Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU) kicked off this year’s commodity review activities of the Ilocos Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development Consortium (ILAARRDEC), hosting the first leg on August 17–18, 2026, at the MMSU Center for Flexible Learning.
The two-day review covered the commodity clusters on Crops, Other Agri-food Condiments, and Non-Food and Industrial Crops; Forage and Livestock; and Forestry, Environment and Apiculture. It marked the opening of ILAARRDEC’s series of commodity reviews for 2026, which will cover eight commodity clusters scheduled on separate dates and hosted by designated Consortium Member Institutions (CMIs).
During the first commodity review, MMSU researchers presented 20 of the 35 research papers scheduled for presentation across the covered commodity areas. These included two papers on rice, corn, and root crops; six on garlic, onion, and other bulb crops; four on vegetables; three on forage and livestock; and five on forestry, environment, and apiculture.
The commodity reviews provide a venue for ILAARRDEC’s CMIs to present, evaluate, and review the results of their completed research and development initiatives. The activity also provides a platform to identify significant studies to be presented at the Regional Symposium on R&D Highlights (RSRDH) during the 4th Joint Research, Development, and Innovation Symposium.
MMSU experts were likewise tapped as evaluators during the review, including Ms. Noralyn Legaspi, chief of the MMSU Garlic Research Center; Dr. Joselito Rosario; Dr. Arlene Gonzales; Dr. Dionisio Bucao, ILAARRDEC Regional Research and Development Cluster (RRDC) Coordinator; and Dr. Nathaniel Alibuyog, ILAARRDEC Director and MMSU Vice President for Research, Development, and Innovation.
MMSU experts were likewise tapped as evaluators during the review, including Ms. Noralyn Legaspi, chief of the MMSU Garlic Research Center; Dr. Joselito Rosario; Dr. Arlene Gonzales; Dr. Dionisio Bucao, ILAARRDEC Regional Research and Development Cluster (RRDC) Coordinator; and Dr. Nathaniel Alibuyog, ILAARRDEC Director and MMSU Vice President for Research, Development, and Innovation.
The activity was participated in by researchers and experts from MMSU and other ILAARRDEC CMIs, which include the Philippine Rice Research Institute–Batac, the Department of Agriculture Regional Field Office I, the National Tobacco Administration, Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University, and Pangasinan State University.
As the host of the opening leg, MMSU provided the venue for the first of the eight commodity cluster reviews, setting in motion ILAARRDEC’s annual series of research evaluations and selections that will culminate in the identification of studies to be presented at the RSRDH.
