GUNS AND GRAINS: The Story of Redirection and Success of Patrick Earl D. Prado and Dos Ijas Farm

Dr. Patrick Earl D. Prado is now the Dean of NVC-College of Criminal Justice and the owner of Dos Ijas Farm in Buruanga, Aklan.

Patrick Earl D. Prado, now 32, grew up in the quiet yet rugged countryside of Barangay El Progreso, Buruanga, Aklan. As a boy, he would roam the rice fields and dirt paths with his friends, carving toy guns and bullets out of scrap wood and bamboo, their laughter echoing through the coconut groves during spirited games of baril-barilan.

Even then, Patrick’s dream was clear: to wear the crisp uniform of a policeman, a badge on his chest, and to serve with pride. His family, like most in the village, lived modestly and survived through hard work. This rural life, simple but demanding, taught him perseverance early on. Driven by ambition, he pursued a degree in B.S. Criminology at Northwestern Visayan Colleges. Not long after, he proudly passed the board exam.

His dream was within reach. Or so it seemed...

Because just when Patrick was about to step into the training camp, he was stopped. His medical condition disqualified him from police training.

“Kamalas na buhay! Isang hakbang na lang ako sa pangarap ko, sumablay pa,” he said, recalling the pain of that moment.

Broken and unsure of what to do, Patrick found himself working as a crew member in a popular fast-food chain. He accepted what he thought was his destiny:

Patrick contemplates about his future after having failed to enter the police training due to a medical condition.

“Mainam na ang ganito, kailangan ko mag trabaho para sa pamilya ko,” he told himself.

For a while, he lived day by day, content with what little he had. But life, as always, had other plans.

One day, he received a message from his family asking if he wanted to work at a Learning Site for Agriculture. It wasn’t the career he imagined, but something in him whispered to give it a try.

Patrick didn’t know much about farming, but he knew how to work hard. He immersed himself in training programs like the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF). He completed a Training of Trainers on High-Quality Inbred Rice and Seed Certification and Farm Mechanization. Before long, Patrick was no longer just a student—he became a trainer under RCEF.

Agriculture awakened something in him. He saw the struggles of farmers, how they worked tirelessly but still earned too little due to outdated farming practices. He wanted to do something, to share what he learned.

But just when he was starting to find his footing, life tested him.

Yet again. 

Patrick lost his job at the Learning Site for reasons he could not understand. For a moment, the world seemed to crumble again. Yet the very next day, a call came—Northwestern Visayan Colleges offered him a teaching post in B.S. Criminology.

“Yes! May trabaho ulit ako. Akala ko katapusan ko na, marami akong due date at due na dapat bayaran. Ang saya!” Patrick said, laughing at how fast life can turn around.

Teaching gave Patrick stability. He was able to build a small home and even buy a vehicle. But every time he returned to Buruanga, his hometown, he saw the same struggles among farmers—the lack of modern methods, the low yield, the constant worry about how to make ends meet.

“Paano ko kaya matutulungan ang aking mga kababayan?” he often asked himself.

This question planted the seed for what would become Dos Ijas Farm. With his background in training and his passion for helping, Patrick applied to the Agricultural Training Institute (ATI RTC VI) to create a Learning Site for Agriculture. On March 2, 2021, his dream took root when Dos Ijas Farm was approved.

“Pag nagsimula na ang Learning Site, hindi na mahuhuli ang bayang ito sa mga bagong teknolohiya sa pagsasaka at dadami ang ani, lalaki ang kita,” he said with pride.

Patrick receives a ₱150,000 grant from ATI RTC VI to build the farm’s Function Hall.

Patrick received a ₱150,000 grant from ATI RTC VI, which became the foundation for building the farm’s Function Hall. Slowly, Dos Ijas Farm expanded. Support also came from the Bureau of Soils and Water Management, with grants for a composter and agricultural shredder machine—tools that would help train local farmers in organic and sustainable practices.

Though Dos Ijas Farm is still growing, Patrick dreams of adding rice fields, vegetable patches, and fruit orchards that will serve as models for modern, high-yield farming. More than income, the farm is his way of helping farmers realize that there is money, dignity, and hope in agriculture.

Patrick believes that there is money, dignity, and hope in farming so he teaches farmers how to grow their crops better.

Patrick continues to teach criminology, shaping future police officers. As a matter of fact, he earned his doctorate in Criminology very recently, and was appointed as the new Dean of the College of Criminal Justice at NVC. This he does, while also teaching farmers how to grow their crops better. It’s not easy balancing both worlds, but for Patrick, both roles are tied together by a single purpose—to serve people.

Through the farm, he wants to show his community in Buruanga that farming can fill their tables with fresh produce and their pockets with enough to dream bigger.

Dos Ijas Farm in Buruanga, Aklan is a Learning Site for Agriculture for organic and sustainable farming.

His life verse, Isaiah 55:8, always reminds him:“My thoughts are not your thoughts, and your ways are not my ways. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

We may have dreams that don’t come true, but life redirects us to something even better.

Patrick now sows seeds—both in the soil of his farm and in the minds of farmers and students.

Through guns and grains, he teaches, helps, and serves.

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