I speak at the RAFC, I don’t just speak for myself. I carry the voices of our tribal chieftains and the quiet elders who spent years in the background. We must follow our traditional protocols so our advocacy remains genuine and respected.”
Looking forward, Antik is advocating for the conduct of an annual IP Summit across local, regional, and national levels featuring cultural showcases and product displays. She also plans to lobby for RAFC resolutions that secure exclusive livelihood assistance for indigenous communities, envisioning a world where TIFWA’s premium robusta coffee gains global recognition.
George Allen Callora: Turning Passion into High-Value Innovation
While Antik bridges cultural heritage and coffee production, George Allen Callora brings sharp technological enterprise to the RAFC as its youth representative. Callora founded Nesta鈥檚 Chili Company in 2018 out of a personal love for spicy foods, converting his hobby into a commercial enterprise to fund medical treatments for his late son, Nesta.
“Nesta鈥檚 Chili Company was born out of love and necessity,” Callora recalled, his tone softening as we spoke face-to-face across the table. “Every bottle of hot sauce and every crop we harvest carries my late son鈥檚 name. It started as a way to fight for his medical care, and today, it stands as his living legacy.”
Today, Callora manages 2.5 hectares of chili production across four strategic locations in the region. The distributed farms help ensure year-round harvests and provide greater protection from severe weather.
He cultivates roughly 50 chili varieties and has built Nesta鈥檚 Chili Company around them. The company supplies fresh peppers, produces signature hot sauces for restaurant chains, and sells seeds through online platforms such as Shopee and Lazada.
Further bolstering Callora鈥檚 success was the support he received from the DA鈥檚 Young Farmers Challenge and DA-Upscale Program. He received a 鈧�200,000 grant through the Young Farmers Challenge in 2021, followed by 鈧�300,000 from DA-Upscale in 2023. These financial grants allowed him to invest in drip irrigation systems and greenhouses.
However, his journey reveals critical gaps in institutional support. The DA-Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) currently lacks baseline data for chilies, preventing Callora from securing official seed producer certifications or intellectual property protections for his hybrid chili varieties.
“We are eager to innovate, but the institutional systems need to keep pace,” Callora explained directly during our interview. “Without baseline data for chilies at the BPI level, young seed producers like me hit a ceiling. How can we safeguard our hybrid varieties or scale commercially when official certifications aren’t yet accessible for high-value crops like ours?”
As a youth leader on the RAFC, Callora is eager to challenge the perception that agriculture is an unviable career for young people. He also advocates for agricultural waste management policies such as repurposing plastic mulching and aims to construct an FDA-certified facility to hopefully expand his enterprise into supermarkets, commercial establishments and even export markets.
“Many young people look at farming as backbreaking, low-income work, but it doesn’t have to be,” Callora pointed out assertively. “With technology, strategic cropping, and council advocacy, we can turn agriculture into a high-value, modern business. I want the next generation to see that farming can offer both purpose and economic freedom.”
A United Vision for Davao’s Agricultural Council
Both Antik and Callora demonstrate how targeted representation within the AFC can drive real-world transformation. Whether it is a Bagobo-Tagabawa leader honoring tribal governance to elevate high-altitude coffee, or a young entrepreneur pushing for nationwide chili crop standards, their shared dedication proves that Davao’s agricultural future lies in inclusive policies, sustainable practices, and unwavering community service. | Text by Junry Danila. Photos by Joy Camille Luza and Jezebel Campaniel
