The Provincial Government of Negros Occidental headed by Gov. Bong Lacson turned over symbolic checks worth P4,744,400 to the La Castellana 1 – Personnel Multi-Purpose Cooperative (LC I PMPC) represented by its chairperson, Judith Obordo, to fund the Negros Swine Integrated Enterprise under the Department of Agriculture’s Philippine Rural Development (DA-PRDP).

The Enterprise’s lead proponent is the LC I PMPC, and eight other associations complete the cluster. They are the following: La Castellana Hog Raisers Association (La Castellana), Victorias Integrated Livestock Raisers Association (Victorias City), Asosasyon ng Magbababoy sa Salvador Benedicto (Don Salvador Benedicto), Manapla Hog Raisers Association (Manapla), Binalbagan Hog Raisers Association (Binalbagan), Murcia Hog Raisers Association (Murcia), Talisay Backyard Hog Raisers Association (Talisay City), and Himamaylan Paravets and Hog Raisers Association (Himamaylan City). The total membership is at 1,008 farmer-beneficiaries.

The Enterprise has four components: feed manufacturing, production support through breeding and fattening, and marketing. The lead proponent, the LC I PMPC, will handle the breeding, feed production, and consolidation and marketing. The fattening aspect of the Enterprise will be handled by the cluster members, until the hogs reach the ideal weight. The LC I PMPC will then market the fattened hogs to the traders.
LC I PMPC has been in the swine breeding, fattening, and marketing business for many years. Its experience is not only limited to the production and management side, but it has also given the cooperative the opportunity to establish linkages with buyers within La Castellana and the neighboring towns. The cooperative operates its own feed mill.

At P38,892,005.35, the Negros Swine Integrated Enterprise is the largest subproject in the entire Visayas cluster under the Investments for Rural Enterprises and Agricultural and Fisheries Productivity (I-REAP) Component of the DA-PRDP.

In a previous interview, Obordo said that “our experience in (DA)-PRDP was very different in terms of the difficulty and meticulousness of all the requirements. We had a long time complying since we encountered a lot of technical difficulties along the way.”

She noted, however, that due to the thorough process, it takes a while before the DA-PRDP provides its evaluation and responds to the proponent group’s concerns. The compliance of SES also needs a lot of time to comply with, Obordo said.

“But I commend…and would recommend the PRDP’s process because you will be assured that the project directly benefits the proponent group, and the beneficiaries have social awareness to protect the environment. This also encourages the proponent group to grow their business for their sustainability,” she said.

Present during the turn-over ceremony are PSO Visayas Deputy Project Director Engr. Jose Albert A. Barrogo, Provincial Project Management and Implementing Unit Head and Provincial Planning and Development Coordinator, Dr. Ma. Lina Sanogal, and Lorna Dumancas of LC1 – PMPC.