29th Beenet National Meet to take center stage in Cebu this month

Beekeepers across the Philippines are gearing up for the 29th Beenet (Beekeepers Network Philippine Foundation) National Conference, set to converge in Cebu City this month.

According to GMA Regional TV, the event aims to highlight the crucial role of bees not just for honey production but primarily for their indispensable contribution to global food security through crop pollination.

The group of beekeepers has been championing this message through their hobby and advocacy, particularly by nurturing stingless bees locally known as “kiyot.”

Beyond their role in pollination, bees also yield valuable products.

The small stingless kiyot bees, for instance, produce a sour, tangy honey using indigenous materials like bamboo for their hives, which is particularly prized for its natural antibiotic and healing properties.

“Bees are the most fascinating thing, as always I say - no bees, no food - because of pollination to food security, because of their importance to the environment, to biodiversity,” said  Bernice Romualdez Ocampo, who owns a bee farm with over 10 hive boxes in Sitio Latid, Barangay Bato, Toledo City, Cebu.

Bernice Romualdez Ocampo, a beekeeping enthusiast, in an interview with GMA Regional TV News and GMA Regional TV Balitang Bisdak in her farm, Milagros Farm House, in Toledo City, Cebu shares her deep and enduring respect and admiration for bees. Ocampo has made it an advocacy to campaign for the conservation of bees because of their crucial role in pollination. Bernice underscores that bees will forever be relevant in our world because “no bees mean no food.” 

As natural pollinators, bees are crucial for ensuring a bountiful harvest when properly nurtured and propagated.

The upcoming Beenet conference serves as a pivotal platform for sharing knowledge and fostering practices that support these vital insects, reinforcing their indispensable link to food security and ecological balance.

The conference, scheduled from August 21 to 23, will be held at the Cebu Technological University in Cebu City and is expected to attract approximately 200 participants from all over the country, including researchers, academicians, hobbyists, and entrepreneurs.

Officers and members of Beekeepers Network Visayas prep up for the 29th BeeNet Conference and Technofora, and the 30th Founding Anniversary of the organization from August 21-23, 2025 at the Cebu Technological University (CTU) Hotel that will feature speakers from Thailand, Australia, and Malaysia.

— Carby Basina/LA, GMA Integrated News