AIA/handout

Rowegie Abanto

ABS-CBN News

<div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1751860381330viber_image_2025-07-04_00-32-38-270.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left"><em>AIA/handout</em></span></span></span></div><p>VIETNAM (<strong>UPDATED</strong>) — A farm school in Baguio City has been recognized at an international competition for its project that included organic farming and nutrition education, which led students to grow their own food and gain skills for employability.</p><p>Happy Hollow National High School received the &quot;Healthy Eating Award&quot; from insurance firm AIA, organizer of the Healthiest Schools Competition that featured 16 primary and secondary schools from the Asia-Pacific region for this year&#x27;s edition.</p><p>The competition is part of the company&#x27;s Healthiest Schools program, which began in 2022 to equip students aged five to 16 with resources to promote healthier lifestyles.</p><p>This is the first time that the Philippines has participated in the program, joined the competition, and won acclaim. </p><p>The award was given at a gala night held in Da Nang, Vietnam, on July 3. </p><p>A primary school in Indonesia that turned waste into a classroom, furniture, literacy boards, and gardens, as well as fertilizers, was hailed as the regional winner.</p><p>A total prize pool of US$100,000 was awarded to support the schools&#x27; ongoing health and wellbeing initiatives, AIA said.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>PROJECT ORGANIC</strong></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1751869732777PROJECT ORGANIC 07072025.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Rowegie Abanto, ABS-CBN News"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Filipino teacher Aries Busacay. <em>Photo by Rowegie Abanto, ABS-CBN News</em></span></span></span></div><p>Happy Hollow National High School, one of the farthest schools within Baguio City and situated in the ancestral land of the Indigenous Peoples there, launched Project ORGANIC (Offering Resources of Growing Agri-product and Nutrition in Community) to promote healthy eating, sustainability, and food security. </p><p>The school, which has 168 students, was recognized as a farm school by the Department of Education in 2024.</p><p>For Filipino teacher Aries Busacay, who led Project ORGANIC, the award is a &quot;big thing&quot; because organic agricultural production is &quot;being forgotten.&quot;</p><p>&quot;It&#x27;s a big thing that, from their research, that problem is addressed,&quot; the 31-year-old Busacay said in an interview after the awards ceremony, noting that after conducting analyses and interviews, her Grade 12 students suggested reintroducing organic farming to their community.</p><p>&quot;You made a legacy,&quot; she told her students. &quot;It is not about you but the project itself.&quot;</p><p>The seven-month-long project saw Busacay&#x27;s students cultivating mustard greens locally known as mustasa using organic methods and recycled materials, leading feeding programs with school-grown crops, and organizing workshops on planting and harvesting.</p><p>They also received training in organic agriculture production and mentored younger students.</p><p>Some students also worked toward getting certifications from the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, which boosted their employability, AIA said.</p><p>While the project led to reduced malnourishment in the school, the &quot;most notable outcomes&quot; were increased student engagement, skill development, and a stronger culture of sustainability, it added.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>&#x27;GOOD CHALLENGE&#x27;</strong></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1751869675457GOOD CHALLENGE 07072025.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Rowegie Abanto, ABS-CBN News"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Filipino teacher Aries Busacay. <em>Photo by Rowegie Abanto, ABS-CBN News</em></span></span></span>It was &quot;not easy to think&quot; of how to develop Project ORGANIC, Busacay said, as the competition required addressing four core areas: healthy eating, active living, mental well-being, and sustainability.</div><div><br/></div><p>&quot;Patience is one of the keys in this kind of project,&quot; she said. &quot;Even in my life, it has an impact.&quot;</p><p>&quot;It&#x27;s hard because, honestly, while coming here, I had to work on my thesis proposal for my master’s. It was the same day I was traveling to Manila to go to Vietnam — and I’m still alive. My proposal is done,&quot; said Busacay, also a graduate student. </p><p>It was a &quot;good challenge,&quot; she said.</p><p>The 2025/26 AIA Healthiest Schools program will include Australia, Cambodia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Mainland China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>OTHER STORIES:</strong></div><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/lifestyle/2025/6/28/migraine-pain-often-misunderstood-must-be-clinically-diagnosed-doctor-1315">Migraine pain often misunderstood, must be clinically diagnosed: doctor</a></div><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/health-science/2025/6/23/philhealth-expands-coverage-for-chronic-kidney-disease-others-2006">PhilHealth expands coverage for chronic kidney disease, others</a></div><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/health-science/2025/6/22/more-microplastics-in-glass-bottles-than-plastic-study-0814">More microplastics in glass bottles than plastic: study</a></div>

<p>A farm school in Baguio City has been recognized at an international competition for its project that included organic farming and nutrition education, which led students to grow their own food and gain skills for employability.</p>

A farm school in Baguio City has been recognized at an international competition for its project that included organic farming and nutrition education, which led students to grow their own food and gain skills for employability.

Baguio farm school gets 'healthy eating award' at international contest

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Baguio farm school gets 'healthy eating award' at international contest

Rowegie Abanto,

ABS-CBN News

Published Jul 07, 2025 02:29 PM PHT

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Updated Jul 08, 2025 10:50 AM PHT

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