THEY are not given much attention by farmers. In fact, some people consider them as wastes and of no value at all.

LOCALLY known as kamoteng kahoy or balinghoy, cassava (scientific name: Manihot esculenta) ranks second only to sweet potato in hectarage among root crops produced in the country.

MALUNGON, Sarangani -- In a village some five kilometers from the highway, the road to Lamlifew wants wear.

THIS small business has time and again proven why it could reap several recognitions in the food processing industry, not only in the local community but also in the national level.

MARINE turtles are one of the longest-lived creatures Earth has ever known. Individual turtles can survive for centuries, bearing silent witness to epic swaths of human swagger.

THE "food fish of the 21st century." That is how Dr. Kevin Fitzsimmons, president of the World Aquaculture Society, called tilapia.

IF THERE is an economically viable plant that can be grown in the backyard or farm, it's the lowly malunggay (scientific name: Moringa oleifera).

SLEEK and silvery, beloved because of its mild, sweet flesh, and its melt-in the-mouth belly fat, bangus or milk fish is a favorite Filipino fish.

MAITUM, Sarangani -- Long after the National Museum excavated a cave in Barangay Pinol, the archaeological discovery was never heard among locals and no media report came out about it.

TUNA is the country's top export commodity, according to the recent report released by the National Statistics Office.

"IN UPCOMING years, increased energy demands will come primarily from the developing world," maintained Dr. Frank Pinto, of the New York-based United Nations Development Program (UNDP).

DESPITE being almost without government subsidy, the swine industry is the second leading contributor to Philippine agriculture -- after rice.

SMOOTH pineapple is one of the country's major food exports, along with fresh banana and luscious mango. In fact, the Philippines is the second largest exporter of pineapple in the world.

IT'S not a quick rich scheme after all. Two years after the hype, farmers are now cautious of planting jatropha as it won't make them instant millionaires as they thought it would be.

"NOTICE that the stiffest tree is most easily cracked, while the bamboo or willow survives by bending with the wind," the legendary martial artist Bruce Lee once said.