Urban poor families to receive piglets in the Philippines

The piglet dispersal program is an ongoing activity of the city’s agriculture program that allows poor families to care for and breed the hogs.

By Lydia C. Pendon
SunStar
June 15, 2011

ILOILO City Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog will lead Thursday the awarding of 61 piglets to selected beneficiaries in urban poor and farming communities.

He will be joined by Iloilo City Congressman Jerry P. Treñas, City Vice Mayor Jose Espinosa III and Dr. Sylvia S. Bermillo of the City Agriculturist Office (CAO) in awarding the piglets to the recipients.

City Agriculturist Officer (CAO) in-charge Geraldine Hautea said despite Iloilo’s status as a highly urbanized city in the Visayas, there still exist farming communities in 22 barangays in the city with concentration at the Jaro and Mandurriao districts.

The piglet dispersal program is in line with the city’s vision on poverty alleviation and food sufficiency to help poor families cope up with high cost of living.

Bermillio said the piglets cost some P3,500 each purchased from Foodwealth Corp. at Tabuc Suba, Jaro. The piglet dispersal program is an ongoing activity of CAO that allows poor families to care for and breed the hogs.

The hog’s piglets are then divided between the beneficiaries and CAO, which then dispersed the piglets to other poor families for breeding.

Bermillo said the original beneficiary earns substantially from the program with a share of the several piglets and the mother sow.

The beneficiaries are from Barangays Camalig, Lanit, Buntatala, Tagbac, Sambag, Dungon B, Buhang, San Isidro, Tacas, Balantang and Balabago in Jaro district; Hibao-an Norte, Hibao-an Sur and Dungon C in Mandurriao; Baldoza, Hinactacan, Ticud and Ingore in La Paz; South San Jose in Molo; So-oc and Sto Niño Sur in Arevalo; and Concepcion in the city proper.

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