The feat of Inquirer photographer Edgardo Espiritu, winning in the 2010 Bright Leaf Agriculture Journalism Awards, is a welcome news to anyone who wants to develop our countryside.
As a leading newspaper in the Philippines, the Inquirer should do well in publishing more of Espiritu’s photos which feature the country’s naturally rich yet underdeveloped agricultural areas. What many people do not know is that the Philippines has a lot of potential for progress through agriculture. The problem is that our agricultural sector doesn’t have sufficient infrastructure to support itself — basic things like farm-to-market roads, agricultural training centers, and efficient fertilizers and farming machines.
Through Espiritu’s photos (appropriately captioned, of course), the Inquirer will be helping Filipinos learn about the more important and urgent needs of the country — for example, the basic project of agricultural development.