SAN JOSE, Antique – Twenty sugar migrants from the southern part of the province received 40 heads of native piglets to boost their livelihood.
Gov. Rhodora Cadiao led the distribution of the native piglets on Wednesday.
Cadiao told the sugar migrants to be good stewards of the piglets given to them for free.
“We are distributing the native piglets as assistance to the sugar migrants,” she said.
Two native piglets were given to each sugar migrant who will breed it and ultimately become one of the suppliers of native pork in support of Antique’s quest to become the “Native Lechon Capital of the Philippines.”
The 20 sugar migrants came from the towns of San Remigio, Hamtic and Anini-y.
Provincial Veterinarian Dr. Romeo Magdato said the provincial government purchased the native piglets from local hog raisers at P2,500 each.
“The governor wanted to prioritize the sugar migrants in the distribution of the native piglets,” Magdato said.
He added a total of P250,000 from the Quick Response Fund (QRF) of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (PDRRM) was appropriated for the purchase of 100 piglets.
The remaining 60 piglets will be given to other sugar migrants in northern Antique this December.
Antique was declared under the state of calamity by the provincial board last June 13, 2019, due to the El Niño dry spell.
With the declaration, the provincial board approved P10 million from the PDRRM QRF to assist the affected farmers, including the sugar migrants who incurred some P50 million damage in their crops.
Magdato said the purchase of the native piglets for the sugar migrants was delayed because of the reported cases of the African swine fever in Luzon that prompted the province to implement a ban on the entry of pigs from other areas. (With a report from PNA/PN)
