Long before Emmanuel “Nhel” Belviz represented the country’s durian export negotiations, his playground was a cacao patch in Davao, where he strolled alongside his father, Severino, learning how to prune trees while barely tall enough to see past the trunk. 

On the other side of the country in Dolores, Quezon, Mary Grace “Eyeth” Belviz grew up amid the scattered coconut and lanzones groves of Luzon, raised by parents who cautioned her to study hard so she wouldn’t end up “just a farmer”.  

​Destiny, however, had other plans. Bound by a shared collegiate oath at the University of the Philippines (UP) Los Baños, under the UP Horticultural Society’s motto, “Horticulture for the people”, Nhel and Eyeth crossed paths, fell in love, and forged a lifelong partnership rooted in the soil.  

​Today, that partnership has scaled beyond their own land to the highest policy halls of Philippine agriculture. Nhel serves as a representative for the durian industry at the Philippine Council for Agriculture and Fisheries’ (PCAF) National Sectoral Committee (NSC) on Fruits and Vegetables and Regional Agricultural and Fishery Council (RAFC) Sectoral Committee Chairperson on Durian, while Eyeth represents the post-harvest sector as the RAFC Sectoral Chairperson on Food Processing.  

Among the stories featured in Lakbay Panayam, few are as distinctive as that of a husband-and-wife tandem working side by side in policy, business, and volunteer sectoral leadership across interconnected areas of agriculture. Their story highlights the unique balance they have forged between marriage, business, and service to the sector.

​”[Ito] siguro ‘yung strategy namin as a married couple, na-strengthen yung relationship namin kasi lagi kaming magkasama… Pareho kami ng wavelength. Yung mga problema at isyu napag-uusap namin, minsan mula paggising hanggang pagtulog. It’s either durian, kakaw, ‘yung industry ang aming napag-uusapan,” Eyeth reflected.

​Taking on sectoral seats in the PCAF’s consultative bodies is purely voluntary work. It pays no salary, demands endless hours of Committee and Council meetings, and takes them away from managing their 30-hectare farming operations and processing ventures. 

Eyeth candidly recalls organizing a durian harvesting module. “For six months ako nag-asikaso. Ubos [ang] oras talaga. Honestly, 70% on the industry, 30% na lang [ang] nabibigay namin sa aming [farm]”. Nhel jokingly compared their early civic efforts to picking up a boulder only to drop it on their own feet, “Wala man kaming kinita doon, wala man kaming nakukuha”.  

Still, both continue to show up to the table. For Nhel and Eyeth, bridging the gap between smallholder realities and national policy is an urgent calling.  

​As  an agriculturist and advocate for the durian industry, Nhel champions the standardization of Philippine durian to compete globally. Having witnessed the historic bilateral protocol signing for durian exports to China in Beijing, he continues to push the DA and its Bureau of Plant Industry, and standard-setting bodies for strict export quality monitoring and Philippine National Standards on Good Agricultural Practices. 

“Hindi consistent ‘yung quality natin. Wala tayong standard sa pag-produce, so iba’t-iba ang practice ng bawat durian farmer. [Dahil diyan] iba-iba rin ‘yung quality,” Nhel explains, stressing that overseas markets judge the entire nation by a single shipment.  

Through the NSC on Fruits and Vegetables, Nhel is able to raise local challenges directly to other concerned agencies. According to him, this allows them to address not only domestic concerns but also broader market dynamics across Southeast Asian countries, especially now that the Philippines is actively exporting durian. 

He adds that sharing these concerns ensures that everyone is aligned, enabling them to make necessary adjustments and take the right actions.

​Eyeth, meanwhile, brings the perspective of  food processors, who serve as  vital safety nets for growers during peak seasons. “Ang mga processor kasi, siya ‘yung magiging backup ng mga farmer,” she emphasizes. 

When massive oversupply triggers what the couple calls a “durian tsunami,” unpeeled produce rots within days unless the surplus is processed into value-added products. Eyeth uses her platform at the RAFC to lobby for micro-enterprises, demystifying Food and Drug Administration and License to Operate compliance and ensuring government tables prioritize local farm products. 

 

One of their notable council victories was passing a regional resolution replacing commercial sodas at official meetings with locally produced calamansi, roselle, and lemongrass juices made by smallholders.  

​Their dynamic is a study in complementary strengths. The couple’s different skills and personalities balance and complete each other. 

“Siya ‘yung practical. Siya ‘yung ma-kuwento. Siya ‘yung storyteller. Samantalang ako, more on technical,” Nhel admits. 

When farmers are intimidated by strict agrochemical formulations or bureau regulations, Eyeth steps in with social warmth. When deep agronomic and soil science issues need addressing, Nhel leads the charge.  

​Their ultimate vision for the Belviz legacy is not simply maintaining high-grade harvests, but building a sustainable, circular model, integrating nursery propagation, regenerative farm practices, waste-to-fertilizer cycling, food processing, and agri-tourism. 

Above all, they measure success by whether their policy battles help fellow farmers transition from simple survival into genuine prosperity.  

​”Hindi naman lahat alam ng mga farmers. [Minsan] tahimik lang sila,” Eyeth says of their behind-the-scenes advocacy work. “Pero ‘yung makita mo talaga na may nagbabago doon sa senaryo ng farming at ng market, ang sarap ng pakiramdam na nailabas mo ‘yung boses na gusto ng mga farmer. Kahit 20% lang ‘yan, okay lang. At least, alam namin na may nakikinig.”

As volunteers carrying the hopes of small stakeholders to regional council halls to international trade tables, their journey proves that love planted in fertile conviction yields a harvest that feeds not only a family, but an entire nation’s farming future. 

More than just crops, this enduring vision was sown by the late Severino Belviz, a living legacy that continues to shape the country’s agricultural development. | Jezebel Campaniel (Photos by Junry Danila, Joy Camille Luza, and J. Campaniel. Special thanks to RAFC Davao Region Facebook page for the RAFC meetings)