pcc newsletter, vol. 11 no. 2
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PCC Newsletter PCC NewsletterTRANSCRIPT
Official Publication of the Philippine Carabao Center of the Department of AgricultureISSN 1655-2496 • VOL. 11 NO. 2 • April-June 2012
Appreciatingthe services that pay
Single mom of sevenfinds glory in milk trading
Couples keep milk flowingfrom the villages to processors
A trade to last as demand goes full blast
They seek, they find, and blurt out: 'Listahe!'
PCC Newsletter • April-June 20122 3
Appreciating the roles of other major actors in the carabao industry supply and value chains
DVF’s corporate social responsibility, Opening windows for services that pay
Couples keep milk flowing from the villages to processors
Sweetening the sweets business in Pampanga
Quick cash for a brisk task
They seek, they find, and blurt out: ‘Listahe!’
Single mom of seven finds glory in milk trading
Driver wheels in fortune in carabao’s milk
A trade to last as demand goes full blast
Needs for supply boom as carabao-based industry blooms
She revs up the carabeef & hide supply chain
A family that prides in hides
They move horns & hooves for the craftsmen
NewsletterPCC
Rowena Galang-Bumanlag
Joahna G. Goyagoy
Carla F. PadillaKhrizie Evert Marcelo-Padre
Rowena G. BumanlagJoahna G. Goyagoy
Carla F. PadillaKhrizie Evert M. Padre
Anselmo S. RoqueEric P. Palacpac
Kimberly B. Turaja
Daniel L. Aquino Romel John B.Carag
Anselmo S. Roque
Eric P. Palacpac
Editor-in-Chief/Layout Artist
Managing Editor
Editorial Assistants/Circulation Managers
Writers
Contributing Writer
Subject Matter Specialists
Editorial Consultant
Chief, Knowledge Resource Management Division
Editorial Staff
Contributors are welcome!The PCC Newsletter welcomes industry-related articles not exceeding 800 words, with photos, and corresponding caption.
Success stories of farmers, cooperatives, and other beneficiaries and stakeholders of the Carabao Development Program are preferred.
PCC encourages reproduction of articles from this publication with proper acknowledgment.
Topic suggestions and comments are also welcome.
Please send your articles or comments to [email protected] or mail them to:
ThE EDiToR-iN-ChiEFPCC Newsletter
Applied Communication SectionKnowledge Resource Management Division
Philippine Carabao CenterNational headquarters and Gene PoolCLSU Cmpd., Science City of Muñoz
3120 Nueva Ecijaor call Tel. No.: 044-456-0731 (loc) 479
official Publication of the Philippine Carabao Center of the Department of Agriculture • Vol. 11 No. 2 • April-June 2012
Libertado C. CruzExecutive Director/Editorial Adviser
indust
ry new
s
feature
s
7
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
22
24
26
28
30
www.pcc.gov.ph
FLORENCIO JACINTO, one of the major milk suppliers of the DVF Dairy Farm in Talavera, Nueva Ecija, delivers 200 to 300 liters of milk which he collects from dairy farmers in nearby towns every day. This translates to a weekly income of Php5,000 for his family. [Photo by RGBumanlag]
VP Binay pays tribute to PCC, dairy farmers
Sustainable, strong policies urged to boost Philippine dairy industry
‘Culture of scientific inquiry’ asserted in R&D in-house review
Cong. JV Ejercito pledges support to local dairy industry
3456
about t
he cov
er industry news
By ROWENA G. BUMANLAG
The Philippine Carabao Center (PCC), headed by its executive director Dr. Libertado Cruz, got a boost from Vice President Jejomar Binay as he recognized the agency as the leading R&D institution for livestock in the country.
Vice President Binay lauded the carabao as truly the ally of farmers.
He underscored the significant role of the carabao as an important
commodity in ushering in additional income for thousands of smallhold
farming families in the countryside and in ensuring the eventual food security in the
country. “Hinog na ang panahong kailangang
palakasin ang kabuhayang salig sa kalabaw sa mga kanayunan at bilang
instrumentong
tutulong sa pagsugpo
ng kahirapan (The time has come
to strengthen the dairy industry in the countryside
and the carabao as an instrument to alleviate poverty),” VP Binay said.
The vice president was guest in a short “Ugnayan at Talakayan” program
at the PCC headquarters in the Science City of Muñoz last April 12. Some 700 farmer-members of dairy cooperatives in Nueva Ecija attended the program.
He emphasized the importance of close cooperation and linkage between the farmers and the government agencies such as PCC to sustain development programs that can surely usher in progress in the lives of smallhold farmers.
If this can be done, he said, dairy farmers can rise from subsistence to becoming progressive carabao raisers and, eventually, big income-earners in carabao-based entrepreneurship.
“Sa pamamagitan ng tamang programa ng gobyerno at pakikilahok ng ating mga magsasaka rito, magkakaroon ng magandang bunga ang ating lokal na industriya ng gatas (Through the right government programs and our farmers’ cooperation, we can expect a progressive state of our local dairy industry),” VP Binay said.
He stressed his stand, and the government’s, on protecting the welfare of dairy farmers, among other frontline workers in the country’s economic backbone.
“Ang tingin ko sa kalabaw ay kaagapay ng ating mga magsasaka, katulad doon sa aking kinalakihan (I see the carabao as the ally of our farmers, just like where I grew up),” VP Binay said.
He hails from Isabela, which is one of the major agricultural producers in the country.
During the short program, VP Binay, together with Dr. Cruz, awarded certificates of entrustment of the 25-dairy buffalo module to selected dairy cooperatives in the National Impact Zone (NIZ), which is Nueva Ecija.
He further emphasized the many benefits that the carabao raisers can obtain from the venture. He even enumerated the salient features of major products from the carabao such as milk and meat.
VP Binay’s visit was also in time with a series of lectures organized by the PCC’s NIZ coordinating unit such as “ensuring quality in the milk supply chain” and “animal reproduction”. The farmer-participants were also given a briefing on the massive deworming against liverfluke and Hemosep vaccination.
VP Binay visited PCC with a small group that included Rep. Mitos Magsaysay of Zambales, Joey de Venecia of the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) political party, and Atty. JV Bautista.
He later motored to Cabanatuan City where he was guest speaker at the graduation program of the Wesleyan University-Philippines.
“The time has come to strengthen the dairy industry in the countryside and the carabao as an instrument to alleviate poverty.”
VP Binay pays tribute to PCC, dairy farmers
Phot
o by
JGG
oyag
oy
PCC Newsletter • April-June 20122 3
Appreciating the roles of other major actors in the carabao industry supply and value chains
DVF’s corporate social responsibility, Opening windows for services that pay
Couples keep milk flowing from the villages to processors
Sweetening the sweets business in Pampanga
Quick cash for a brisk task
They seek, they find, and blurt out: ‘Listahe!’
Single mom of seven finds glory in milk trading
Driver wheels in fortune in carabao’s milk
A trade to last as demand goes full blast
Needs for supply boom as carabao-based industry blooms
She revs up the carabeef & hide supply chain
A family that prides in hides
They move horns & hooves for the craftsmen
NewsletterPCC
Rowena Galang-Bumanlag
Joahna G. Goyagoy
Carla F. PadillaKhrizie Evert Marcelo-Padre
Rowena G. BumanlagJoahna G. Goyagoy
Carla F. PadillaKhrizie Evert M. Padre
Anselmo S. RoqueEric P. Palacpac
Kimberly B. Turaja
Daniel L. Aquino Romel John B.Carag
Anselmo S. Roque
Eric P. Palacpac
Editor-in-Chief/Layout Artist
Managing Editor
Editorial Assistants/Circulation Managers
Writers
Contributing Writer
Subject Matter Specialists
Editorial Consultant
Chief, Knowledge Resource Management Division
Editorial Staff
Contributors are welcome!The PCC Newsletter welcomes industry-related articles not exceeding 800 words, with photos, and corresponding caption.
Success stories of farmers, cooperatives, and other beneficiaries and stakeholders of the Carabao Development Program are preferred.
PCC encourages reproduction of articles from this publication with proper acknowledgment.
Topic suggestions and comments are also welcome.
Please send your articles or comments to [email protected] or mail them to:
ThE EDiToR-iN-ChiEFPCC Newsletter
Applied Communication SectionKnowledge Resource Management Division
Philippine Carabao CenterNational headquarters and Gene PoolCLSU Cmpd., Science City of Muñoz
3120 Nueva Ecijaor call Tel. No.: 044-456-0731 (loc) 479
official Publication of the Philippine Carabao Center of the Department of Agriculture • Vol. 11 No. 2 • April-June 2012
Libertado C. CruzExecutive Director/Editorial Adviser
indust
ry new
s
feature
s
7
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
22
24
26
28
30
www.pcc.gov.ph
FLORENCIO JACINTO, one of the major milk suppliers of the DVF Dairy Farm in Talavera, Nueva Ecija, delivers 200 to 300 liters of milk which he collects from dairy farmers in nearby towns every day. This translates to a weekly income of Php5,000 for his family. [Photo by RGBumanlag]
VP Binay pays tribute to PCC, dairy farmers
Sustainable, strong policies urged to boost Philippine dairy industry
‘Culture of scientific inquiry’ asserted in R&D in-house review
Cong. JV Ejercito pledges support to local dairy industry
3456
about t
he cov
er industry news
By ROWENA G. BUMANLAG
The Philippine Carabao Center (PCC), headed by its executive director Dr. Libertado Cruz, got a boost from Vice President Jejomar Binay as he recognized the agency as the leading R&D institution for livestock in the country.
Vice President Binay lauded the carabao as truly the ally of farmers.
He underscored the significant role of the carabao as an important
commodity in ushering in additional income for thousands of smallhold
farming families in the countryside and in ensuring the eventual food security in the
country. “Hinog na ang panahong kailangang
palakasin ang kabuhayang salig sa kalabaw sa mga kanayunan at bilang
instrumentong
tutulong sa pagsugpo
ng kahirapan (The time has come
to strengthen the dairy industry in the countryside
and the carabao as an instrument to alleviate poverty),” VP Binay said.
The vice president was guest in a short “Ugnayan at Talakayan” program
at the PCC headquarters in the Science City of Muñoz last April 12. Some 700 farmer-members of dairy cooperatives in Nueva Ecija attended the program.
He emphasized the importance of close cooperation and linkage between the farmers and the government agencies such as PCC to sustain development programs that can surely usher in progress in the lives of smallhold farmers.
If this can be done, he said, dairy farmers can rise from subsistence to becoming progressive carabao raisers and, eventually, big income-earners in carabao-based entrepreneurship.
“Sa pamamagitan ng tamang programa ng gobyerno at pakikilahok ng ating mga magsasaka rito, magkakaroon ng magandang bunga ang ating lokal na industriya ng gatas (Through the right government programs and our farmers’ cooperation, we can expect a progressive state of our local dairy industry),” VP Binay said.
He stressed his stand, and the government’s, on protecting the welfare of dairy farmers, among other frontline workers in the country’s economic backbone.
“Ang tingin ko sa kalabaw ay kaagapay ng ating mga magsasaka, katulad doon sa aking kinalakihan (I see the carabao as the ally of our farmers, just like where I grew up),” VP Binay said.
He hails from Isabela, which is one of the major agricultural producers in the country.
During the short program, VP Binay, together with Dr. Cruz, awarded certificates of entrustment of the 25-dairy buffalo module to selected dairy cooperatives in the National Impact Zone (NIZ), which is Nueva Ecija.
He further emphasized the many benefits that the carabao raisers can obtain from the venture. He even enumerated the salient features of major products from the carabao such as milk and meat.
VP Binay’s visit was also in time with a series of lectures organized by the PCC’s NIZ coordinating unit such as “ensuring quality in the milk supply chain” and “animal reproduction”. The farmer-participants were also given a briefing on the massive deworming against liverfluke and Hemosep vaccination.
VP Binay visited PCC with a small group that included Rep. Mitos Magsaysay of Zambales, Joey de Venecia of the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) political party, and Atty. JV Bautista.
He later motored to Cabanatuan City where he was guest speaker at the graduation program of the Wesleyan University-Philippines.
“The time has come to strengthen the dairy industry in the countryside and the carabao as an instrument to alleviate poverty.”
VP Binay pays tribute to PCC, dairy farmers
Phot
o by
JGG
oyag
oy
PCC Newsletter • April-June 20124 5
industry news
By JOAHNA G. GOYAGOY
Sustainable, strong policies urged to boost Philippine dairy industryThe dairy industries in the country are continuously gaining momentum among Filipinos who are appreciating the value of locally-produced milk.
Boosting the industry is the increasing number of farmers who see dairying as a profitable business enterprise.
These pronouncements were made during the 15th Dairy Congress and Expo held in Baguio City from May 15–18.
The dairy sector, it was pointed out, is faced with the challenge of sustaining its role in the economic development of the country considering that the importation rate of milk remains steady at 99%.
Also weighing down on smallholder milk producers, according to Danilo Fausto, chair of the Dairy Confederation of the Philippines, are big problems that include poor access to support services, low capital reserves and limited access to credit, low productivity, and poor milk quality.
Because of these, Fausto said, they limit the ability of the dairy farmers to cash in on the market opportunities.
Fausto emphasized in his talk the enormous role of each key player in the industry which includes the farmers, entrepreneurs, and policy-makers.
Interventions from among the policy-makers, the government, and the universities, he said, are urgently needed to create favorable actions for sustainable local dairy enterprise in the country.
Strong policies, he added, are needed to improve the market penetration of the dairy business thru focused and relevant programs toward the development of the dairy industry
in particular, and the agricultural sector in general.
To make this more possible, Fausto said, the concerned agencies, specifically the National Dairy Authority (NDA), Philippine Carabao Center (PCC), various local government units (LGUs), and cooperatives, should take every opportunity to train and educate the dairy farmers on new methods and technologies and make them understand the technicalities of dairy farming in the areas of forage and pasture production, proper milk collection, and breeding, among others.
He also urged his co-dairymen to focus on shifting the interest of the youth toward dairy farming as a viable opportunity in achieving economic development in the country.
Fausto emphasized, nevertheless, a ray of hope for the industry.
“The big boys are coming. They are our partners who will help us keep abreast of the latest technologies and solutions in facing these challenges. We have the strong support of the NDA, PCC, LGUs, and the Department of Agriculture,” he said.
He added, “We have international networks from New Zealand that are more than willing to help us stand up
to the challenges faced by our dairy industry nowadays.”
Fausto said in exchange for this, continuous innovation and improvement on the quality of the products, proper branding, processing, packaging, promotion, and practice of efficient distribution must be done.
The Dairy Confederation of the Philippines, with its annual activity of holding the dairy congress and expo, traces its inception in 1997. It was organized for dairy farmers all over the country to discuss the trends and issues affecting the local dairy industry as well as to showcase the newest technologies in improving this industry.
This year, the congress carried the theme, “Gatas Pinoy: Paunlarin, Tangkilikin, Palaganapin!”
The invited guest speakers during the event were Ambassador Reuben Levermore of New Zealand, Agricultural Counselor Philip Shull of USAD’s Foreign Agricultural Service in Manila, Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala, who was represented by Assistant Secretary Davinio Catbagan, and Vice President Jejomar Binay, who was represented by Dr. Ernesto Santos, consultant of the Vice President on health concerns.
Practicing the culture of scientific inquiry in producing researches that directly impacts on the institution’s mandate as a whole is indispensable.
This was reiterated by Dr. Libertado Cruz, Philippine Carabao Center (PCC) executive director, during the agency’s annual R&D In-house Review held last May 29–30.
PCC, one of the government institutions that grew from a mere research project, continually focuses its attention on strengthening its research capabilities to meet its mandate.
“This activity is just a reiteration of the value of the scientific method of inquiry. Hopefully, it will sustain the efforts toward addressing the identified issues in a scientific way,” Dr. Cruz said.
Dr. Cruz also highlighted the importance of human capacitation.
He succinctly pointed out this way: “The most important thing is not the laboratory or the building or the equipment. Instead it is the human resource, thus, we want to put emphasis on capacitating our people.”
The annual review serves as a monitoring and evaluation
tool to ensure alignment of R&D efforts to the R&D agenda of the
agency. It is also aimed at recognizing the
research activities done by the pool of researchers and scientists of PCC in its continuous quest to understand
the dynamics of and polish solutions for genetic improvement, improve animal health and nutrition, develop buffalo-based enterprises, and address socio-economic issues that are related to program implementation.
In the last review, 27 papers were presented of which 15 were completed studies. This number includes the student thesis of veterinary students of Central Luzon State University (CLSU) whose studies are related to buffalo’s animal health and reproduction.
The review also aimed to evaluate the completed and on-going research activities as to their merits, problems, limitations, and opportunities for improvement; to serve as a venue for sharing research results with the R&D community; to function as a motivating tool for researchers to strengthen their interest in conducting pertinent researches in line with the agency’s mandate; and to give due recognition to those individuals who excelled in their research endeavors.
Three types of awards were given during the in-house review.
‘Culture of scientific inquiry’ asserted in R&D in-house review
The study titled, “Detection of Caprine Arthritis-Encephalitis Virus from Goats Using Competitive ELISA and Nested Polymerase Chain Reaction” by Justin Christian V. Gonzales of the College of Veterinary Science and Medicine in CLSU garnered the “Best Paper for Completed Research (undergraduate thesis category)” award.
On the other hand, the studies “Development of a Sustainable Village-Based Artificial Insemination System: The VBAIT Approach” of PCC at Mariano Marcos State University and the “Development of Animal Health and Management Protocol for Grazing Buffaloes: Improving Reproductive Performance in Dairy Buffaloes Through Uterine Betadine Flushing and Use of Teaser Bull” of PCC at Ubay Stock Farm both garnered the “Best Papers for Completed Research (PCC researches)” award.
Prof. Metilde Melicent Santos-Recto of CLSU was awarded the “Best Presenter” on the basis of demonstrating comprehensive knowledge on her research study coupled with clear and relevant visual aids.
Dr. Eric P. Palacpac, R&D National Coordinator, underscored the importance of being critical in the technical aspects of writing a research paper.
Specifically, he emphasized the proper composition of the literature review saying “it is very important in every research as a basis of any new intervention and/or research objectives.”
Dr. Palacpac also appealed to the researchers to come up with relevant studies that will be of practical use to the farmers and to the livestock industry.
By JOAHNA G. GOYAGOY
National R&D coordinator Dr. Eric P. Palacpac shows to the participants of the R&D in-house review the “R&D Highlights”, one of the medium of information harnessed by PCC to let its public know of the results of its research efforts.
The PCC mascot, “CB”, greets visitors to the DairyCon Exhibit led by its chair Danilo V. Fausto. Right behind (left) him is former Pangasinan 2nd district Cong. Mark Cojuangco and (right) USDA agricultural counselor Philip Shull.
Phot
o by
JGG
oyag
oy
Phot
o by
JGG
oyag
oy
PCC Newsletter • April-June 20124 5
industry news
By JOAHNA G. GOYAGOY
Sustainable, strong policies urged to boost Philippine dairy industryThe dairy industries in the country are continuously gaining momentum among Filipinos who are appreciating the value of locally-produced milk.
Boosting the industry is the increasing number of farmers who see dairying as a profitable business enterprise.
These pronouncements were made during the 15th Dairy Congress and Expo held in Baguio City from May 15–18.
The dairy sector, it was pointed out, is faced with the challenge of sustaining its role in the economic development of the country considering that the importation rate of milk remains steady at 99%.
Also weighing down on smallholder milk producers, according to Danilo Fausto, chair of the Dairy Confederation of the Philippines, are big problems that include poor access to support services, low capital reserves and limited access to credit, low productivity, and poor milk quality.
Because of these, Fausto said, they limit the ability of the dairy farmers to cash in on the market opportunities.
Fausto emphasized in his talk the enormous role of each key player in the industry which includes the farmers, entrepreneurs, and policy-makers.
Interventions from among the policy-makers, the government, and the universities, he said, are urgently needed to create favorable actions for sustainable local dairy enterprise in the country.
Strong policies, he added, are needed to improve the market penetration of the dairy business thru focused and relevant programs toward the development of the dairy industry
in particular, and the agricultural sector in general.
To make this more possible, Fausto said, the concerned agencies, specifically the National Dairy Authority (NDA), Philippine Carabao Center (PCC), various local government units (LGUs), and cooperatives, should take every opportunity to train and educate the dairy farmers on new methods and technologies and make them understand the technicalities of dairy farming in the areas of forage and pasture production, proper milk collection, and breeding, among others.
He also urged his co-dairymen to focus on shifting the interest of the youth toward dairy farming as a viable opportunity in achieving economic development in the country.
Fausto emphasized, nevertheless, a ray of hope for the industry.
“The big boys are coming. They are our partners who will help us keep abreast of the latest technologies and solutions in facing these challenges. We have the strong support of the NDA, PCC, LGUs, and the Department of Agriculture,” he said.
He added, “We have international networks from New Zealand that are more than willing to help us stand up
to the challenges faced by our dairy industry nowadays.”
Fausto said in exchange for this, continuous innovation and improvement on the quality of the products, proper branding, processing, packaging, promotion, and practice of efficient distribution must be done.
The Dairy Confederation of the Philippines, with its annual activity of holding the dairy congress and expo, traces its inception in 1997. It was organized for dairy farmers all over the country to discuss the trends and issues affecting the local dairy industry as well as to showcase the newest technologies in improving this industry.
This year, the congress carried the theme, “Gatas Pinoy: Paunlarin, Tangkilikin, Palaganapin!”
The invited guest speakers during the event were Ambassador Reuben Levermore of New Zealand, Agricultural Counselor Philip Shull of USAD’s Foreign Agricultural Service in Manila, Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala, who was represented by Assistant Secretary Davinio Catbagan, and Vice President Jejomar Binay, who was represented by Dr. Ernesto Santos, consultant of the Vice President on health concerns.
Practicing the culture of scientific inquiry in producing researches that directly impacts on the institution’s mandate as a whole is indispensable.
This was reiterated by Dr. Libertado Cruz, Philippine Carabao Center (PCC) executive director, during the agency’s annual R&D In-house Review held last May 29–30.
PCC, one of the government institutions that grew from a mere research project, continually focuses its attention on strengthening its research capabilities to meet its mandate.
“This activity is just a reiteration of the value of the scientific method of inquiry. Hopefully, it will sustain the efforts toward addressing the identified issues in a scientific way,” Dr. Cruz said.
Dr. Cruz also highlighted the importance of human capacitation.
He succinctly pointed out this way: “The most important thing is not the laboratory or the building or the equipment. Instead it is the human resource, thus, we want to put emphasis on capacitating our people.”
The annual review serves as a monitoring and evaluation
tool to ensure alignment of R&D efforts to the R&D agenda of the
agency. It is also aimed at recognizing the
research activities done by the pool of researchers and scientists of PCC in its continuous quest to understand
the dynamics of and polish solutions for genetic improvement, improve animal health and nutrition, develop buffalo-based enterprises, and address socio-economic issues that are related to program implementation.
In the last review, 27 papers were presented of which 15 were completed studies. This number includes the student thesis of veterinary students of Central Luzon State University (CLSU) whose studies are related to buffalo’s animal health and reproduction.
The review also aimed to evaluate the completed and on-going research activities as to their merits, problems, limitations, and opportunities for improvement; to serve as a venue for sharing research results with the R&D community; to function as a motivating tool for researchers to strengthen their interest in conducting pertinent researches in line with the agency’s mandate; and to give due recognition to those individuals who excelled in their research endeavors.
Three types of awards were given during the in-house review.
‘Culture of scientific inquiry’ asserted in R&D in-house review
The study titled, “Detection of Caprine Arthritis-Encephalitis Virus from Goats Using Competitive ELISA and Nested Polymerase Chain Reaction” by Justin Christian V. Gonzales of the College of Veterinary Science and Medicine in CLSU garnered the “Best Paper for Completed Research (undergraduate thesis category)” award.
On the other hand, the studies “Development of a Sustainable Village-Based Artificial Insemination System: The VBAIT Approach” of PCC at Mariano Marcos State University and the “Development of Animal Health and Management Protocol for Grazing Buffaloes: Improving Reproductive Performance in Dairy Buffaloes Through Uterine Betadine Flushing and Use of Teaser Bull” of PCC at Ubay Stock Farm both garnered the “Best Papers for Completed Research (PCC researches)” award.
Prof. Metilde Melicent Santos-Recto of CLSU was awarded the “Best Presenter” on the basis of demonstrating comprehensive knowledge on her research study coupled with clear and relevant visual aids.
Dr. Eric P. Palacpac, R&D National Coordinator, underscored the importance of being critical in the technical aspects of writing a research paper.
Specifically, he emphasized the proper composition of the literature review saying “it is very important in every research as a basis of any new intervention and/or research objectives.”
Dr. Palacpac also appealed to the researchers to come up with relevant studies that will be of practical use to the farmers and to the livestock industry.
By JOAHNA G. GOYAGOY
National R&D coordinator Dr. Eric P. Palacpac shows to the participants of the R&D in-house review the “R&D Highlights”, one of the medium of information harnessed by PCC to let its public know of the results of its research efforts.
The PCC mascot, “CB”, greets visitors to the DairyCon Exhibit led by its chair Danilo V. Fausto. Right behind (left) him is former Pangasinan 2nd district Cong. Mark Cojuangco and (right) USDA agricultural counselor Philip Shull.
Phot
o by
JGG
oyag
oy
Phot
o by
JGG
oyag
oy
PCC Newsletter • April-June 20126 7
Congressman Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito made a commitment to support the local dairy industry in whatever way he can if ever he gets a seat in the Senate come May 2013 national elections.
He made this promise in front of dairy buffalo farmers and cooperatives in Nueva Ecija which is the National Impact Zone of dairy carabao-based enterprise development in the PCC network.
The forum-dialogue with farmers was held last June 13 at the PCC training hall with some 200 dairy farmers and village-based artificial insemination technicians in the province in attendance.
The PCC organized the forum-dialogue in time for Cong. Ejercito’s visit to the facilities of the PCC national headquarters which included the National Gene Pool for superior dairy buffaloes and the R&D laboratories.
In his message, Cong. Ejercito expressed his gratitude to the Novo Ecijanos for their staunch support to his family, particularly to his father Joseph Ejercito Estrada’s political career.
He said if he will be given the chance to take a seat in the upper legislative house, he will pursue what his father advocated for agriculture during his term.
The former President was the 13th President of the Republic and the man behind the creation of the Philippine Carabao Act of 1992.
Cong. Ejercito further underscored in his message the importance of tourism and agriculture as major boosters of Philippine economy. These two areas, he said, needed more focus from the national government.
In terms of expanding the niche market for carabaos’ milk, Cong. Ejercito promised that he will look into the matter once he gets back to his office.
Dr. Libertado Cruz, PCC’s executive director, responded to this issue raised by a dairy cooperative’s chairperson saying that value-adding in the milk can make it a competitive commodity in the market.
This problem among dairy farmers has been partially addressed by the PCC through the establishment of a central milk processing plant carrying the brand “Milka Krem” where all the milk produce of primary dairy cooperatives,
initially in Nueva Ecija, will be collected and processed based on set quality standards.
The other concerns of dairy farmers that were brought up to the knowledge of the congressman were generally on the kinds of support that he is willing to commit once he gets elected as Senator next year.
One of his commitments for now, he said, is to champion milk feeding. He intends to start this in San Juan city where his mother, former socialite-actress Guia Gomez is the mayor, he said.
He gave the audience an assurance that their concerns will be of primal importance in the list of things that he will attend to once he gets to the upper chamber.
Cong. Ejercito’s first leg of visit to Nueva Ecija was in Cabanatuan City where he had a dialogue with the academic community on fund allocation for education.
The congressman is known for his strong advocacy for education.
He and his contingent flew back to Manila in a private chopper shortly after a conference with local mediamen.
By ROWENA G. BUMANLAG
Cong. JV Ejercito pledges support to local dairy industry
PCC executive director Dr. Libertado Cruz (left) and Cong. JV Ejercito (right) pose for a milk toast to show their partnership in promoting the local dairy industry during the latter’s visit at the PCC headquarters last June 13.
In the past issues of the PCC Newsletter, we featured many articles depicting the stories of farmer-cooperators who are taking care of buffaloes for milk production, of service providers like the artificial insemination (AI) technicians, of technologies being communicated by the PCC scientists and field personnel, and of milk, meat, and by-products processors.
They are integral components of what we call carabao industry “supply chain” which traces the flow of goods, services, and other resources from the suppliers to the ultimate customers. From the perspective of the customers,
they are also important players in what we call “value chain”, which traces all activities undertaken in order to create or add value to a particular product or service.
In either way, the industry players, while may be working individually, are naturally interconnected in a grand chain of actors akin to network. Their unifying element or common denominator is the carabao, once tagged as a beast of burden but has since evolved into a multipurpose commodity.
In our desire to have a more inclusive account of the supply or value chains, we interviewed those industry players who provide materials like concentrate feeds, mineral licks, milk replacer, and equipment like milking machine, for use
in the carabao industry supply and value chains
by the buffalo raisers. We also interviewed those who market, trade, or distribute products and by-products derived from carabao production such as liquid milk, live animals, meat, horns, and hoof for use by processors and other manufacturers.
In presenting their stories, we hope we can imbue the readers with a new sense of awareness and appreciation of the important and critical roles that these actors play for the development of the carabao industry.
Similarly, we also hope that appropriate financial, technical, or policy support for these industry players would be accorded further by both the government and private entities.
Appreciating the roles of other major actors By Eric P. Palacpac
Phot
o by
JGG
oyag
oy
PCC Newsletter • April-June 20126 7
Congressman Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito made a commitment to support the local dairy industry in whatever way he can if ever he gets a seat in the Senate come May 2013 national elections.
He made this promise in front of dairy buffalo farmers and cooperatives in Nueva Ecija which is the National Impact Zone of dairy carabao-based enterprise development in the PCC network.
The forum-dialogue with farmers was held last June 13 at the PCC training hall with some 200 dairy farmers and village-based artificial insemination technicians in the province in attendance.
The PCC organized the forum-dialogue in time for Cong. Ejercito’s visit to the facilities of the PCC national headquarters which included the National Gene Pool for superior dairy buffaloes and the R&D laboratories.
In his message, Cong. Ejercito expressed his gratitude to the Novo Ecijanos for their staunch support to his family, particularly to his father Joseph Ejercito Estrada’s political career.
He said if he will be given the chance to take a seat in the upper legislative house, he will pursue what his father advocated for agriculture during his term.
The former President was the 13th President of the Republic and the man behind the creation of the Philippine Carabao Act of 1992.
Cong. Ejercito further underscored in his message the importance of tourism and agriculture as major boosters of Philippine economy. These two areas, he said, needed more focus from the national government.
In terms of expanding the niche market for carabaos’ milk, Cong. Ejercito promised that he will look into the matter once he gets back to his office.
Dr. Libertado Cruz, PCC’s executive director, responded to this issue raised by a dairy cooperative’s chairperson saying that value-adding in the milk can make it a competitive commodity in the market.
This problem among dairy farmers has been partially addressed by the PCC through the establishment of a central milk processing plant carrying the brand “Milka Krem” where all the milk produce of primary dairy cooperatives,
initially in Nueva Ecija, will be collected and processed based on set quality standards.
The other concerns of dairy farmers that were brought up to the knowledge of the congressman were generally on the kinds of support that he is willing to commit once he gets elected as Senator next year.
One of his commitments for now, he said, is to champion milk feeding. He intends to start this in San Juan city where his mother, former socialite-actress Guia Gomez is the mayor, he said.
He gave the audience an assurance that their concerns will be of primal importance in the list of things that he will attend to once he gets to the upper chamber.
Cong. Ejercito’s first leg of visit to Nueva Ecija was in Cabanatuan City where he had a dialogue with the academic community on fund allocation for education.
The congressman is known for his strong advocacy for education.
He and his contingent flew back to Manila in a private chopper shortly after a conference with local mediamen.
By ROWENA G. BUMANLAG
Cong. JV Ejercito pledges support to local dairy industry
PCC executive director Dr. Libertado Cruz (left) and Cong. JV Ejercito (right) pose for a milk toast to show their partnership in promoting the local dairy industry during the latter’s visit at the PCC headquarters last June 13.
In the past issues of the PCC Newsletter, we featured many articles depicting the stories of farmer-cooperators who are taking care of buffaloes for milk production, of service providers like the artificial insemination (AI) technicians, of technologies being communicated by the PCC scientists and field personnel, and of milk, meat, and by-products processors.
They are integral components of what we call carabao industry “supply chain” which traces the flow of goods, services, and other resources from the suppliers to the ultimate customers. From the perspective of the customers,
they are also important players in what we call “value chain”, which traces all activities undertaken in order to create or add value to a particular product or service.
In either way, the industry players, while may be working individually, are naturally interconnected in a grand chain of actors akin to network. Their unifying element or common denominator is the carabao, once tagged as a beast of burden but has since evolved into a multipurpose commodity.
In our desire to have a more inclusive account of the supply or value chains, we interviewed those industry players who provide materials like concentrate feeds, mineral licks, milk replacer, and equipment like milking machine, for use
in the carabao industry supply and value chains
by the buffalo raisers. We also interviewed those who market, trade, or distribute products and by-products derived from carabao production such as liquid milk, live animals, meat, horns, and hoof for use by processors and other manufacturers.
In presenting their stories, we hope we can imbue the readers with a new sense of awareness and appreciation of the important and critical roles that these actors play for the development of the carabao industry.
Similarly, we also hope that appropriate financial, technical, or policy support for these industry players would be accorded further by both the government and private entities.
Appreciating the roles of other major actors By Eric P. Palacpac
Phot
o by
JGG
oyag
oy
PCC Newsletter • April-June 20128 9
About 4:30 that morning, lights were on in the house of husband and wife Florencio and Hilda Jacinto. In front of their house in Mamandil, Talavera, Nueva Ecija, their kolong-kolong (a tricycle used for transporting goods), is ready with the five stainless steel and plastic canisters used for milk collections.
PCC Newsletter • April-June 20128
That morning, it was the turn of Hilda to make the rounds of collecting milk from about 60 farmers in eight villages in Talavera and nearby town of Aliaga.
Florencio and Hilda alternate in collecting the milk harvest of individual dairy farmers.
At about the same time, Rogelio and Juanita Ortomio, also a husband and wife team, were also ready with their daily grind of collecting milk from 40 to 50 farmers in the different villages in Quezon. They also use a kolong-kolong and stainless steel and plastic milk canisters for their milk collection.
The Jacintos and Ortomios met at 9:00 a. m. in the compound of the DVF Dairy Farm in Poblacion Sur, Talavera. One at a time, they submitted their milk collection for the day and waited as their commodities were being examined, classified, weighed, and
recorded. When the procedure was finished, and feeling satisfied, they proceeded home in their respective villages.
The two couples are major regular milk collectors of the DVF Dairy Farm. Other than them, there are many others who provide milk supply to the farm.
On Saturdays, they collect payment from the DVF Dairy Farm for the milk submitted. They in turn go back to the individual farmers to pay for the milk collected from them during the week.
“Kumikita naman po ng Php5,000 sa isang linggo (We earn about Php5,000 a week),” Florencio said.
“Malaking karagdagan po sa kita namin sa gatas na nakukuha sa sarili naming dalawang kalabaw na ginagatasan (It’s a big addition to what we are earning from our two dairy carabaos),” Rogelio, referring to their
income from milk collection to supply the needs of the DVF Farm, said.
They were among the people who were given opportunities by the DVF Dairy Farm to provide services that can give them a good source of livelihood.
Of course, the individual dairy farmers, who are also rice farmers, gain from their business of providing the milk being collected by the two couples. They regularly get the pay for their commodity which color of the money they usually see only at the end of the cropping season, which is for three to four months.
“It’s the advocacy of the president of our company to provide opportunities for the farmers to have good sources of their livelihood,” Miracle Sibayan, plant manager of the DVF Farm, Inc., said.
She was referring to Danilo V. Fausto whose official position in the company is chairman and president.
Opening windowsfor services that pay
DVF's corporate social responsibility
The beginningFausto, a native of Talavera town,
is an economics graduate from the University of the Philippines and a holder of a master’s degree in business administration at the De La Salle University. He was used to bigger investment and finance concerns before he involved himself in the cumbersome world of raising carabaos and dairying.
Before putting up the DVF Dairy Farm, he established himself in the business of originating, designing, and implementing government and private securities in the financial market. From 1982 to 1985, he was executive vice president and general manager of the Preferred Securities Corporation.
He also syndicated and acted as the lead underwriter of the successful floatation of the Php350-million National Housing Authority bonds to fund its housing projects and in the floatation of “Bahayan Certificates”, “Bahayan Mortgage Participation Certificates”, “ASSET Certification Certificates”, and “Land Bank of the Philippines Investors Series Bonds”. He executed one of the first and biggest debt issues of the National Mortgage Finance Corp worth Php100 million which signaled the birth of the secondary mortgage money market in the country.
When Fausto learned in 1992 about the programs on carabao improvement and carabao-based enterprises, he did not hesitate to get involved in both programs. He formed a 15-member dairy cooperative in his hometown and became its chair.
The formation of the dairy cooperative was promoted by the Philippine Carabao Center (PCC). Fausto took advantage in learning the correct way of raising quality breed dairy animals which the PCC was then distributing based on agreed upon terms and conditions.
Fausto underwent training for milk processing and then instituted strict procedures in the testing, pasteurization, and homogenization of the milk delivered by the farmers to the milk processing plant that he put up.
The facility was put in his property. He procured from Thailand a batch
of pasteurizer and homogenizer to ensure thorough mixing of the milk’s fat and the liquid. He also trained several people to produce top quality milk products in his plant.
In his company’s mission, Fausto’s desire to provide opportunities for various services for the farmers to earn dividends, is ensconced in the company’s mission he crafted and upheld.
The mission reads: “A pioneering company in the local dairy industry, providing livelihood opportunities in the countryside, making the farmers’ dairy produce available, in the highest standard of quality and excellence acceptable to the discriminating market.”
Milk and products “We use from 800 to 1,200 liters of
milk a day,” Sibayan said.The milk supply is turned into liquid
products (pasteurized milk), flavored milk (choco, buko-pandan extract, and melon flavored), cheese line (kesong puti, queso blanco, and mozzarella cheese), yogurt line (creamy, crunchy yogurt with nata de coco, non-fat yogurt, and mango-flavored yogurt), and dry products (pastillas, espasol, and milk candies).
They are produced by 12 production people with administrative and supervisory assistance from seven office people. About 10 percent of the products are retained for in-house business and the rest to the company’s Manila office for distribution to different malls and other outlets in Metro Manila, Pampanga, and Cebu.
The company is set to export its products to Hong Kong soon, Sibayan said.
“We are the only company engaged in carabao’s milk processing with a complete array of products,” Sibayan said.
Helping others earn“Our company has already organized
four dairy cooperatives,” Sibayan said. “Their members are now earning income from their activities,” she added.
The company also runs a dairy carabao farm wherein about a hundred animals are raised.
Many of these carabaos are from individual investors, many of whom are overseas Filipino workers (OFW) who agreed to buy carabaos and give them as “paiwi” to interested farmers.
“Of course, we hired workers to attend to them and they are paid well,” Sibayan said. “We also contract people to supply forage at Php1 per kilogram,” she added.
She said residents in the area plant Napier grass to be sold to the company as forage. High-grade organic fertilizer, turned out by night crawlers from the animal wastes, is also produced by the company.
“We conduct seminars for dairy farmers to strengthen their skills in raising dairy animals. We also conduct training as regards maintenance of good hygiene in milk collection, ensuring high quality of the milk, milk testing, and others,” Sibayan said.
She said that from among the many business concerns of Fausto, the DVF Dairy Farm in Talavera and its concern of helping the farmers maintain a steady source for livelihood, are his pet-project. He always comes home to see what is obtaining in the company’s affairs.
For Fausto, he must be in “cloud nine” for the dream he dared to dream, as regards carabao dairying and carabao-based enterprise with ultimate aim of helping farmers have a reliable source of livelihood, has attained satisfactory realization.
He detailed his experiences in his book, about a Filipino’s tale of success in dairy farming, titled “Dare to Dream”.
features
By Anselmo S. Roque Photos by Joahna G. Goyagoy
Miracle Sibayan, plant manager of the DVF Farm, Inc., shows some of the dairy products processed out of carabao’s milk.
A book authored by DVF
PCC Newsletter • April-June 20128 9
About 4:30 that morning, lights were on in the house of husband and wife Florencio and Hilda Jacinto. In front of their house in Mamandil, Talavera, Nueva Ecija, their kolong-kolong (a tricycle used for transporting goods), is ready with the five stainless steel and plastic canisters used for milk collections.
PCC Newsletter • April-June 20128
That morning, it was the turn of Hilda to make the rounds of collecting milk from about 60 farmers in eight villages in Talavera and nearby town of Aliaga.
Florencio and Hilda alternate in collecting the milk harvest of individual dairy farmers.
At about the same time, Rogelio and Juanita Ortomio, also a husband and wife team, were also ready with their daily grind of collecting milk from 40 to 50 farmers in the different villages in Quezon. They also use a kolong-kolong and stainless steel and plastic milk canisters for their milk collection.
The Jacintos and Ortomios met at 9:00 a. m. in the compound of the DVF Dairy Farm in Poblacion Sur, Talavera. One at a time, they submitted their milk collection for the day and waited as their commodities were being examined, classified, weighed, and
recorded. When the procedure was finished, and feeling satisfied, they proceeded home in their respective villages.
The two couples are major regular milk collectors of the DVF Dairy Farm. Other than them, there are many others who provide milk supply to the farm.
On Saturdays, they collect payment from the DVF Dairy Farm for the milk submitted. They in turn go back to the individual farmers to pay for the milk collected from them during the week.
“Kumikita naman po ng Php5,000 sa isang linggo (We earn about Php5,000 a week),” Florencio said.
“Malaking karagdagan po sa kita namin sa gatas na nakukuha sa sarili naming dalawang kalabaw na ginagatasan (It’s a big addition to what we are earning from our two dairy carabaos),” Rogelio, referring to their
income from milk collection to supply the needs of the DVF Farm, said.
They were among the people who were given opportunities by the DVF Dairy Farm to provide services that can give them a good source of livelihood.
Of course, the individual dairy farmers, who are also rice farmers, gain from their business of providing the milk being collected by the two couples. They regularly get the pay for their commodity which color of the money they usually see only at the end of the cropping season, which is for three to four months.
“It’s the advocacy of the president of our company to provide opportunities for the farmers to have good sources of their livelihood,” Miracle Sibayan, plant manager of the DVF Farm, Inc., said.
She was referring to Danilo V. Fausto whose official position in the company is chairman and president.
Opening windowsfor services that pay
DVF's corporate social responsibility
The beginningFausto, a native of Talavera town,
is an economics graduate from the University of the Philippines and a holder of a master’s degree in business administration at the De La Salle University. He was used to bigger investment and finance concerns before he involved himself in the cumbersome world of raising carabaos and dairying.
Before putting up the DVF Dairy Farm, he established himself in the business of originating, designing, and implementing government and private securities in the financial market. From 1982 to 1985, he was executive vice president and general manager of the Preferred Securities Corporation.
He also syndicated and acted as the lead underwriter of the successful floatation of the Php350-million National Housing Authority bonds to fund its housing projects and in the floatation of “Bahayan Certificates”, “Bahayan Mortgage Participation Certificates”, “ASSET Certification Certificates”, and “Land Bank of the Philippines Investors Series Bonds”. He executed one of the first and biggest debt issues of the National Mortgage Finance Corp worth Php100 million which signaled the birth of the secondary mortgage money market in the country.
When Fausto learned in 1992 about the programs on carabao improvement and carabao-based enterprises, he did not hesitate to get involved in both programs. He formed a 15-member dairy cooperative in his hometown and became its chair.
The formation of the dairy cooperative was promoted by the Philippine Carabao Center (PCC). Fausto took advantage in learning the correct way of raising quality breed dairy animals which the PCC was then distributing based on agreed upon terms and conditions.
Fausto underwent training for milk processing and then instituted strict procedures in the testing, pasteurization, and homogenization of the milk delivered by the farmers to the milk processing plant that he put up.
The facility was put in his property. He procured from Thailand a batch
of pasteurizer and homogenizer to ensure thorough mixing of the milk’s fat and the liquid. He also trained several people to produce top quality milk products in his plant.
In his company’s mission, Fausto’s desire to provide opportunities for various services for the farmers to earn dividends, is ensconced in the company’s mission he crafted and upheld.
The mission reads: “A pioneering company in the local dairy industry, providing livelihood opportunities in the countryside, making the farmers’ dairy produce available, in the highest standard of quality and excellence acceptable to the discriminating market.”
Milk and products “We use from 800 to 1,200 liters of
milk a day,” Sibayan said.The milk supply is turned into liquid
products (pasteurized milk), flavored milk (choco, buko-pandan extract, and melon flavored), cheese line (kesong puti, queso blanco, and mozzarella cheese), yogurt line (creamy, crunchy yogurt with nata de coco, non-fat yogurt, and mango-flavored yogurt), and dry products (pastillas, espasol, and milk candies).
They are produced by 12 production people with administrative and supervisory assistance from seven office people. About 10 percent of the products are retained for in-house business and the rest to the company’s Manila office for distribution to different malls and other outlets in Metro Manila, Pampanga, and Cebu.
The company is set to export its products to Hong Kong soon, Sibayan said.
“We are the only company engaged in carabao’s milk processing with a complete array of products,” Sibayan said.
Helping others earn“Our company has already organized
four dairy cooperatives,” Sibayan said. “Their members are now earning income from their activities,” she added.
The company also runs a dairy carabao farm wherein about a hundred animals are raised.
Many of these carabaos are from individual investors, many of whom are overseas Filipino workers (OFW) who agreed to buy carabaos and give them as “paiwi” to interested farmers.
“Of course, we hired workers to attend to them and they are paid well,” Sibayan said. “We also contract people to supply forage at Php1 per kilogram,” she added.
She said residents in the area plant Napier grass to be sold to the company as forage. High-grade organic fertilizer, turned out by night crawlers from the animal wastes, is also produced by the company.
“We conduct seminars for dairy farmers to strengthen their skills in raising dairy animals. We also conduct training as regards maintenance of good hygiene in milk collection, ensuring high quality of the milk, milk testing, and others,” Sibayan said.
She said that from among the many business concerns of Fausto, the DVF Dairy Farm in Talavera and its concern of helping the farmers maintain a steady source for livelihood, are his pet-project. He always comes home to see what is obtaining in the company’s affairs.
For Fausto, he must be in “cloud nine” for the dream he dared to dream, as regards carabao dairying and carabao-based enterprise with ultimate aim of helping farmers have a reliable source of livelihood, has attained satisfactory realization.
He detailed his experiences in his book, about a Filipino’s tale of success in dairy farming, titled “Dare to Dream”.
features
By Anselmo S. Roque Photos by Joahna G. Goyagoy
Miracle Sibayan, plant manager of the DVF Farm, Inc., shows some of the dairy products processed out of carabao’s milk.
A book authored by DVF
PCC Newsletter • April-June 201210 11
Couples keepmilk flowingfrom the villages to processors
Pail in hand, they come out of their house between 5 a.m. and 7 a.m.
Aggregately, they number about a hundred. They are scattered in 12
barangays in three towns in Nueva Ecija.
Soon, the white liquid content of their pail will be turned into “gold”. It
is fresh carabao’s milk that’s in their pail.
This is a common daily scenario among farmers in barangays Bantug and Mamandil in
Talavera town; Betes, San Carlos, Bibiclat, Pantoc, Sto. Rosario, and Magsaysay in
Aliaga; and San Andres Uno, San Andres Dos, Pulong-bahay, and San Alejandro in Quezon.
Earlier, before showing up with pail in hand, they finished their daily routine of milking their respective carabaos.
Most of these farmers own at least two to four milking carabaos, mostly crossbreds and purebreds. On the average, they get five to six liters of milk every day from each of their animal.
Some of them acquired their carabaos thru the dairy module project
of the Philippine Carabao Center. Others traded a huge piece of their rice farms in exchange for a milking carabao. Some others are only caretakers of the carabaos like Minerva Mateo, 35, of Brgy. Bibiclat in the town of Aliaga.
The carabaos from which she collects milk, are owned by a relative of her husband who asked her to take care of the animals. In return, the milk she collects from the two animals goes to her weekly income.
She is paid Php36 per liter giving her a weekly income of Php800 to Php1,000.
The money she gets from it, she said, is used to sustain her children’s daily allowance in school. A fraction of it also goes to their daily expenses, she said.
Arline Sembrana of the same barangay, on the other hand, owns four milking carabaos. And she, too, gains weekly income from it.
Arline said the money she earns from milking her animals greatly helps in mitigating difficulties brought about by her family’s meager income. In fact, she said, since the animals started to produce milk in June last year, they
barely had problems about meeting expenditures for their daily basic needs. Both Arline and Minerva wish to have more milking animals as these can help them
obtain extra income.
Milk tradersTwo couples in two separate barangays from Nueva Ecija
towns have been helping hundreds of farming families simply by collecting their animals’ milk and paying them [farmers] later
with a favorable price for their commodity.In Brgy. Mamandil in Talavera, husband and wife Florencio
and Hilda Jacinto’s house is already lit up before the clock strikes at four in the morning.
At this unholy hour, the couple braves the biting morning cool breeze as they start to heat up their kolong-
kolong (tricycle used as delivery vehicle) and prepare
the empty canisters for their milk collection.
Florencio, fondly called “Manong Leng” was not feeling well that morning, thus, Hilda took over and maneuvered the kolong-kolong herself.
After a couple of hours, Hilda completed collecting 300 liters of milk from more or less 60 farmers in the barangays she visited.
As it was Wednesday, she brought her milk collection to the DVF Farm in Talavera. She delivers milk to this firm every day except on Tuesdays and Thursdays which are days for supplying milk to their Bulacan clients.
At DVF, she supplies 200 to 300 liters every day. From this, she is paid a weekly sum of Php43,000 to Php64,000 from which amount she pays correspondingly the farmers at Php39 per liter.
She nets at least Php5,000 a week from this milk collection.
This has been the day-to-day activity of the couple for 15 years now.
For some, this may seem a tedious work routine, but for Manong Leng and Hilda, it has become a rewarding way of life.
In fact, their relatively handsome income from their work has enabled them to acquire their own motorcycle for the kolong-kolong, a second-hand jeepney which they use for the delivery of the commodity in Bulacan, a sari-sari store, and insurance coverage for their family.
“We barely had enough income before. When we started life as a family, we had to work double time just to bring enough food on our table. It became even harder when we already started sending our children to school. There were times they had to go to school with money just enough for their fare,” Hilda said.
Because of this, they resorted to getting loans which mounted over the years.
“But now, we no longer have debts. We don’t even have to stay longer in the rice fields. A very heavy load was finally lifted from our shoulders,” Hilda said in delight with her eyes sparkling.
In Brgy. San Andres Uno in Quezon,
another couple, Rogelio and Juanita Ortomio, is in the same track of morning activity as that of the Jacintos.
Riding in their kolong-kolong, the couple went around certain barangays in Quezon that included San Andres Uno, San Andres Dos, Pulong-bahay, and San Alejandro carrying with them three empty milk canisters.
While the husband does the driving and filling up of the canisters, the wife does the logistics side of their work. She lists the names of farmers, the number of liters of milk collected from them, the amount to be paid later, and gives advance payment (bale-bale) to some farmers asking for it.
In this bale-bale system, the couple allows the farmers to take advance payment which they pay back once their animals start milking again. In some urgent cases, the farmers also ask to advance their weekly sweldo (payment) instead of getting it during the regular pay day on Saturdays.
For 13 years in milk trading, the Ortomios were able to acquire properties such as a house, a rice farm, and two motorcycles. They also afforded to send their children to school without having to worry about their daily allowance.
Currently, they own four Bulgarian Murrah buffaloes, of which, two are currently lactating. The 7 to 8 liters milk yield per animal give them additional income of Php3,000 a week.
Like the Jacintos, they also deliver their collected milk to the DVF Farm. Their milk collection peaks at 150 liters and dips to 90 liters during the dry period.
The couple takes home a weekly payment of Php19,000 to Php33,000.
At 9 o’clock in the morning, the Ortomios and the Jacintos met at the DVF farm.
Upon seeing each other, they both waved their usual hello by smiling at each other as if saying: “Another milky day for us”.
After unloading their milk collection, they went on their own separate ways to savor the rest of the day by simply relaxing in their respective homes.
Milk processorSince DVF is a highly-commercialized
dairy establishment, the price of the milk is based on its quality. The buying prices are Php43 per liter for class A and Php38 for class B milk.
Josephine Sibayan, DVF Farm general manager, said the couples rarely bring in class B milk.
This is very possible because the couples make sure that their farmer-clients practice hygienic milk collection, thorough cleaning of milk pails, properly preparing the animals for milking, and proper milking.
To measure the quality of milk submitted by the farmers, the couples use certain milk testers. The Ortomios use a centrifuge while the Jacintos use a lactometer.
Both are efficient devices for quality milk testing, said Josephine.
Josephine said these couples are both very enthusiastic in what they do. She, thus, regarded them as their “valuable partners” in the business considering that 75% of the total milk they process every day is supplied by the couples.
They are just but some of the classic examples of the hundreds of people who struck a fortune in milk trading.
Overall, the supply chain of milk—from the dairy farmers to the suppliers up to the milk processors—provided them an excellent source of income.
PCC Newsletter • April-June 201210 11
By Joahna G. GoyagoyPhoto by Rowena G. Bumanlag
Husband and wife Florencio (left) and Hilda (right) Jacinto make their regular rounds in Talavera and Aliaga, Nueva Ecija every morning to collect the milk produce of dairy farmers. They said milk trading had been their only resort to rise above their mounting debts.
Photo
by JG
Goya
goy
PCC Newsletter • April-June 201210 11
Couples keepmilk flowingfrom the villages to processors
Pail in hand, they come out of their house between 5 a.m. and 7 a.m.
Aggregately, they number about a hundred. They are scattered in 12
barangays in three towns in Nueva Ecija.
Soon, the white liquid content of their pail will be turned into “gold”. It
is fresh carabao’s milk that’s in their pail.
This is a common daily scenario among farmers in barangays Bantug and Mamandil in
Talavera town; Betes, San Carlos, Bibiclat, Pantoc, Sto. Rosario, and Magsaysay in
Aliaga; and San Andres Uno, San Andres Dos, Pulong-bahay, and San Alejandro in Quezon.
Earlier, before showing up with pail in hand, they finished their daily routine of milking their respective carabaos.
Most of these farmers own at least two to four milking carabaos, mostly crossbreds and purebreds. On the average, they get five to six liters of milk every day from each of their animal.
Some of them acquired their carabaos thru the dairy module project
of the Philippine Carabao Center. Others traded a huge piece of their rice farms in exchange for a milking carabao. Some others are only caretakers of the carabaos like Minerva Mateo, 35, of Brgy. Bibiclat in the town of Aliaga.
The carabaos from which she collects milk, are owned by a relative of her husband who asked her to take care of the animals. In return, the milk she collects from the two animals goes to her weekly income.
She is paid Php36 per liter giving her a weekly income of Php800 to Php1,000.
The money she gets from it, she said, is used to sustain her children’s daily allowance in school. A fraction of it also goes to their daily expenses, she said.
Arline Sembrana of the same barangay, on the other hand, owns four milking carabaos. And she, too, gains weekly income from it.
Arline said the money she earns from milking her animals greatly helps in mitigating difficulties brought about by her family’s meager income. In fact, she said, since the animals started to produce milk in June last year, they
barely had problems about meeting expenditures for their daily basic needs. Both Arline and Minerva wish to have more milking animals as these can help them
obtain extra income.
Milk tradersTwo couples in two separate barangays from Nueva Ecija
towns have been helping hundreds of farming families simply by collecting their animals’ milk and paying them [farmers] later
with a favorable price for their commodity.In Brgy. Mamandil in Talavera, husband and wife Florencio
and Hilda Jacinto’s house is already lit up before the clock strikes at four in the morning.
At this unholy hour, the couple braves the biting morning cool breeze as they start to heat up their kolong-
kolong (tricycle used as delivery vehicle) and prepare
the empty canisters for their milk collection.
Florencio, fondly called “Manong Leng” was not feeling well that morning, thus, Hilda took over and maneuvered the kolong-kolong herself.
After a couple of hours, Hilda completed collecting 300 liters of milk from more or less 60 farmers in the barangays she visited.
As it was Wednesday, she brought her milk collection to the DVF Farm in Talavera. She delivers milk to this firm every day except on Tuesdays and Thursdays which are days for supplying milk to their Bulacan clients.
At DVF, she supplies 200 to 300 liters every day. From this, she is paid a weekly sum of Php43,000 to Php64,000 from which amount she pays correspondingly the farmers at Php39 per liter.
She nets at least Php5,000 a week from this milk collection.
This has been the day-to-day activity of the couple for 15 years now.
For some, this may seem a tedious work routine, but for Manong Leng and Hilda, it has become a rewarding way of life.
In fact, their relatively handsome income from their work has enabled them to acquire their own motorcycle for the kolong-kolong, a second-hand jeepney which they use for the delivery of the commodity in Bulacan, a sari-sari store, and insurance coverage for their family.
“We barely had enough income before. When we started life as a family, we had to work double time just to bring enough food on our table. It became even harder when we already started sending our children to school. There were times they had to go to school with money just enough for their fare,” Hilda said.
Because of this, they resorted to getting loans which mounted over the years.
“But now, we no longer have debts. We don’t even have to stay longer in the rice fields. A very heavy load was finally lifted from our shoulders,” Hilda said in delight with her eyes sparkling.
In Brgy. San Andres Uno in Quezon,
another couple, Rogelio and Juanita Ortomio, is in the same track of morning activity as that of the Jacintos.
Riding in their kolong-kolong, the couple went around certain barangays in Quezon that included San Andres Uno, San Andres Dos, Pulong-bahay, and San Alejandro carrying with them three empty milk canisters.
While the husband does the driving and filling up of the canisters, the wife does the logistics side of their work. She lists the names of farmers, the number of liters of milk collected from them, the amount to be paid later, and gives advance payment (bale-bale) to some farmers asking for it.
In this bale-bale system, the couple allows the farmers to take advance payment which they pay back once their animals start milking again. In some urgent cases, the farmers also ask to advance their weekly sweldo (payment) instead of getting it during the regular pay day on Saturdays.
For 13 years in milk trading, the Ortomios were able to acquire properties such as a house, a rice farm, and two motorcycles. They also afforded to send their children to school without having to worry about their daily allowance.
Currently, they own four Bulgarian Murrah buffaloes, of which, two are currently lactating. The 7 to 8 liters milk yield per animal give them additional income of Php3,000 a week.
Like the Jacintos, they also deliver their collected milk to the DVF Farm. Their milk collection peaks at 150 liters and dips to 90 liters during the dry period.
The couple takes home a weekly payment of Php19,000 to Php33,000.
At 9 o’clock in the morning, the Ortomios and the Jacintos met at the DVF farm.
Upon seeing each other, they both waved their usual hello by smiling at each other as if saying: “Another milky day for us”.
After unloading their milk collection, they went on their own separate ways to savor the rest of the day by simply relaxing in their respective homes.
Milk processorSince DVF is a highly-commercialized
dairy establishment, the price of the milk is based on its quality. The buying prices are Php43 per liter for class A and Php38 for class B milk.
Josephine Sibayan, DVF Farm general manager, said the couples rarely bring in class B milk.
This is very possible because the couples make sure that their farmer-clients practice hygienic milk collection, thorough cleaning of milk pails, properly preparing the animals for milking, and proper milking.
To measure the quality of milk submitted by the farmers, the couples use certain milk testers. The Ortomios use a centrifuge while the Jacintos use a lactometer.
Both are efficient devices for quality milk testing, said Josephine.
Josephine said these couples are both very enthusiastic in what they do. She, thus, regarded them as their “valuable partners” in the business considering that 75% of the total milk they process every day is supplied by the couples.
They are just but some of the classic examples of the hundreds of people who struck a fortune in milk trading.
Overall, the supply chain of milk—from the dairy farmers to the suppliers up to the milk processors—provided them an excellent source of income.
PCC Newsletter • April-June 201210 11
By Joahna G. GoyagoyPhoto by Rowena G. Bumanlag
Husband and wife Florencio (left) and Hilda (right) Jacinto make their regular rounds in Talavera and Aliaga, Nueva Ecija every morning to collect the milk produce of dairy farmers. They said milk trading had been their only resort to rise above their mounting debts.
Photo
by JG
Goya
goy
PCC Newsletter • April-June 201212 13
More women now are rising before the sun rises. Not to make breakfast, mind you, or to send their kids off to school. Neither do they prime up to do household chores.
They execute a job very crucial in the dairy industry. Without them, the success of the dairy industry, particularly in the rural area, will be at doubt.
Take the case of Rosalina Cunan of Sto. Domingo, Angeles City, Pampanga. She carries out an undertaking that to a large extent makes dairying more rewarding.
She is fondly called “Apong Sexy”, a name she has earned both for her good womanly appearance and her inspiring presence as a milk trader. She provides the milk supply to one of the more famous makers and sellers of Pampanga’s native delicacies—Susie’s Cuisine located at Nepo Mart in Angeles City.
Established in 1972, Susie’s Cuisine is known for its tibok-tibok–a sweet carabao’s milk-based pudding topped with latik (coconut cream curds). This product made this business establishment as the pioneer maker of tibok-tibok, a favorite sweet delicacy of many people.
An average of 300 long-necked bottles of carabao’s milk are usually delivered at 6:00 a.m. to Susie’s. It is
used as the main ingredient in most of its home-made food offerings including tibok-tibok.
Being one of its milk suppliers, Apong Sexy delivers 175 long-necked bottles of fresh milk to Susie’s for its daily operation.
She has been the main supplier of milk at Susie’s for 12 years now.
Humble beginningsRosalina began her calling as a milk
vendor in 1980. She learned doing this endeavor after marrying his husband who is a dairy farmer.
“He was still a young boy when he started tending his father’s native carabaos. Up until now, he carries that same passion, only that he now concentrates on raising dairy carabaos,” shared Apong Sexy.
When they married, the couple used to collect 30 “catsup” bottles (approximately 320 ml) of milk from their three carabaos, two of which are crossbreds. Apong Sexy’s husband had to get up at three in the morning to milk the animals. By six in the morning, she is ready to sell their fresh milk to a nearby local market.
“I was selling it for only Php1.50 per catsup bottle then. Now, I am selling it at more or less Php15 per bottle,” she said.
Like any newlyweds would do, the couple also tried other kinds of livelihood endeavors. Aside from dairying, they also ventured in vegetable farming to augment their daily income. Apong Sexy sold the vegetable harvest along with the bottled fresh milk.
“It was a hard time for me then as I was pregnant with our only child. I had to get up early in the morning just
to market the milk and the vegetable so that I can earn money for our needs,” she said.
“If I didn’t get to sell them before 8 a.m., I do the selling from house to house and even allowed the customers to have them on credit to prevent them from getting spoiled,” she added.
It was in 2000 when she met the owner-operator of Susie’s cuisine, Jesusa Yabut. She is the daughter of Anicia Ayson, the founder of the establishment.
The owner convinced her to become one of her milk suppliers instead of selling the commodity in the open market.
Since then, Apong Sexy, with the support of her husband, went on with her milk collection and supplied Susie’s with its requirements.
Sweet returnsApong Sexy and her husband
labored to increase the number of their crossbred buffaloes. They now have 10 head that yield an average of 80 long-necked bottles.
Because the daily work involved in operating a dairy farm is generally long and taxing, they hired two workers to provide them with much needed assistance. The workers are tasked to keep the herd healthy by providing appropriate forage, feed supplement, vitamins, and health care. They also help in milking the animals.
Apong Sexy collects milk from their herd, from the dairy carabaos owned by her relatives, and from other dairy carabao owners in the neighborhood. They agreed on a common meeting place where all the milk produce can be
submitted and the collection must be finished by 6 a.m. She pays Php45 for every long-necked bottle delivered to her.
By 6:30 a.m., she delivers the collected milk to Susie’s kitchen which serves as the processing area for the production of tibok-tibok and other products.
That done, Apong Sexy collects an average of Php7,000 to Php8,000 for the bottles of milk delivered. One bottle is priced at Php50. She gets Php5 for every bottle of milk collected from her own milk collectors.
According to her, in her business, money passes thru her palms like water. Nevertheless, she relishes the fact that it has helped her a lot.
With money pouring in from her trade, Apong Sexy was able to purchase a tricycle for transport, build a small house, and support her child’s education. Her daughter finished a degree in education.
She is now also able, unlike before, to lend money to relatives and some neighbors who are in need of financial assistance.
“Ako lang ang takbuhan palagi ng mga kapatid ko, lalo na pag may nagkakasakit sa sinuman sa kanila. Hindi ako nagdadalawang-isip na tumulong sa pangangailangan nila (My siblings always ask help from me especially
when there is a sick member of their family. I am always willing to lend help without hesitation),” Apong Sexy shared.
Maintaining good qualityFor Apong Sexy, Susie’s Cuisine
is looked up to as a very steady and reliable purchaser of the milk that she collects and sells.
Looking into its operation, this business firm operates from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. It currently has 12 branches strategically situated in different parts of Pampanga. Its main office is the one located at the Nepo Mart.
The products of Susie’s are all produced in the main office. They are delivered to the different branches twice to thrice a day depending on the bulk of orders from their customers.
The success of Susie’s for the past 40 years is a result of maintained good quality of its homemade delicacies which are cooked the old-fashioned way. It has been using Ayson’s concocted recipes since it started doing business.
It certainly recognizes the importance of the milk suppliers in its business. The owners are profuse in attributing their success to them.
They said they keep an open line of communication with them to maintain good business relationship.
“We see to it that we get along very well. Whenever we have comment or suggestion regarding their milk deliveries, they accept and comply with it gladly,” said Maricel Harnecillo, Susie’s operations manager.
As for Apong Sexy, she always sees to it that the milk she delivers is pure carabao’s milk and of best quality.
She and her husband enjoy a fairly good life now. Her family is her driving force to go the extra mile.
In all these, Apong Sexy is proud and happy that she was able to endure the difficulties along the way.
Now, she proudly says, while she helps sweeten the sweets business of Susie’s Cuisine, it sweetens her and her family’s life in return.
Sweetening the sweets business in Pampanga
PCC Newsletter • April-June 201212 13
By Khrizie Evert Marcelo-Padre Photo by Joahna G. Goyagoy
‘Apong Sexy’ has become a common and happy sight at Susie’s Cuisine in Angeles, Pampanga every day. Her inspiring character has made her a mainstay supplier in this popular corner of one of the country’s home of culinary delights.
PCC Newsletter • April-June 201212 13
More women now are rising before the sun rises. Not to make breakfast, mind you, or to send their kids off to school. Neither do they prime up to do household chores.
They execute a job very crucial in the dairy industry. Without them, the success of the dairy industry, particularly in the rural area, will be at doubt.
Take the case of Rosalina Cunan of Sto. Domingo, Angeles City, Pampanga. She carries out an undertaking that to a large extent makes dairying more rewarding.
She is fondly called “Apong Sexy”, a name she has earned both for her good womanly appearance and her inspiring presence as a milk trader. She provides the milk supply to one of the more famous makers and sellers of Pampanga’s native delicacies—Susie’s Cuisine located at Nepo Mart in Angeles City.
Established in 1972, Susie’s Cuisine is known for its tibok-tibok–a sweet carabao’s milk-based pudding topped with latik (coconut cream curds). This product made this business establishment as the pioneer maker of tibok-tibok, a favorite sweet delicacy of many people.
An average of 300 long-necked bottles of carabao’s milk are usually delivered at 6:00 a.m. to Susie’s. It is
used as the main ingredient in most of its home-made food offerings including tibok-tibok.
Being one of its milk suppliers, Apong Sexy delivers 175 long-necked bottles of fresh milk to Susie’s for its daily operation.
She has been the main supplier of milk at Susie’s for 12 years now.
Humble beginningsRosalina began her calling as a milk
vendor in 1980. She learned doing this endeavor after marrying his husband who is a dairy farmer.
“He was still a young boy when he started tending his father’s native carabaos. Up until now, he carries that same passion, only that he now concentrates on raising dairy carabaos,” shared Apong Sexy.
When they married, the couple used to collect 30 “catsup” bottles (approximately 320 ml) of milk from their three carabaos, two of which are crossbreds. Apong Sexy’s husband had to get up at three in the morning to milk the animals. By six in the morning, she is ready to sell their fresh milk to a nearby local market.
“I was selling it for only Php1.50 per catsup bottle then. Now, I am selling it at more or less Php15 per bottle,” she said.
Like any newlyweds would do, the couple also tried other kinds of livelihood endeavors. Aside from dairying, they also ventured in vegetable farming to augment their daily income. Apong Sexy sold the vegetable harvest along with the bottled fresh milk.
“It was a hard time for me then as I was pregnant with our only child. I had to get up early in the morning just
to market the milk and the vegetable so that I can earn money for our needs,” she said.
“If I didn’t get to sell them before 8 a.m., I do the selling from house to house and even allowed the customers to have them on credit to prevent them from getting spoiled,” she added.
It was in 2000 when she met the owner-operator of Susie’s cuisine, Jesusa Yabut. She is the daughter of Anicia Ayson, the founder of the establishment.
The owner convinced her to become one of her milk suppliers instead of selling the commodity in the open market.
Since then, Apong Sexy, with the support of her husband, went on with her milk collection and supplied Susie’s with its requirements.
Sweet returnsApong Sexy and her husband
labored to increase the number of their crossbred buffaloes. They now have 10 head that yield an average of 80 long-necked bottles.
Because the daily work involved in operating a dairy farm is generally long and taxing, they hired two workers to provide them with much needed assistance. The workers are tasked to keep the herd healthy by providing appropriate forage, feed supplement, vitamins, and health care. They also help in milking the animals.
Apong Sexy collects milk from their herd, from the dairy carabaos owned by her relatives, and from other dairy carabao owners in the neighborhood. They agreed on a common meeting place where all the milk produce can be
submitted and the collection must be finished by 6 a.m. She pays Php45 for every long-necked bottle delivered to her.
By 6:30 a.m., she delivers the collected milk to Susie’s kitchen which serves as the processing area for the production of tibok-tibok and other products.
That done, Apong Sexy collects an average of Php7,000 to Php8,000 for the bottles of milk delivered. One bottle is priced at Php50. She gets Php5 for every bottle of milk collected from her own milk collectors.
According to her, in her business, money passes thru her palms like water. Nevertheless, she relishes the fact that it has helped her a lot.
With money pouring in from her trade, Apong Sexy was able to purchase a tricycle for transport, build a small house, and support her child’s education. Her daughter finished a degree in education.
She is now also able, unlike before, to lend money to relatives and some neighbors who are in need of financial assistance.
“Ako lang ang takbuhan palagi ng mga kapatid ko, lalo na pag may nagkakasakit sa sinuman sa kanila. Hindi ako nagdadalawang-isip na tumulong sa pangangailangan nila (My siblings always ask help from me especially
when there is a sick member of their family. I am always willing to lend help without hesitation),” Apong Sexy shared.
Maintaining good qualityFor Apong Sexy, Susie’s Cuisine
is looked up to as a very steady and reliable purchaser of the milk that she collects and sells.
Looking into its operation, this business firm operates from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. It currently has 12 branches strategically situated in different parts of Pampanga. Its main office is the one located at the Nepo Mart.
The products of Susie’s are all produced in the main office. They are delivered to the different branches twice to thrice a day depending on the bulk of orders from their customers.
The success of Susie’s for the past 40 years is a result of maintained good quality of its homemade delicacies which are cooked the old-fashioned way. It has been using Ayson’s concocted recipes since it started doing business.
It certainly recognizes the importance of the milk suppliers in its business. The owners are profuse in attributing their success to them.
They said they keep an open line of communication with them to maintain good business relationship.
“We see to it that we get along very well. Whenever we have comment or suggestion regarding their milk deliveries, they accept and comply with it gladly,” said Maricel Harnecillo, Susie’s operations manager.
As for Apong Sexy, she always sees to it that the milk she delivers is pure carabao’s milk and of best quality.
She and her husband enjoy a fairly good life now. Her family is her driving force to go the extra mile.
In all these, Apong Sexy is proud and happy that she was able to endure the difficulties along the way.
Now, she proudly says, while she helps sweeten the sweets business of Susie’s Cuisine, it sweetens her and her family’s life in return.
Sweetening the sweets business in Pampanga
PCC Newsletter • April-June 201212 13
By Khrizie Evert Marcelo-Padre Photo by Joahna G. Goyagoy
‘Apong Sexy’ has become a common and happy sight at Susie’s Cuisine in Angeles, Pampanga every day. Her inspiring character has made her a mainstay supplier in this popular corner of one of the country’s home of culinary delights.
PCC Newsletter • April-June 201214 15
with prospective buyers. The middlemen hail mostly from
the provinces of La Union, Pangasinan, Nueva Ecija, Nueva Vizcaya, Isabela, and Abra who converge in the auction market every Friday afternoon up to Saturday.
Trading strategiesThe buying of livestock, mostly
cattle and carabao, starts in the barrios. Traders usually pay ahentes or agents to look for available animals of good condition, regardless of age, sex, and breed.
Whenever there are available animals sold by the farmers, the ahente will just notify the trader through text messaging.
The ahente is paid by the trader with Php400 for every animal scouted. Sometimes, too, they are paid according to the size and quality of the animals.
Aside from the ahentes, the traders also pay for caretakers to look after and maintain the body condition of the animals until they are ready to be
transported.Before the animals are brought to
the livestock market, the necessary documents are also prepared by the traders. A maximum of 10-15 head of livestock are then hauled in hired trucks which charge Php1,500 per head. The price also varies depending on the point of origin of the animal.
The expenses incurred by the traders don’t end there. Once at the auction market, they also pay for the confinement fee and other necessary papers before the animals can be sold.
These processes made the cost of livestock more expensive. This, according to traders, do not deter them to continue with the business that they have been accustomed to.
One big buyerOne of the biggest traders is Wilfredo
Leyson from Caniogan, Urdaneta City.Every week, the average volume of
animals he trades ranges from 23 to 50 head. Q
Quickfor a brisk task
Cevaluating the animal. If the animal is of good quality, then transactions begin until he and the owner agree on the price.
After buying from the farmers, the animals are confined in his yard for two to three days prior to selling. Three caretakers are hired to look after the animals. They are paid Php150 to Php200 per day. Afterwhich, the animals are brought to the auction market for trading. In case the animals were not sold until Saturday, which is the last day of auction, the animals are directly brought to the slaughter houses in Mangaldan, Pangasinan.
The income, however, is not fixed. Most of the time, it depends on the availability of the animals and the numbers of succesful transactions he make with his clients.
But then, Wilfredo said while the trading business for livestock has many ups and downs, he finds enough reasons to stay with the business for it provides him sufficient income to support his family.
He has been engaged in the trading business for almost 33 years. The animals he trades are cattle and carabao. Before, he was engaged in a fishpond business. Because of big losses he incurred due to fish kill, he was forced to shift to livestock trading at the Urdaneta livestock auction market.
“Noon, taga-pakain lang ako ng kalabaw. Noong nalaman ko ang tungkol sa business ng pangangalabaw, namili na rin ako ng mga kalabaw (I used to be a mere caretaker of carabaos. When I learned about the carabao trading business, I also ventured in it),” Wilfredo said.
Wilfredo entered in the business with an initial capital of Php500,000 which he accumulated from his own savings and contributions from his business partners.
Strategy in buyingEvery trader has his/her own way
of buying animals. As for Wilfredo, he employs scientific method by physically
Two ascriptions define how Urdaneta City is different from other cities and towns, in Pangasinan and probably in Northern Luzon.
It is the “Trading Post City” of Pangasinan, commonly called a “bagsakan center”, and a host to the biggest auction market for livestock in that part of the country.
Its trading post, located along the Friendship Highway, is where farmers not only in Urdaneta City but also from nearby and remote places outside of the city, bring their agricultural harvest and where wholesale traders and buyers congregate and transact business.
Its auction market, on the other hand, has been operating for many, many years now and has become a part of the lives of many traders, agents, and in some ways, of farmers and others
who are raising livestock animals.The Urdaneta Auction Market is the
biggest of such kind in Northern Luzon that does business for cattle, carabaos, horses, goats, and others.
Those involved in this business have many things to say.
Trading businessThe trading business for livestock,
according to many middlemen (also called traders or intermediaries) in the auction market, is one of the easiest ways to earn money.
As they have been in this venture for many years, they know what they are saying. Many of them said they started with the business with an initial capital ranging from Php100,000 to Php500,000, some of which were borrowed from their respective cooperatives. The rest, they said, came from their own earnings or from lenders.
Although this trading business in the auction market generates quick cash, it requires patience and skills in dealing
By Kimberly B. TurajaPhoto by Rowena G. Bumanlag
cash
PCC Newsletter • April-June 201214 15
with prospective buyers. The middlemen hail mostly from
the provinces of La Union, Pangasinan, Nueva Ecija, Nueva Vizcaya, Isabela, and Abra who converge in the auction market every Friday afternoon up to Saturday.
Trading strategiesThe buying of livestock, mostly
cattle and carabao, starts in the barrios. Traders usually pay ahentes or agents to look for available animals of good condition, regardless of age, sex, and breed.
Whenever there are available animals sold by the farmers, the ahente will just notify the trader through text messaging.
The ahente is paid by the trader with Php400 for every animal scouted. Sometimes, too, they are paid according to the size and quality of the animals.
Aside from the ahentes, the traders also pay for caretakers to look after and maintain the body condition of the animals until they are ready to be
transported.Before the animals are brought to
the livestock market, the necessary documents are also prepared by the traders. A maximum of 10-15 head of livestock are then hauled in hired trucks which charge Php1,500 per head. The price also varies depending on the point of origin of the animal.
The expenses incurred by the traders don’t end there. Once at the auction market, they also pay for the confinement fee and other necessary papers before the animals can be sold.
These processes made the cost of livestock more expensive. This, according to traders, do not deter them to continue with the business that they have been accustomed to.
One big buyerOne of the biggest traders is Wilfredo
Leyson from Caniogan, Urdaneta City.Every week, the average volume of
animals he trades ranges from 23 to 50 head. Q
Quickfor a brisk task
Cevaluating the animal. If the animal is of good quality, then transactions begin until he and the owner agree on the price.
After buying from the farmers, the animals are confined in his yard for two to three days prior to selling. Three caretakers are hired to look after the animals. They are paid Php150 to Php200 per day. Afterwhich, the animals are brought to the auction market for trading. In case the animals were not sold until Saturday, which is the last day of auction, the animals are directly brought to the slaughter houses in Mangaldan, Pangasinan.
The income, however, is not fixed. Most of the time, it depends on the availability of the animals and the numbers of succesful transactions he make with his clients.
But then, Wilfredo said while the trading business for livestock has many ups and downs, he finds enough reasons to stay with the business for it provides him sufficient income to support his family.
He has been engaged in the trading business for almost 33 years. The animals he trades are cattle and carabao. Before, he was engaged in a fishpond business. Because of big losses he incurred due to fish kill, he was forced to shift to livestock trading at the Urdaneta livestock auction market.
“Noon, taga-pakain lang ako ng kalabaw. Noong nalaman ko ang tungkol sa business ng pangangalabaw, namili na rin ako ng mga kalabaw (I used to be a mere caretaker of carabaos. When I learned about the carabao trading business, I also ventured in it),” Wilfredo said.
Wilfredo entered in the business with an initial capital of Php500,000 which he accumulated from his own savings and contributions from his business partners.
Strategy in buyingEvery trader has his/her own way
of buying animals. As for Wilfredo, he employs scientific method by physically
Two ascriptions define how Urdaneta City is different from other cities and towns, in Pangasinan and probably in Northern Luzon.
It is the “Trading Post City” of Pangasinan, commonly called a “bagsakan center”, and a host to the biggest auction market for livestock in that part of the country.
Its trading post, located along the Friendship Highway, is where farmers not only in Urdaneta City but also from nearby and remote places outside of the city, bring their agricultural harvest and where wholesale traders and buyers congregate and transact business.
Its auction market, on the other hand, has been operating for many, many years now and has become a part of the lives of many traders, agents, and in some ways, of farmers and others
who are raising livestock animals.The Urdaneta Auction Market is the
biggest of such kind in Northern Luzon that does business for cattle, carabaos, horses, goats, and others.
Those involved in this business have many things to say.
Trading businessThe trading business for livestock,
according to many middlemen (also called traders or intermediaries) in the auction market, is one of the easiest ways to earn money.
As they have been in this venture for many years, they know what they are saying. Many of them said they started with the business with an initial capital ranging from Php100,000 to Php500,000, some of which were borrowed from their respective cooperatives. The rest, they said, came from their own earnings or from lenders.
Although this trading business in the auction market generates quick cash, it requires patience and skills in dealing
By Kimberly B. TurajaPhoto by Rowena G. Bumanlag
cash
PCC Newsletter • April-June 201216 17
business going and last long.For the good income and other
fulfilling significance to his life, Alex is more than convinced that buying and selling of carabaos is several notches better than any other ventures. He said he is sure of it as he tried many kinds of business ventures prior to his march into the world of auction market.
“I used to be a viajero of fruits to Manila. My income then was not always good because I often experienced losses when the fruits rotted away,” lamented Alex. “I also delved in other works after that but they did not do good in my life either,” he added.
“Now, I am assured of a weekly income,” he happily said.
Alex said he sets a markup of an average Php1,000 per animal.
He said the going price of a 200-kg carabao in the auction market is at Php25,000 each, regardless of gender.
While securing a profitable business venture for himself and his family, Alex said he is happy that he is also able to provide income to his laborers on a weekly basis. He pays his driver Php1,000 per round trip to Padre Garcia and Php500 each for his two porters.
Quarterly, he incurs an additional expense of Php2,500 for business permits and government taxes.
Beyond auction days, Alex attends to his 4-ha coconut plantation in Bicol. Being a viajero, he said, afforded him the means to purchase the farm land on installment basis. He is now about to complete full payment of the property.
As long as he sees trading carabaos as a profitable venture, Alex said he will continue to be a mainstay trader at the Padre Garcia auction market.
Meanwhile, at the other side of the spectrum during auction time, another player, Edwin Magbuhos, buzzes off with the activity of going from one trader to the next to find a carabao which he thinks will be a “best buy”.
In the livestock auction scene, he is the counterpart of Alex. They often meet in the auction market and end up with a good transaction, as sukis or loyal trade partners would do.
Edwin has been in the business of buying carabaos in the auction market since 1987.
He supplies the needs of a big carabeef retailer in a public market in Manila. This retailer finances Edwin
and his team to buy carabaos in Padre Garcia. They earn when the carcass yield from the animal exceeds that of their live weight estimate.
Edwin’s team is composed of three other men: an assistant, a “marker”, and another “classifier”.
The “marker” goes around with Edwin to mark the animal with a distinct initial and to number it for recognition and counting when the auction ends. The other classifier, on the other hand, scouts for good animals, in physique and price, and refers them to Edwin who makes the final decision as to whether or not to buy the animal.
In his almost three decades of experience in buying carabaos, Edwin already gained the expertise of knowing a “best buy”.
“We only buy those carabaos that weigh 200 kg and above. We also scrutinize the physical traits of the animal. It should have a good body conformation and stature,” Edwin explained.
The price estimate per kg when bidding for an adult carabao is pegged
They seek, they find, and blurt out: 'Listahe!'Listahe!This is the word they want to blurt out again and again. In their business world, it means that “what they are seeking out has been found”.
Simply put, it’s a done deal and the money flows.
They are the traders in a business that is all about seeking out from among prospects and finding the best. They put in their skill for the “best buy”, a skill honed by years of experience.
Their world is in the livestock auction market in Padre Garcia in eastern Batangas.
They are mostly men and they manifest their skill in this kind of business every Friday. Conversely, they are a vital component in a system that provides services and hope especially for livestock raisers, including farmers who are raising carabaos, for a means of sustaining life.
In this auction market in Padre Garcia, touted to be the biggest of its kind in the country, they are one of the “key players”—the others being the sellers, buyers, and middlemen—that keep this bustling industry in this part of southern Luzon moving mightily.
Alex Dalit, 45, of Camarines Norte has been in the business of buying and selling carabaos for a decade now. “Listahe!” is the word, and the personal silent cheer, that he is opting to hoot every time his animals go on auction.
Alex is one of the biggest traders in the livestock auction market referred to by many livestock traders as paradahan or bakahan (a venue for parading of livestock animals for sale).
Known as the livestock animal trading capital of the Philippines, the Padre Garcia Livestock Auction Market is also considered as the biggest hub for livestock animal trading in Southeast Asia.
Romeo Magbuhos, the officer in-charge of the auction market, said an average of 1,700 livestock animals are sold weekly during auction days on weekdays, except Tuesdays. The number includes carabaos, cattle, horses, goats, and pigs from nearby towns, Bicol region, and the provinces of Quezon, Mindoro, and Iloilo.
Occupying a 1.7-ha municipal property that adjoins the public market, the auction market was conceptualized in 1952 by the first elected mayor of the town, Jose A. Pesige. The ex-mayor was correct in putting up the auction market that proved to be beneficial to many people, including trader Alex Dalit.
Alex is a viajero or carabao trader who takes an important role in making this auction market reign supreme among its kind in the country.
Alex sells an average of 15 head weekly. The animals are mostly sold to intermediaries who are in turn suppliers of big-time carabeef retailers in Manila.
Alex said he buys the animals from farmers in his hometown of Labo, Camarines Norte, and other nearby areas. To free him from the burden of scouting carabaos for sale, he established a network of ahentes or booking agents who facilitates the sale between him and the farmer or carabao owner.
“The ahentes simply send me a text message once they find a carabao for sale. I then go with him, negotiate with the farmer, and take home the animal,” Alex explains.
For every animal that is referred to Alex, regardless of age, the ahente is paid Php500.
It takes Alex a week to buy enough number of animals to fill a truckload that he will take to Padre Garcia. A truckload means about 15 head of carabaos.
From Bicol, he and his three laborers, one driver and two porters, will spend four hours of travel to negotiate the 240-km distance. Travel time is on a Thursday night for them to be at the auction market in Padre Garcia about midnight.
All the animals that he brought in the auction venue are accounted for in a record book upon entering the gates. Once in an appropriate place inside the auction market, the carabaos are fed with grasses that can be bought from enterprising individuals at Php80 to Php100 per sack.
Alex and his men can then take their rest in a hammock until auction time which is at 3 a.m. Friday, the peak of much actions in the auction market of Padre Garcia.
During auction time, Alex’s carabaos are displayed for auction scrutiny by buyers.
In the principle of auction trading, the highest bidder takes home the commodity.
Alex and his men always pray and wish that at 9 a.m. to 10 a.m., their herd of carabaos is sold out. Otherwise, they will have to settle paying a return fee of Php55 for every unsold animal.
Alex is paid either in cash for the animals sold in the auction deal or thru his bank account.
He said trust and confidence on co-players in the auction market are key factors that he must exercise to keep his
PCC Newsletter • April-June 201216 17
Scouting for the right choice. . . Selecting the right one. . .
Marking the chosen one. . . Listahe!
Text and Photos by Rowena Galang-Bumanlag
continued on page 29
PCC Newsletter • April-June 201216 17
business going and last long.For the good income and other
fulfilling significance to his life, Alex is more than convinced that buying and selling of carabaos is several notches better than any other ventures. He said he is sure of it as he tried many kinds of business ventures prior to his march into the world of auction market.
“I used to be a viajero of fruits to Manila. My income then was not always good because I often experienced losses when the fruits rotted away,” lamented Alex. “I also delved in other works after that but they did not do good in my life either,” he added.
“Now, I am assured of a weekly income,” he happily said.
Alex said he sets a markup of an average Php1,000 per animal.
He said the going price of a 200-kg carabao in the auction market is at Php25,000 each, regardless of gender.
While securing a profitable business venture for himself and his family, Alex said he is happy that he is also able to provide income to his laborers on a weekly basis. He pays his driver Php1,000 per round trip to Padre Garcia and Php500 each for his two porters.
Quarterly, he incurs an additional expense of Php2,500 for business permits and government taxes.
Beyond auction days, Alex attends to his 4-ha coconut plantation in Bicol. Being a viajero, he said, afforded him the means to purchase the farm land on installment basis. He is now about to complete full payment of the property.
As long as he sees trading carabaos as a profitable venture, Alex said he will continue to be a mainstay trader at the Padre Garcia auction market.
Meanwhile, at the other side of the spectrum during auction time, another player, Edwin Magbuhos, buzzes off with the activity of going from one trader to the next to find a carabao which he thinks will be a “best buy”.
In the livestock auction scene, he is the counterpart of Alex. They often meet in the auction market and end up with a good transaction, as sukis or loyal trade partners would do.
Edwin has been in the business of buying carabaos in the auction market since 1987.
He supplies the needs of a big carabeef retailer in a public market in Manila. This retailer finances Edwin
and his team to buy carabaos in Padre Garcia. They earn when the carcass yield from the animal exceeds that of their live weight estimate.
Edwin’s team is composed of three other men: an assistant, a “marker”, and another “classifier”.
The “marker” goes around with Edwin to mark the animal with a distinct initial and to number it for recognition and counting when the auction ends. The other classifier, on the other hand, scouts for good animals, in physique and price, and refers them to Edwin who makes the final decision as to whether or not to buy the animal.
In his almost three decades of experience in buying carabaos, Edwin already gained the expertise of knowing a “best buy”.
“We only buy those carabaos that weigh 200 kg and above. We also scrutinize the physical traits of the animal. It should have a good body conformation and stature,” Edwin explained.
The price estimate per kg when bidding for an adult carabao is pegged
They seek, they find, and blurt out: 'Listahe!'Listahe!This is the word they want to blurt out again and again. In their business world, it means that “what they are seeking out has been found”.
Simply put, it’s a done deal and the money flows.
They are the traders in a business that is all about seeking out from among prospects and finding the best. They put in their skill for the “best buy”, a skill honed by years of experience.
Their world is in the livestock auction market in Padre Garcia in eastern Batangas.
They are mostly men and they manifest their skill in this kind of business every Friday. Conversely, they are a vital component in a system that provides services and hope especially for livestock raisers, including farmers who are raising carabaos, for a means of sustaining life.
In this auction market in Padre Garcia, touted to be the biggest of its kind in the country, they are one of the “key players”—the others being the sellers, buyers, and middlemen—that keep this bustling industry in this part of southern Luzon moving mightily.
Alex Dalit, 45, of Camarines Norte has been in the business of buying and selling carabaos for a decade now. “Listahe!” is the word, and the personal silent cheer, that he is opting to hoot every time his animals go on auction.
Alex is one of the biggest traders in the livestock auction market referred to by many livestock traders as paradahan or bakahan (a venue for parading of livestock animals for sale).
Known as the livestock animal trading capital of the Philippines, the Padre Garcia Livestock Auction Market is also considered as the biggest hub for livestock animal trading in Southeast Asia.
Romeo Magbuhos, the officer in-charge of the auction market, said an average of 1,700 livestock animals are sold weekly during auction days on weekdays, except Tuesdays. The number includes carabaos, cattle, horses, goats, and pigs from nearby towns, Bicol region, and the provinces of Quezon, Mindoro, and Iloilo.
Occupying a 1.7-ha municipal property that adjoins the public market, the auction market was conceptualized in 1952 by the first elected mayor of the town, Jose A. Pesige. The ex-mayor was correct in putting up the auction market that proved to be beneficial to many people, including trader Alex Dalit.
Alex is a viajero or carabao trader who takes an important role in making this auction market reign supreme among its kind in the country.
Alex sells an average of 15 head weekly. The animals are mostly sold to intermediaries who are in turn suppliers of big-time carabeef retailers in Manila.
Alex said he buys the animals from farmers in his hometown of Labo, Camarines Norte, and other nearby areas. To free him from the burden of scouting carabaos for sale, he established a network of ahentes or booking agents who facilitates the sale between him and the farmer or carabao owner.
“The ahentes simply send me a text message once they find a carabao for sale. I then go with him, negotiate with the farmer, and take home the animal,” Alex explains.
For every animal that is referred to Alex, regardless of age, the ahente is paid Php500.
It takes Alex a week to buy enough number of animals to fill a truckload that he will take to Padre Garcia. A truckload means about 15 head of carabaos.
From Bicol, he and his three laborers, one driver and two porters, will spend four hours of travel to negotiate the 240-km distance. Travel time is on a Thursday night for them to be at the auction market in Padre Garcia about midnight.
All the animals that he brought in the auction venue are accounted for in a record book upon entering the gates. Once in an appropriate place inside the auction market, the carabaos are fed with grasses that can be bought from enterprising individuals at Php80 to Php100 per sack.
Alex and his men can then take their rest in a hammock until auction time which is at 3 a.m. Friday, the peak of much actions in the auction market of Padre Garcia.
During auction time, Alex’s carabaos are displayed for auction scrutiny by buyers.
In the principle of auction trading, the highest bidder takes home the commodity.
Alex and his men always pray and wish that at 9 a.m. to 10 a.m., their herd of carabaos is sold out. Otherwise, they will have to settle paying a return fee of Php55 for every unsold animal.
Alex is paid either in cash for the animals sold in the auction deal or thru his bank account.
He said trust and confidence on co-players in the auction market are key factors that he must exercise to keep his
PCC Newsletter • April-June 201216 17
Scouting for the right choice. . . Selecting the right one. . .
Marking the chosen one. . . Listahe!
Text and Photos by Rowena Galang-Bumanlag
continued on page 29
PCC Newsletter • April-June 201218 19
It takes two to tango, the old saying goes. But Ofelia Cortez has been tangoing singly with firm courage and faith to keep afloat, unarguably admirable at that, on life’s rhythm of ups and downs.
Ofelia, 58, of Brgy. Caalibangbangan in Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija, has been struggling as a single mother of seven for several years now. But even when her husband was still around, Ofelia said that she and he lived apart in their ‘own respective worlds’.
Married at the age of 17, her young
mind was consumed by splattered efforts on how to survive in a disarrayed early marriage as, at that time, she was getting no support from anyone else and had to go through life barely all by herself.
Challenged by her life’s peculiar adversity, she thought of a job in which she can easily gain income. Since she only finished elementary education, Ofelia felt she had no other choice or recourse but to try her luck as a vendor in a public market in Cabanatuan City. It was from this occupation where she learned that carabao’s milk is a sought-after commodity among marketgoers.
At the age of 21, she started collecting and retailing bottled fresh carabao’s milk which was priced then
at Php7 per long-necked bottle (¾ of a liter).
For seven years, her everyday routine was already in full circle even before at break of dawn. She would go around the neighboring barangays carrying empty plastic gallon containers in which she puts her milk collection. She had no service vehicle. She went moving around using her feet which contracted and endured calluses over the years.
After collecting milk, she would go to the public market to vend it until 7 a.m. Whenever she had unsold bottled milk, she would tarry to the collection station of the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) at the Nueva Ecija provincial capitol grounds to sell it.
Out of what turned out as a good fate, one of her buyers from BAI recommended her to Selecta which was then starting to establish its name in the ice cream industry. She then became one of the major carabao’s milk suppliers of the company for 11 years now.
She supplied Selecta from 125 to 200 liters of milk every day. From then on, life became more kind to her. She was able to acquire a motorcycle which made her daily job easier.
When her contract with Selecta ended, she started supplying milk to “Aling Nene’s” and “Lady’s Sweets” which are pastillas-makers in Buliran, San Miguel, Bulacan.
During peak season for the pastillas-making industry, which runs from October to December, the milk she supplies is priced at Php50 to Php55. On off seasons, she is paid Php45 per liter.
She transports 90 kg to 150 kg of milk every day except on Mondays and Fridays. Since she only has a motorcycle, she has to take the public utility bus. This, according to her, is far more convenient because all she has to do is ride on a bus for an hour or two and come back home with a sum of money that is more than enough for her family’s daily needs. In fact, she said, she is now able to save some more money in her bank account.
Other than supplying milk in Bulacan, she also regularly supplies 50 liters of milk to the DVF Dairy Farm in
being a supplier to big processing establishments, and a raiser of dairy carabaos at that, she was able to send her seven children to college. They have all graduated with their respective degrees in the private schools where they pursued courses of their choice.
“When I saw my children going to school, I was propelled to double my patience and determination because I don’t want them to have the same fate as I had before,” Ofelia recalled.
“As long as I see my children having a better life compared to what I had been through, I am already happy. My children are witnesses on how I struggled to raise them,” Ofelia added.
“Sobrang hirap sa simula. Pero kapag malakas ang loob mo, malalagpasan mo rin (It was very difficult at first. But if you have sheer determination, you’ll surely get through it),” she further said.
But more than having courage, Ofelia said, having faith in God is also her abiding anchor—an anchor which keeps her going up felicitously to this day.
Single momTalavera, Nueva Ecija on Mondays and Fridays.
With her years of being a milk trader, Ofelia was able to establish her rapport with more than 40 dairy farmers whom she calls “my suki” (avid customer). Her farmer-sukis are mostly from barangays Caalibangbangan, Samon, Caudillo, Pamaldan, Talipapa, Sumacab, and Ibabao Bana in Cabanatuan City.
Asked on how she maintains her good relationship with her many suki, Ofelia said: “When they [the farmers] need advanced payment, I give it to them. I do this not only to gain their loyalty but because I know how it is when you are in need and no one is minding you.”
Today, she is no longer obliged to wake up and work before the sun rises. Instead, she starts her work at 9 a.m. and comes back home before 1 o’clock in the afternoon. After that, she becomes the “queen” of her own house doing nothing else but relax and savor the fruits of her unending patience and perseverance.
To while away her time, too, she processes pastillas. The milk used for her own pastillas-making venture is from her crossbred carabaos. That is right. Besides milk collection, she also raises six crossbreds for dairying which are giving her good dividends.
She harvests an average of six liters of milk per animal daily.
From being a mere milk collector and retailer of bottled fresh milk to
glory in milk tradingof seven finds
PCC Newsletter • April-June 201218 19
Text and Photos byJoahna G. Goyagoy
To dairy buffalo owners in Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija, Ofelia Cortez is a symbol of hope that knocks on their doors each day. She brings in not only additional income for them but also for herself who singly supports her seven children.
PCC Newsletter • April-June 201218 19
It takes two to tango, the old saying goes. But Ofelia Cortez has been tangoing singly with firm courage and faith to keep afloat, unarguably admirable at that, on life’s rhythm of ups and downs.
Ofelia, 58, of Brgy. Caalibangbangan in Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija, has been struggling as a single mother of seven for several years now. But even when her husband was still around, Ofelia said that she and he lived apart in their ‘own respective worlds’.
Married at the age of 17, her young
mind was consumed by splattered efforts on how to survive in a disarrayed early marriage as, at that time, she was getting no support from anyone else and had to go through life barely all by herself.
Challenged by her life’s peculiar adversity, she thought of a job in which she can easily gain income. Since she only finished elementary education, Ofelia felt she had no other choice or recourse but to try her luck as a vendor in a public market in Cabanatuan City. It was from this occupation where she learned that carabao’s milk is a sought-after commodity among marketgoers.
At the age of 21, she started collecting and retailing bottled fresh carabao’s milk which was priced then
at Php7 per long-necked bottle (¾ of a liter).
For seven years, her everyday routine was already in full circle even before at break of dawn. She would go around the neighboring barangays carrying empty plastic gallon containers in which she puts her milk collection. She had no service vehicle. She went moving around using her feet which contracted and endured calluses over the years.
After collecting milk, she would go to the public market to vend it until 7 a.m. Whenever she had unsold bottled milk, she would tarry to the collection station of the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) at the Nueva Ecija provincial capitol grounds to sell it.
Out of what turned out as a good fate, one of her buyers from BAI recommended her to Selecta which was then starting to establish its name in the ice cream industry. She then became one of the major carabao’s milk suppliers of the company for 11 years now.
She supplied Selecta from 125 to 200 liters of milk every day. From then on, life became more kind to her. She was able to acquire a motorcycle which made her daily job easier.
When her contract with Selecta ended, she started supplying milk to “Aling Nene’s” and “Lady’s Sweets” which are pastillas-makers in Buliran, San Miguel, Bulacan.
During peak season for the pastillas-making industry, which runs from October to December, the milk she supplies is priced at Php50 to Php55. On off seasons, she is paid Php45 per liter.
She transports 90 kg to 150 kg of milk every day except on Mondays and Fridays. Since she only has a motorcycle, she has to take the public utility bus. This, according to her, is far more convenient because all she has to do is ride on a bus for an hour or two and come back home with a sum of money that is more than enough for her family’s daily needs. In fact, she said, she is now able to save some more money in her bank account.
Other than supplying milk in Bulacan, she also regularly supplies 50 liters of milk to the DVF Dairy Farm in
being a supplier to big processing establishments, and a raiser of dairy carabaos at that, she was able to send her seven children to college. They have all graduated with their respective degrees in the private schools where they pursued courses of their choice.
“When I saw my children going to school, I was propelled to double my patience and determination because I don’t want them to have the same fate as I had before,” Ofelia recalled.
“As long as I see my children having a better life compared to what I had been through, I am already happy. My children are witnesses on how I struggled to raise them,” Ofelia added.
“Sobrang hirap sa simula. Pero kapag malakas ang loob mo, malalagpasan mo rin (It was very difficult at first. But if you have sheer determination, you’ll surely get through it),” she further said.
But more than having courage, Ofelia said, having faith in God is also her abiding anchor—an anchor which keeps her going up felicitously to this day.
Single momTalavera, Nueva Ecija on Mondays and Fridays.
With her years of being a milk trader, Ofelia was able to establish her rapport with more than 40 dairy farmers whom she calls “my suki” (avid customer). Her farmer-sukis are mostly from barangays Caalibangbangan, Samon, Caudillo, Pamaldan, Talipapa, Sumacab, and Ibabao Bana in Cabanatuan City.
Asked on how she maintains her good relationship with her many suki, Ofelia said: “When they [the farmers] need advanced payment, I give it to them. I do this not only to gain their loyalty but because I know how it is when you are in need and no one is minding you.”
Today, she is no longer obliged to wake up and work before the sun rises. Instead, she starts her work at 9 a.m. and comes back home before 1 o’clock in the afternoon. After that, she becomes the “queen” of her own house doing nothing else but relax and savor the fruits of her unending patience and perseverance.
To while away her time, too, she processes pastillas. The milk used for her own pastillas-making venture is from her crossbred carabaos. That is right. Besides milk collection, she also raises six crossbreds for dairying which are giving her good dividends.
She harvests an average of six liters of milk per animal daily.
From being a mere milk collector and retailer of bottled fresh milk to
glory in milk tradingof seven finds
PCC Newsletter • April-June 201218 19
Text and Photos byJoahna G. Goyagoy
To dairy buffalo owners in Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija, Ofelia Cortez is a symbol of hope that knocks on their doors each day. She brings in not only additional income for them but also for herself who singly supports her seven children.
PCC Newsletter • April-June 201220 21
DFor three years now, he exclusively delivers 160 to 200 liters of raw milk to this establishment every day.
It was in August 2009 when he started his small business of trading his carabao’s milk produce and that of farmers’.
Looking back, Mang Domeng recalled working as a driver-delivery man to the Nueva Ecija Federation of Dairy Carabao Cooperatives (NEFEDCCO) in Talavera, Nueva Ecija.
While working for NEFEDCCO, he also managed one female Bulgarian buffalo which he received in 2004 when he was a member of the Premium Dairy Cooperative. He was able to multiply its number as time went by.
But his earnings were not enough back then. He was longing for something more.
The right opportunity came at the right time. With enough money and good number of herd to start his business, he decided to go on his own. With a parcel of land in Palayan City, Nueva Ecija that he inherited from his father, he built a small house. From his savings, he bought one tricycle and two freezers to start up his dairy operation.
That same time, Ocampo’s Sweets
in Malolos, Bulacan decided to get him as an exclusive supplier of 200 liters of milk for its daily need.
“With a good number of herd, I decided to have a business out of it. I was able to collect 80 liters from eight female lactating buffaloes. But the amount was not enough so I decided to get more milk from other dairy farmers which I collect every day,” said Mang Domeng.
His brother helps him manage his business. An hour before the day breaks, Florante is already up to prepare the tricycle and the things needed in collecting the milk from the dairy farmers of Talavera, Cabanatuan and from the different barangays in Palayan City. The collected milk came from Mang Domeng’s herd and from those owned by 15 dairy farmers in the said locations.
The raw milk he collects is priced at Php33 per liter.
The milk is placed in 6-liter plastic gallons and stored in a chest full of ice for cooling purposes. From five to eleven in the morning, Florante has already harvested an average of 80 li to 120 li of milk from the farmers.
The dairy farmers are paid in a weekly basis or every Thursdays of the month.
After collecting, the milk containers
People at every step of the dairy chain, from the dairy farmers to processors to the commercial market, will always find ways to work sustainably and economically.
As dairying grows in popularity and performance, people like Domingo Martinez, show their commitment in supporting this industry.
Mang Domeng, as he is fondly called, is a milk supplier and trader to one of the famous makers of sweet delicacies in Bulacan, the Ocampo’s Sweets.
in carabao's milk
Driver
fortune
Among the important things behind the success in commercial dairy production is a good working relationship among the dairy farmer, milk trader-supplier, and processor.
The end-products are offered for sale to local markets and famous bakeshops in Manila and Laguna,” Nenita said.
Asked about how he maintains the good quality of the milk, Mang Domeng shared that he teaches his milkmen to observe proper sanitation while milking their animals and make sure that what has been collected from them are pure buffalo’s milk.
“I ask them to gather the milk an hour before we collect it to lessen the time interval,” shared Mang Domeng.
Asked how he earned the commitment of the dairy farmers as his clients, he said whenever the farmers ask money from him when they need it, he provides it and just deduct it from their next earnings.
He encourages his other relatives to go into carabao raising, saying that it is a good source of income for small farm holders like them. According to him, farmers could earn not only from milk but also from its offspring. The farmers can choose for the specific purpose in raising the animals, either for meat or for milk.
“Some of them gave up, without even
trying. I work hard every day to earn money. I told them I need to do this to provide the needs of my family. Even when I am sick, I still continue working,” he said.
“Look at me now, my hard work has paid off as I have a more comfortable life than before. I get to earn more money from this business,” he added.
Mang Domeng gets more than a reasonable return on his investments and he used the proceeds for their daily needs and other expenses. After two years, he was able to construct a concrete, modern farm house. He also employs two staff as his milkmen and for gathering forages for his herd. They both receive Php3,000 each as their monthly salary.
Down the road, he sees himself someday as a producer of milk products and a more successful farmer.
It is highly probable that he will meet his goals with his dedication and hard work. He also hopes that someday his children and grandchildren will continue doing what he has started for them.
are placed in his two freezers with a capacity of 150 liters each. These are then delivered the following day.
Mang Domeng, on the other hand, prepares his delivery for the day. The frozen milk from the other day’s collection is transferred to a large container for easy transport. This is then delivered to Ocampo’s Sweets.
According to him, he travels very early in the morning to avoid the sun light which may cause spoilage to the milk. He uses a multi-cab in transporting the milk and heads back home past seven in the morning.
The delivered milk is priced at Php43 per liter. He collects payment every Wednesday of the week.
“We process about 200 liters of milk every day. Domeng is the only person who delivers our milk. His milk is of good quality and delivered right on time. Because of his work attitude, we have developed a good business relationship,” says Nenita Ocampo, owner of Ocampo’s Sweets.
“The excess delivered milk is pre-cooked and then placed and kept in freezer until it is needed for processing.
wheels in
PCC Newsletter • April-June 201220
By Khrizie Evert M. PadrePhotos by Joahna G. Goyagoy
Domingo Martinez exclusively supplies Ocampo’s Sweets in Malolos, Bulacan with 200 liters of carabao’s milk daily. He happily drives his way to and from the neighborhood of dairy farmers in Talavera, Nueva Ecija to sustain the demand of his client.
PCC Newsletter • April-June 201220 21
DFor three years now, he exclusively delivers 160 to 200 liters of raw milk to this establishment every day.
It was in August 2009 when he started his small business of trading his carabao’s milk produce and that of farmers’.
Looking back, Mang Domeng recalled working as a driver-delivery man to the Nueva Ecija Federation of Dairy Carabao Cooperatives (NEFEDCCO) in Talavera, Nueva Ecija.
While working for NEFEDCCO, he also managed one female Bulgarian buffalo which he received in 2004 when he was a member of the Premium Dairy Cooperative. He was able to multiply its number as time went by.
But his earnings were not enough back then. He was longing for something more.
The right opportunity came at the right time. With enough money and good number of herd to start his business, he decided to go on his own. With a parcel of land in Palayan City, Nueva Ecija that he inherited from his father, he built a small house. From his savings, he bought one tricycle and two freezers to start up his dairy operation.
That same time, Ocampo’s Sweets
in Malolos, Bulacan decided to get him as an exclusive supplier of 200 liters of milk for its daily need.
“With a good number of herd, I decided to have a business out of it. I was able to collect 80 liters from eight female lactating buffaloes. But the amount was not enough so I decided to get more milk from other dairy farmers which I collect every day,” said Mang Domeng.
His brother helps him manage his business. An hour before the day breaks, Florante is already up to prepare the tricycle and the things needed in collecting the milk from the dairy farmers of Talavera, Cabanatuan and from the different barangays in Palayan City. The collected milk came from Mang Domeng’s herd and from those owned by 15 dairy farmers in the said locations.
The raw milk he collects is priced at Php33 per liter.
The milk is placed in 6-liter plastic gallons and stored in a chest full of ice for cooling purposes. From five to eleven in the morning, Florante has already harvested an average of 80 li to 120 li of milk from the farmers.
The dairy farmers are paid in a weekly basis or every Thursdays of the month.
After collecting, the milk containers
People at every step of the dairy chain, from the dairy farmers to processors to the commercial market, will always find ways to work sustainably and economically.
As dairying grows in popularity and performance, people like Domingo Martinez, show their commitment in supporting this industry.
Mang Domeng, as he is fondly called, is a milk supplier and trader to one of the famous makers of sweet delicacies in Bulacan, the Ocampo’s Sweets.
in carabao's milk
Driver
fortune
Among the important things behind the success in commercial dairy production is a good working relationship among the dairy farmer, milk trader-supplier, and processor.
The end-products are offered for sale to local markets and famous bakeshops in Manila and Laguna,” Nenita said.
Asked about how he maintains the good quality of the milk, Mang Domeng shared that he teaches his milkmen to observe proper sanitation while milking their animals and make sure that what has been collected from them are pure buffalo’s milk.
“I ask them to gather the milk an hour before we collect it to lessen the time interval,” shared Mang Domeng.
Asked how he earned the commitment of the dairy farmers as his clients, he said whenever the farmers ask money from him when they need it, he provides it and just deduct it from their next earnings.
He encourages his other relatives to go into carabao raising, saying that it is a good source of income for small farm holders like them. According to him, farmers could earn not only from milk but also from its offspring. The farmers can choose for the specific purpose in raising the animals, either for meat or for milk.
“Some of them gave up, without even
trying. I work hard every day to earn money. I told them I need to do this to provide the needs of my family. Even when I am sick, I still continue working,” he said.
“Look at me now, my hard work has paid off as I have a more comfortable life than before. I get to earn more money from this business,” he added.
Mang Domeng gets more than a reasonable return on his investments and he used the proceeds for their daily needs and other expenses. After two years, he was able to construct a concrete, modern farm house. He also employs two staff as his milkmen and for gathering forages for his herd. They both receive Php3,000 each as their monthly salary.
Down the road, he sees himself someday as a producer of milk products and a more successful farmer.
It is highly probable that he will meet his goals with his dedication and hard work. He also hopes that someday his children and grandchildren will continue doing what he has started for them.
are placed in his two freezers with a capacity of 150 liters each. These are then delivered the following day.
Mang Domeng, on the other hand, prepares his delivery for the day. The frozen milk from the other day’s collection is transferred to a large container for easy transport. This is then delivered to Ocampo’s Sweets.
According to him, he travels very early in the morning to avoid the sun light which may cause spoilage to the milk. He uses a multi-cab in transporting the milk and heads back home past seven in the morning.
The delivered milk is priced at Php43 per liter. He collects payment every Wednesday of the week.
“We process about 200 liters of milk every day. Domeng is the only person who delivers our milk. His milk is of good quality and delivered right on time. Because of his work attitude, we have developed a good business relationship,” says Nenita Ocampo, owner of Ocampo’s Sweets.
“The excess delivered milk is pre-cooked and then placed and kept in freezer until it is needed for processing.
wheels in
PCC Newsletter • April-June 201220
By Khrizie Evert M. PadrePhotos by Joahna G. Goyagoy
Domingo Martinez exclusively supplies Ocampo’s Sweets in Malolos, Bulacan with 200 liters of carabao’s milk daily. He happily drives his way to and from the neighborhood of dairy farmers in Talavera, Nueva Ecija to sustain the demand of his client.
PCC Newsletter • April-June 201222 23
Every dairy buffalo farm desires optimum productivity.
Toward this exalted goal, operators make sure that substantive and science-based standards designed to ensure improvement in the herd’s growth, production, and reproduction performances are consistently implemented.
In the Philippine Carabao Center (PCC) institutional herd, these are understandably followed to the dot.
But in doing so, it counts on the support of suppliers that provide its subsidiary requirements. They are, thus, seen as equally vital players in the supply chain.
These subsidiary requirements supplied to PCC include the powdered milk or milk replacer for calves, mineralized salt lick, milking machine, and paraphernalia for artificial insemination (AI), among other livestock equipment.
As a mode of government procurement, the supply of these
products is acquired thru public bidding. Albeit competition, wherein the lowest bidder emerges successful, these suppliers uphold quality standards making them qualified providers of these products to PCC’s herd requirements.
Powdered milk for the calfFor the supply of milk replacer, or
powdered milk for calves, PCC tapped a sole distributor of this product in the Philippines to deliver its requirements.
This company’s credibility in partnering with PCC is anchored on its vision to be “the pillar of the animal health and nutrition industry, recognized throughout the Philippines and the first choice of its customers for the wide range of quality products and efficient services”.
Dr. Erel Alvarez, the company sales manager, said their powdered milk has undergone trials at the PCC gene pool before it was deliberately offered to the calves.
The company started supplying the milk replacer to PCC in 2009.
Previous studies at the gene pool showed that milk replacer has an approximate content of protein, fat, lactose, and other vitamins and
minerals compared to fresh milk from the dam.
Economic-wise, feeding milk replacer saves on feed cost for the calves. A study backs up this finding. It showed that 4 li of fresh milk from the dam fed to the calf per day costs Php160 (at Php40 per li) and with the cost of concentrates of Php2.80 added, the total feed cost is Php162.80 per calf.
On the other hand, an 800 g powdered milk plus concentrate given to a calf everyday only costs Php112.
Clearly, the study indicated, a dairy farmer can save up to Php48.20 per day, or a total of Php4,338 for a 90-day period before the calf is weaned, in feed cost for the calf.
Thus, the study concluded that milk replacer can be a very worthy substitute to the dam’s milk for feeding calves during their early life.
Prior to offering milk replacer to the calf, PCC scientists said, it should be allowed to suckle colostrum during its first five days. Colostrum is the first milk of the mother which contains the essential nutrients and antibodies needed in the early stages of the calf, the scientists explained.
Dr. Daniel Aquino, the PCC gene
pool national coordinator, said feeding milk replacer has many benefits. These include enhanced growth rate, rumen development, early weaning, and lessened occurrence of health problems, such as scouring.
The powdered milk, Dr. Alvarez said, is imported from France. He added that 80 to 90 percent of their import is distributed to PCC.
He said they also supply a different kind of milk replacer to other industries such as in swine.
Arnel Generoso, the company’s sales representative, said the powdered milk is priced at Php150 per kg or Php750 per 25-kg bag.
Some dairy cooperatives assisted by PCC also get their supply of the powdered milk from this company. Several PCC regional centers, including the PCCs at University of the Philippines-Los Banos, Central Luzon State University, Ubay Stock Farm, and Cagayan State University get their supply on a seasonal basis.
Dairy farmers from Talugtog, San Jose, and Cuyapo towns in Nueva Ecija are also patronizing this company’s milk replacer product.
Mineral lick for dairy buffaloesMinerals have direct influence
on the growth, milk production, and reproduction of buffaloes, animal nutrition experts said. They, thus, highly
recommend its availability in the feed ration in adequate amount.
Commercially available mineral lick contains different macro and micro minerals such as magnesium, manganese, cobalt, iodine, zinc, iron, copper, selenium, sodium, they said.
The “Dairy Buffalo Production Handbook” published by PCC recommends that copper, cobalt, iodine, iron, and selenium are important everyday supplement for dairy buffaloes because these micro minerals are involved in milk production and reproduction.
A daily allowance of 100 g to 150 g per cow is a normal ration, the handbook further advises.
The mineral lick is supplied to PCC by another Filipino company that also distributes feed premixes for other ruminants such as cattle, deer, and goat.
The kind of mineral lick supplied to PCC, the company said, has trace elements for the growth and fertility of the said buffaloes.
The company’s marketing director, Dr. Gene Rodriguez, said mineral lick promotes better water intake among the animals because of its high salt content and, consequently, increases their feed intake.
Also the sole distributor of a popular mineral lick brand in the Philippines, the company carries two other variations of the product.
One contains a balanced formulation of minerals and trace elements including cobalt which is required for proper rumen function and production of Vitamin B12 in sheep.
The other one is a balanced mineral lick formulated especially for dairy animals. It has high level of phosphorous that helps replace losses during milk production.
This particular brand of mineral lick contains a flavoring called “Tastetite” which helps improve its palatability. The company claims that this flavoring can overcome low feed intake among livestock.
This mineral lick is currently used at the PCC herd particularly at the University of the Philippines in Los
Baños and Cagayan State University stations.
PCC at UPLB’s center director Dr. Arnel del Barrio, an animal nutrition expert, said the supplementation of mineral lick to buffaloes, especially when they are fully confined, is very important to provide them with the essential minerals that are needed for higher productivity.
“We have been in partnership with the company for 10 years. We get about 15 boxes of two kinds of mineral lick from them annually and the company has been of service to us in a satisfactory manner,” Dr. del Barrio said.
He added that the ease of use of the mineral lick and its availability makes it a good choice for a mineral supplement.
A mineral block, Dr. del Barrio said, is placed in the barn near the drinking area and in other areas where most animals congregate. A minimum of one block is recommended for every five to 10 animals, he said.
A block of the supplement is retailed in poultry feeds and supply stalls at Php400. Each weighs 5 kg.
The kind of block that is supplied to PCC, which is more compact compared to other available mineral lick in the market, can be consumed by three to four buffaloes in one month.
“Supplementation of the mineral lick allows the animals to secrete adequate amount of milk and at the same time maintain its body condition so that it can productively perform again,” Dr. Rodriguez further explained.
Farming solutions providerA provider of solutions to almost all
aspects of farming needs has been in partnership with PCC in supplying its requirements for AI paraphernalia and veterinary pharmaceuticals.
It has also been providing portable milking machines to small-scale dairy farms. A unit of a double-milk bucket milking machine is priced at Php78,000.
The company, which is on its 38th year of operation, is practically a one-stop-shop for almost all the requirements of a poultry and livestock
. . . as demand goes full blastA trade to lastText and Photo by Rowena G. Bumanlag
continued on page 30
Mineral lick for buffaloes
Photo from PCC at UPLB
PCC Newsletter • April-June 201222 23
Every dairy buffalo farm desires optimum productivity.
Toward this exalted goal, operators make sure that substantive and science-based standards designed to ensure improvement in the herd’s growth, production, and reproduction performances are consistently implemented.
In the Philippine Carabao Center (PCC) institutional herd, these are understandably followed to the dot.
But in doing so, it counts on the support of suppliers that provide its subsidiary requirements. They are, thus, seen as equally vital players in the supply chain.
These subsidiary requirements supplied to PCC include the powdered milk or milk replacer for calves, mineralized salt lick, milking machine, and paraphernalia for artificial insemination (AI), among other livestock equipment.
As a mode of government procurement, the supply of these
products is acquired thru public bidding. Albeit competition, wherein the lowest bidder emerges successful, these suppliers uphold quality standards making them qualified providers of these products to PCC’s herd requirements.
Powdered milk for the calfFor the supply of milk replacer, or
powdered milk for calves, PCC tapped a sole distributor of this product in the Philippines to deliver its requirements.
This company’s credibility in partnering with PCC is anchored on its vision to be “the pillar of the animal health and nutrition industry, recognized throughout the Philippines and the first choice of its customers for the wide range of quality products and efficient services”.
Dr. Erel Alvarez, the company sales manager, said their powdered milk has undergone trials at the PCC gene pool before it was deliberately offered to the calves.
The company started supplying the milk replacer to PCC in 2009.
Previous studies at the gene pool showed that milk replacer has an approximate content of protein, fat, lactose, and other vitamins and
minerals compared to fresh milk from the dam.
Economic-wise, feeding milk replacer saves on feed cost for the calves. A study backs up this finding. It showed that 4 li of fresh milk from the dam fed to the calf per day costs Php160 (at Php40 per li) and with the cost of concentrates of Php2.80 added, the total feed cost is Php162.80 per calf.
On the other hand, an 800 g powdered milk plus concentrate given to a calf everyday only costs Php112.
Clearly, the study indicated, a dairy farmer can save up to Php48.20 per day, or a total of Php4,338 for a 90-day period before the calf is weaned, in feed cost for the calf.
Thus, the study concluded that milk replacer can be a very worthy substitute to the dam’s milk for feeding calves during their early life.
Prior to offering milk replacer to the calf, PCC scientists said, it should be allowed to suckle colostrum during its first five days. Colostrum is the first milk of the mother which contains the essential nutrients and antibodies needed in the early stages of the calf, the scientists explained.
Dr. Daniel Aquino, the PCC gene
pool national coordinator, said feeding milk replacer has many benefits. These include enhanced growth rate, rumen development, early weaning, and lessened occurrence of health problems, such as scouring.
The powdered milk, Dr. Alvarez said, is imported from France. He added that 80 to 90 percent of their import is distributed to PCC.
He said they also supply a different kind of milk replacer to other industries such as in swine.
Arnel Generoso, the company’s sales representative, said the powdered milk is priced at Php150 per kg or Php750 per 25-kg bag.
Some dairy cooperatives assisted by PCC also get their supply of the powdered milk from this company. Several PCC regional centers, including the PCCs at University of the Philippines-Los Banos, Central Luzon State University, Ubay Stock Farm, and Cagayan State University get their supply on a seasonal basis.
Dairy farmers from Talugtog, San Jose, and Cuyapo towns in Nueva Ecija are also patronizing this company’s milk replacer product.
Mineral lick for dairy buffaloesMinerals have direct influence
on the growth, milk production, and reproduction of buffaloes, animal nutrition experts said. They, thus, highly
recommend its availability in the feed ration in adequate amount.
Commercially available mineral lick contains different macro and micro minerals such as magnesium, manganese, cobalt, iodine, zinc, iron, copper, selenium, sodium, they said.
The “Dairy Buffalo Production Handbook” published by PCC recommends that copper, cobalt, iodine, iron, and selenium are important everyday supplement for dairy buffaloes because these micro minerals are involved in milk production and reproduction.
A daily allowance of 100 g to 150 g per cow is a normal ration, the handbook further advises.
The mineral lick is supplied to PCC by another Filipino company that also distributes feed premixes for other ruminants such as cattle, deer, and goat.
The kind of mineral lick supplied to PCC, the company said, has trace elements for the growth and fertility of the said buffaloes.
The company’s marketing director, Dr. Gene Rodriguez, said mineral lick promotes better water intake among the animals because of its high salt content and, consequently, increases their feed intake.
Also the sole distributor of a popular mineral lick brand in the Philippines, the company carries two other variations of the product.
One contains a balanced formulation of minerals and trace elements including cobalt which is required for proper rumen function and production of Vitamin B12 in sheep.
The other one is a balanced mineral lick formulated especially for dairy animals. It has high level of phosphorous that helps replace losses during milk production.
This particular brand of mineral lick contains a flavoring called “Tastetite” which helps improve its palatability. The company claims that this flavoring can overcome low feed intake among livestock.
This mineral lick is currently used at the PCC herd particularly at the University of the Philippines in Los
Baños and Cagayan State University stations.
PCC at UPLB’s center director Dr. Arnel del Barrio, an animal nutrition expert, said the supplementation of mineral lick to buffaloes, especially when they are fully confined, is very important to provide them with the essential minerals that are needed for higher productivity.
“We have been in partnership with the company for 10 years. We get about 15 boxes of two kinds of mineral lick from them annually and the company has been of service to us in a satisfactory manner,” Dr. del Barrio said.
He added that the ease of use of the mineral lick and its availability makes it a good choice for a mineral supplement.
A mineral block, Dr. del Barrio said, is placed in the barn near the drinking area and in other areas where most animals congregate. A minimum of one block is recommended for every five to 10 animals, he said.
A block of the supplement is retailed in poultry feeds and supply stalls at Php400. Each weighs 5 kg.
The kind of block that is supplied to PCC, which is more compact compared to other available mineral lick in the market, can be consumed by three to four buffaloes in one month.
“Supplementation of the mineral lick allows the animals to secrete adequate amount of milk and at the same time maintain its body condition so that it can productively perform again,” Dr. Rodriguez further explained.
Farming solutions providerA provider of solutions to almost all
aspects of farming needs has been in partnership with PCC in supplying its requirements for AI paraphernalia and veterinary pharmaceuticals.
It has also been providing portable milking machines to small-scale dairy farms. A unit of a double-milk bucket milking machine is priced at Php78,000.
The company, which is on its 38th year of operation, is practically a one-stop-shop for almost all the requirements of a poultry and livestock
. . . as demand goes full blastA trade to lastText and Photo by Rowena G. Bumanlag
continued on page 30
Mineral lick for buffaloes
Photo from PCC at UPLB
PCC Newsletter • April-June 201224 25
Excellent feeding system, for sure, is crucial for making the carabao reach its optimum performance and for its female kind, to pour out a pronounced amount of milk into the farmer’s pail.
To respond to this exigency, animal products developers address this specific concern by defining the best solution and developing the best products they can offer to their clients.
One particular purveyor of animal feeds in the country makes full use of science as its underlying principle for its products development.
This company (name withheld per editorial policy), started as an animal health division under a corporation of feeds manufacturer. Its initial functions were that of serving the needs of the corporation’s internal contract growers and feeds production. It was also initially set up to reduce the costs of medication of the mother company's broiler and breeder flocks.
In 1995, after 15 years of deliberate undertakings in animal products development, this animal health division grew into a wholly-owned subsidiary of the corporation.
Aside from its deliberate research
Needs for supply boom as carabao-based industry
bloomsand development efforts, the company also conducts feed trials of its products which keep it to be on top of other animal products developers.
“Before we release certain products in the market, it is our protocol to conduct field trials first,” says Dr. Jaspher G. Ignacio, national sales manager.
Among its many products which came out of extensive R&D undertaking is the development of feed concentrates for carabaos.
Concentrates are feeds containing high density and highly digestible nutrients which meets the nutrient requirement of the animal.
One of its major clients is the Gene Pool farm of the Philippine Carabao Center (PCC). The gene pool maintains a herd of 700 head of buffaloes, majority of which are female.
With the company’s excellent R&D-based products and credibility, it became PCC’s sole supplier of feed concentrates.
In 2007, the company made research collaboration with PCC in developing practical, least cost, and effective feed supplements.
The feed trials went on for five months which included calf starter, calf grower, and dairy concentrates.
Calf starterThe calf starter is specifically
formulated to meet the nutrient requirement of the caracalves for balanced feed specifications to ensure
good growth and to reduce weaning stress.
Provided with milk at 4 liters per day and good quality roughage ad libitum, the recommended daily serving of concentrates for the calf from age 4 days to 30 days is at 300 g to 500 g daily; from 31days to 60 days, 750 g to 1,000 g; and from 61 to 90 days, 1.5 kg to 2.0 kg.
As a result, the study showed that the calves developed higher feed intake resulting to significant higher live weight and better ADG (average daily gain).
“When we started using calf starter, the calves demonstrated good body condition, developed shiny and clean hair coat, and showed healthy appearance. The calves also expressed alertness due to the absence of scouring incidence,” Dr. Aquino attested.
The PCC Gene Pool farm uses 100 bags (50 kg per bag) of calf starter concentrates monthly.
GrowerThe administration of grower
concentrates is specifically designed to reach the optimum feed specifications for weaned calves to reduce weaning stress and growth lag of the animal. It is formulated using ground grains and cereals adapted to the digestive capacity of the animal.
It also contains specific macro and micro minerals for shinier and healthier coating.
Animals supplemented with grower concentrates constantly demonstrated good body condition and healthy appearance.
Since the animal exhibit good performance, the duration of days to reach the animal’s body weight of 300kg is shortened by two weeks, the PCC study showed.
The shortened period translated to an additional savings of Php324.66 per animal, the study affirmed.
Every month, the gene pool farm uses 200 bags (50 kg per bag) of grower concentrates for the animals’ feed requirements.
Dairy concentrates“Normally, the dairy cows are fed
with rations that are not based on standards (e.g. low quality forage such rice straws) which results in poor milk performance,” Melba Villaraza, technical support group manager of the corporation, says.
Melba adds: “To reach the animal’s optimum milk production, proper feed supplement is needed.”
“The roughage is the rice of the animal while the feed concentrate is their ulam (viand),” says Dr. Aquino.
In a more concrete explanation, Dr. Aquino said: “A 500-gram dairy concentrate translates to an additional 1 kilogram of milk produce.”
At the gene pool farm, the daily ration per lactating cow is 75% forage (2.5% to 3.5% of the total body weight) and 25% concentrates (4 kg to 5 kg). The concentrates are fed to the animals twice a day at the rate of 2kg in the morning and the same amount in the
afternoon. “At the average, the animals
produced 10 kg to 12 kg of milk every day,” Dr. Aquino said referring to the studies made.
The farm purchases 380 bags (50kg per bag) of dairy concentrates monthly.
Array of consumersThe use of concentrates for buffaloes
is not practiced in the PCC gene pool farm alone. In fact, the 13 regional centers of the agency are also utilizing concentrates for administration of proper feeding in their respective institutional herds.
Other than the PCC institutional herds, two exemplary dairy farmers are also users and prime witnesses on the benefits of dairy concentrates, hence, they are regular patrons of this product.
Engr. Jaime Ramos or “Ka Jaime”, an engineer-turned-model carabao raiser, is one of them. He hails from Talavera in Nueva Ecija.
Since he started using dairy concentrates in 2009, he collects eight liters to 10 liters of milk daily from each of his animals. Happily also, one of his animals reached a peak of 18 liters of daily milk produce.
Marcelino Mislang or “Ka Marcing” of San Jose City in Nueva Ecija, on the
other hand, obtained a milking peak of 16 liters from one of his animals in his herd. This, according to him, is also because of the utilization of dairy concentrates.
The results exhibited in the farms of these two exemplary farmers and on the PCC herds reverberated throughout the dairy zones of the country especially in the national impact zone and resulted to more adopters of the practice of feeding the animals with concentrates.
Currently, the “Nueva Ecija Federation of Dairy Carabao Cooperative”, “Pulong Buli Primary Multi-purpose Cooperative, Inc.”, and the “Eastern Primary Multi-purpose Cooperative” have become the three primary direct recipients of concentrates supply.
Regularly, these cooperatives purchase 50 bags to 150 bags of dairy concentrates. In turn, they supply hundreds of dairy farmers in their respective areas who are also very willing to reap the fruit of this technology of giving feed concentrate to dairy carabaos.
“We recognize that the number of farmers who are interested to try our products is getting bigger. Because of this, we will try to come up with strategic plan for products’ distribution to cater to other smallhold farms,” Jaspher said.
Text and Photos byJoahna G. Goyagoy
PCC Newsletter • April-June 201224 25
Animal products development, such as the feed concentrates for carabaos, undergo science-based protocols to achieve their optimum effectiveness.
PCC Newsletter • April-June 201224 25
Excellent feeding system, for sure, is crucial for making the carabao reach its optimum performance and for its female kind, to pour out a pronounced amount of milk into the farmer’s pail.
To respond to this exigency, animal products developers address this specific concern by defining the best solution and developing the best products they can offer to their clients.
One particular purveyor of animal feeds in the country makes full use of science as its underlying principle for its products development.
This company (name withheld per editorial policy), started as an animal health division under a corporation of feeds manufacturer. Its initial functions were that of serving the needs of the corporation’s internal contract growers and feeds production. It was also initially set up to reduce the costs of medication of the mother company's broiler and breeder flocks.
In 1995, after 15 years of deliberate undertakings in animal products development, this animal health division grew into a wholly-owned subsidiary of the corporation.
Aside from its deliberate research
Needs for supply boom as carabao-based industry
bloomsand development efforts, the company also conducts feed trials of its products which keep it to be on top of other animal products developers.
“Before we release certain products in the market, it is our protocol to conduct field trials first,” says Dr. Jaspher G. Ignacio, national sales manager.
Among its many products which came out of extensive R&D undertaking is the development of feed concentrates for carabaos.
Concentrates are feeds containing high density and highly digestible nutrients which meets the nutrient requirement of the animal.
One of its major clients is the Gene Pool farm of the Philippine Carabao Center (PCC). The gene pool maintains a herd of 700 head of buffaloes, majority of which are female.
With the company’s excellent R&D-based products and credibility, it became PCC’s sole supplier of feed concentrates.
In 2007, the company made research collaboration with PCC in developing practical, least cost, and effective feed supplements.
The feed trials went on for five months which included calf starter, calf grower, and dairy concentrates.
Calf starterThe calf starter is specifically
formulated to meet the nutrient requirement of the caracalves for balanced feed specifications to ensure
good growth and to reduce weaning stress.
Provided with milk at 4 liters per day and good quality roughage ad libitum, the recommended daily serving of concentrates for the calf from age 4 days to 30 days is at 300 g to 500 g daily; from 31days to 60 days, 750 g to 1,000 g; and from 61 to 90 days, 1.5 kg to 2.0 kg.
As a result, the study showed that the calves developed higher feed intake resulting to significant higher live weight and better ADG (average daily gain).
“When we started using calf starter, the calves demonstrated good body condition, developed shiny and clean hair coat, and showed healthy appearance. The calves also expressed alertness due to the absence of scouring incidence,” Dr. Aquino attested.
The PCC Gene Pool farm uses 100 bags (50 kg per bag) of calf starter concentrates monthly.
GrowerThe administration of grower
concentrates is specifically designed to reach the optimum feed specifications for weaned calves to reduce weaning stress and growth lag of the animal. It is formulated using ground grains and cereals adapted to the digestive capacity of the animal.
It also contains specific macro and micro minerals for shinier and healthier coating.
Animals supplemented with grower concentrates constantly demonstrated good body condition and healthy appearance.
Since the animal exhibit good performance, the duration of days to reach the animal’s body weight of 300kg is shortened by two weeks, the PCC study showed.
The shortened period translated to an additional savings of Php324.66 per animal, the study affirmed.
Every month, the gene pool farm uses 200 bags (50 kg per bag) of grower concentrates for the animals’ feed requirements.
Dairy concentrates“Normally, the dairy cows are fed
with rations that are not based on standards (e.g. low quality forage such rice straws) which results in poor milk performance,” Melba Villaraza, technical support group manager of the corporation, says.
Melba adds: “To reach the animal’s optimum milk production, proper feed supplement is needed.”
“The roughage is the rice of the animal while the feed concentrate is their ulam (viand),” says Dr. Aquino.
In a more concrete explanation, Dr. Aquino said: “A 500-gram dairy concentrate translates to an additional 1 kilogram of milk produce.”
At the gene pool farm, the daily ration per lactating cow is 75% forage (2.5% to 3.5% of the total body weight) and 25% concentrates (4 kg to 5 kg). The concentrates are fed to the animals twice a day at the rate of 2kg in the morning and the same amount in the
afternoon. “At the average, the animals
produced 10 kg to 12 kg of milk every day,” Dr. Aquino said referring to the studies made.
The farm purchases 380 bags (50kg per bag) of dairy concentrates monthly.
Array of consumersThe use of concentrates for buffaloes
is not practiced in the PCC gene pool farm alone. In fact, the 13 regional centers of the agency are also utilizing concentrates for administration of proper feeding in their respective institutional herds.
Other than the PCC institutional herds, two exemplary dairy farmers are also users and prime witnesses on the benefits of dairy concentrates, hence, they are regular patrons of this product.
Engr. Jaime Ramos or “Ka Jaime”, an engineer-turned-model carabao raiser, is one of them. He hails from Talavera in Nueva Ecija.
Since he started using dairy concentrates in 2009, he collects eight liters to 10 liters of milk daily from each of his animals. Happily also, one of his animals reached a peak of 18 liters of daily milk produce.
Marcelino Mislang or “Ka Marcing” of San Jose City in Nueva Ecija, on the
other hand, obtained a milking peak of 16 liters from one of his animals in his herd. This, according to him, is also because of the utilization of dairy concentrates.
The results exhibited in the farms of these two exemplary farmers and on the PCC herds reverberated throughout the dairy zones of the country especially in the national impact zone and resulted to more adopters of the practice of feeding the animals with concentrates.
Currently, the “Nueva Ecija Federation of Dairy Carabao Cooperative”, “Pulong Buli Primary Multi-purpose Cooperative, Inc.”, and the “Eastern Primary Multi-purpose Cooperative” have become the three primary direct recipients of concentrates supply.
Regularly, these cooperatives purchase 50 bags to 150 bags of dairy concentrates. In turn, they supply hundreds of dairy farmers in their respective areas who are also very willing to reap the fruit of this technology of giving feed concentrate to dairy carabaos.
“We recognize that the number of farmers who are interested to try our products is getting bigger. Because of this, we will try to come up with strategic plan for products’ distribution to cater to other smallhold farms,” Jaspher said.
Text and Photos byJoahna G. Goyagoy
PCC Newsletter • April-June 201224 25
Animal products development, such as the feed concentrates for carabaos, undergo science-based protocols to achieve their optimum effectiveness.
PCC Newsletter • April-June 201226 27
At the crack of dawn, sounds, movements, and the hustle and bustle of human activities sizzle in Barangay Capatan in Tuguegarao City.
A throng of men cause them. They are in the slaughterhouse and, expectedly, they are the main actors in the exuberant livestock trade in this capital city of Cagayan.
Some unload animals from trucks while others carry on their shoulders slabs of carcass. Still, others just engage in raucous chats interspersed with sipping steaming hot coffee.
In a corner, a man with a logbook and a pen records the animals brought in and the loads of carcass that go out.
From the slaughterhouse, the slabs of carcass are brought to the Don Domingo public market for selling to consumers. For the carabeef, it goes straight to the three stalls that are the only known seller of the carabao’s meat.
One of the stall owners is Nelly Macabadbad, 52. In this business since the 1980s, she is a vital cog in the supply of carabao’s meat to the public.
“Among the original vendors of carabeef here, I was the only one who thrived in this business,” Nelly said.
In fact, Nelly is now the biggest licensed carabao butcher and supplier of carabao’s meat. She also sells the skin and horn as raw materials for manufacturers of carabao-based value-added products in Tuguegarao City.
Nelly employs six laborers in her stall in the market.
Her dedication in the business has earned her several committed customers who keep doing great business with her.
“Supplying the demand of my customers sometimes calls for a sacrifice on my part. I do it as I don’t want to fail them. That’s how I do my business. I make it a point that I can give what they need even though it is only at break-even cost,” Nelly said.
Nelly supplies carabeef to restaurants, hotels, and to the Cagayan Valley Medical Center (CVMC) in Tuguegarao. Her most avid carabeef buyer, she said, is a panciteria (a restaurant that specializes in noodles) that gets 70 kg of carabeef from her every day.
Other restaurants and hotels get their carabeef supply from her at staggered basis, about 30 kg in ordinary days and up to 180 kg during peak demand.
On the other hand, she supplies the CVMC with 36 kg to 40 kg every other day.
Nelly supplies carabeef to her regular buyers at Php165 per kilogram. In her stall, she maintains a selling price of Php180 for the lean meat and Php130 for the bony parts.
She butchers two to three head of carabaos daily to meet her customers’ demand for carabeef. During peak days, though, such as in school days and holidays, she butchers four to six head.
Only carabaos with ages seven to 11 years are butchered in Tuguegarao City.
Nelly’s acumen in the business made her sustain a loyal customer—the Lighthouse Cooperative. The coop is the maker of the famous processed meat products in Tuguegarao labeled as “Carne Ybanag.”
The coop obtains its carabeef supply of about 100 kg, mostly tenderloin cut, from Nelly twice a week.
The meat is delivered to the coop for processing to carabeef tapa. The excess of the meat cuts for tapa, and the ligaments are used for making carabeef longganisa.
The products of Carne Ybanag are supplied to local grocery stores, some outlets in Regions 1 and 3, Baguio City, and several restaurants in Manila.
Aside from gaining profit from carabeef sales, Nelly also earns good income from selling the skin. She supplies 180 kg of this (harvested from six carabaos) to the Lighthouse Cooperative every day at Php25 to Php29 a kilogram.
A kilogram of raw skin yields 300 g of antala (half-cooked chicharon) which, when fried in low fire, can make 4.5 packs of chicharon.
Nelly sees her five-year partnership with the coop as a boost to her family’s livelihood. She said she intends to keep a healthy and long-term connection with the coop by ensuring that its demands are met.
In the event of a scarcity in the supply of skin, Nelly also picks-up from other carabao butchers. The coop, she said, does not get its supply of skin from other butchers because it prefers to transact only with her.
For the carabao skin that she supplies, the coop turns it into “Chicharabao”. This commodity has become a popular pasalubong (take-home item) among visitors and tourists alike in Tuguegarao City.
Arthur Tabbu, the coop’s general manager, recalled that it wasn’t easy for the coop then to find for a bulk supplier of carabao skin. Nelly was then committed to supplying the raw material to a manufacturer of leather goods in Pangasinan.
“We had our raw material only when there was excess supply from the butchers. That’s why we had to bear what was left for us. It was quite
a while before we had a stable supply of carabao skin for our “Chicharabao”. Nelly agreed to supply the carabao skin to us starting in 2008,” Arthur said.
The coop makes a one-month deposit or advanced payment for the skin.
“This chicharon business basically operates on a 100-percent cash basis. We incur no debt in this venture,” Arthur explained.
The Lighthouse Cooperative lives up to its thrust of generating employment in the town. It currently maintains 15 employees for the manufacturing of carabeef products and seven for the making of chicharon.
Aside from carabeef and carabao skin, Nelly gets additional sales from the horns. These are bought by bolo or knife makers in Tuguegarao City. The horns are fashioned out by the makers to become bolo handles.
Tuguegarao City is also known for its bolo industry.
“I don’t ask a high price for the horns because I want to help the person who has found a means for an additional income out of it,” Nelly said.
She revs up
She was referring to Alipio Ventura, 65.
Alipio collects an average of six pairs of carabaos’ horn from butchers in Don Domingo market, including Nelly, at Php100 to Php250 per pair depending on their size.
He either uses the horns for his own bolo-making business or sells them at a marked-up price to other large-scale bolo-makers.
“More than the profit that I get out of this business, I am glad that I am able to help other people find an additional source of income,” Nelly added.
At 11 o’clock in the morning, when the other vendors of other kinds of meat are just beginning to heat up in their sales, Nelly is already starting to pack up. About that time, her supply of carabeef for the day, including other raw materials from the carabao, has already been sold out.
She then goes home, takes a rest and looks forward to another day of work. She knows she should not stop. To do so will mean that the supply chain in carabao meat, skin, and horn in their area will most likely grind to a halt.
“Supplying the demand of my customers sometimes calls for a sacrifice on my part. I do it as I don't want to fail them."
the carabeef & hidesupply chainText and Photos by Rowena G. Bumanlag
The Lighthouse Cooperative’s general manager Arthur Tabbu tells how the workers at the Chicharabao plant uphold good management practices when manufacturing the product which is steadily gaining popularity as one of Tuguegarao City’s specialties.
PCC Newsletter • April-June 201226 27
Nelly Macabadbad
PCC Newsletter • April-June 201226 27
At the crack of dawn, sounds, movements, and the hustle and bustle of human activities sizzle in Barangay Capatan in Tuguegarao City.
A throng of men cause them. They are in the slaughterhouse and, expectedly, they are the main actors in the exuberant livestock trade in this capital city of Cagayan.
Some unload animals from trucks while others carry on their shoulders slabs of carcass. Still, others just engage in raucous chats interspersed with sipping steaming hot coffee.
In a corner, a man with a logbook and a pen records the animals brought in and the loads of carcass that go out.
From the slaughterhouse, the slabs of carcass are brought to the Don Domingo public market for selling to consumers. For the carabeef, it goes straight to the three stalls that are the only known seller of the carabao’s meat.
One of the stall owners is Nelly Macabadbad, 52. In this business since the 1980s, she is a vital cog in the supply of carabao’s meat to the public.
“Among the original vendors of carabeef here, I was the only one who thrived in this business,” Nelly said.
In fact, Nelly is now the biggest licensed carabao butcher and supplier of carabao’s meat. She also sells the skin and horn as raw materials for manufacturers of carabao-based value-added products in Tuguegarao City.
Nelly employs six laborers in her stall in the market.
Her dedication in the business has earned her several committed customers who keep doing great business with her.
“Supplying the demand of my customers sometimes calls for a sacrifice on my part. I do it as I don’t want to fail them. That’s how I do my business. I make it a point that I can give what they need even though it is only at break-even cost,” Nelly said.
Nelly supplies carabeef to restaurants, hotels, and to the Cagayan Valley Medical Center (CVMC) in Tuguegarao. Her most avid carabeef buyer, she said, is a panciteria (a restaurant that specializes in noodles) that gets 70 kg of carabeef from her every day.
Other restaurants and hotels get their carabeef supply from her at staggered basis, about 30 kg in ordinary days and up to 180 kg during peak demand.
On the other hand, she supplies the CVMC with 36 kg to 40 kg every other day.
Nelly supplies carabeef to her regular buyers at Php165 per kilogram. In her stall, she maintains a selling price of Php180 for the lean meat and Php130 for the bony parts.
She butchers two to three head of carabaos daily to meet her customers’ demand for carabeef. During peak days, though, such as in school days and holidays, she butchers four to six head.
Only carabaos with ages seven to 11 years are butchered in Tuguegarao City.
Nelly’s acumen in the business made her sustain a loyal customer—the Lighthouse Cooperative. The coop is the maker of the famous processed meat products in Tuguegarao labeled as “Carne Ybanag.”
The coop obtains its carabeef supply of about 100 kg, mostly tenderloin cut, from Nelly twice a week.
The meat is delivered to the coop for processing to carabeef tapa. The excess of the meat cuts for tapa, and the ligaments are used for making carabeef longganisa.
The products of Carne Ybanag are supplied to local grocery stores, some outlets in Regions 1 and 3, Baguio City, and several restaurants in Manila.
Aside from gaining profit from carabeef sales, Nelly also earns good income from selling the skin. She supplies 180 kg of this (harvested from six carabaos) to the Lighthouse Cooperative every day at Php25 to Php29 a kilogram.
A kilogram of raw skin yields 300 g of antala (half-cooked chicharon) which, when fried in low fire, can make 4.5 packs of chicharon.
Nelly sees her five-year partnership with the coop as a boost to her family’s livelihood. She said she intends to keep a healthy and long-term connection with the coop by ensuring that its demands are met.
In the event of a scarcity in the supply of skin, Nelly also picks-up from other carabao butchers. The coop, she said, does not get its supply of skin from other butchers because it prefers to transact only with her.
For the carabao skin that she supplies, the coop turns it into “Chicharabao”. This commodity has become a popular pasalubong (take-home item) among visitors and tourists alike in Tuguegarao City.
Arthur Tabbu, the coop’s general manager, recalled that it wasn’t easy for the coop then to find for a bulk supplier of carabao skin. Nelly was then committed to supplying the raw material to a manufacturer of leather goods in Pangasinan.
“We had our raw material only when there was excess supply from the butchers. That’s why we had to bear what was left for us. It was quite
a while before we had a stable supply of carabao skin for our “Chicharabao”. Nelly agreed to supply the carabao skin to us starting in 2008,” Arthur said.
The coop makes a one-month deposit or advanced payment for the skin.
“This chicharon business basically operates on a 100-percent cash basis. We incur no debt in this venture,” Arthur explained.
The Lighthouse Cooperative lives up to its thrust of generating employment in the town. It currently maintains 15 employees for the manufacturing of carabeef products and seven for the making of chicharon.
Aside from carabeef and carabao skin, Nelly gets additional sales from the horns. These are bought by bolo or knife makers in Tuguegarao City. The horns are fashioned out by the makers to become bolo handles.
Tuguegarao City is also known for its bolo industry.
“I don’t ask a high price for the horns because I want to help the person who has found a means for an additional income out of it,” Nelly said.
She revs up
She was referring to Alipio Ventura, 65.
Alipio collects an average of six pairs of carabaos’ horn from butchers in Don Domingo market, including Nelly, at Php100 to Php250 per pair depending on their size.
He either uses the horns for his own bolo-making business or sells them at a marked-up price to other large-scale bolo-makers.
“More than the profit that I get out of this business, I am glad that I am able to help other people find an additional source of income,” Nelly added.
At 11 o’clock in the morning, when the other vendors of other kinds of meat are just beginning to heat up in their sales, Nelly is already starting to pack up. About that time, her supply of carabeef for the day, including other raw materials from the carabao, has already been sold out.
She then goes home, takes a rest and looks forward to another day of work. She knows she should not stop. To do so will mean that the supply chain in carabao meat, skin, and horn in their area will most likely grind to a halt.
“Supplying the demand of my customers sometimes calls for a sacrifice on my part. I do it as I don't want to fail them."
the carabeef & hidesupply chainText and Photos by Rowena G. Bumanlag
The Lighthouse Cooperative’s general manager Arthur Tabbu tells how the workers at the Chicharabao plant uphold good management practices when manufacturing the product which is steadily gaining popularity as one of Tuguegarao City’s specialties.
PCC Newsletter • April-June 201226 27
Nelly Macabadbad
PCC Newsletter • April-June 201228 29
One company in the Philippines, though, that supplies carabao raw hides for manufacturing leather goods, manages to keep itself alive for years now.
J.J. Agustin Trading in Iloilo City continues to specialize in the collection of raw water buffalo and cow hides used in making quality leather goods such as shoes and apparel items.
It has been continuing its age-old legacy in the dealership of raw hide since 1936.
Then and nowThe raw hide dealership which
started with the Blanco/Rubio Clan of Bangkal, Meycauayan, Bulacan was inherited by the late Margarita Rubio Lizardo, simply known as Aling Etang.
Her mother was the first to venture in the raw hide dealership during the late 1930’s. But it was Aling Etang who made it prosper.
Aling Etang, guided by her entrepreneurial spirit, migrated to Rizal Street, Iloilo City Proper in the mid-
1950 where she chose to have her own business, “Margarita Lizardo raw hides”, a dealer of raw hides coming from cow, carabao, and even goat.
She was considered as the pioneer in raw hide dealership in Iloilo City.
She also engaged in manufacturing slippers made of leather materials such as cow and carabao hides. She also operated a small tannery at Balantang, Jaro, Iloilo City for a short period of time until she decided to transfer the processing of the hide to Meycauayan, Bulacan tannery due to leather demand for Marikina and abroad.
She also became one of the slipper and shoe makers in Iloilo City and the popular shoe supplier to Colegio de Las Hijas de Jesus in Iloilo City, and neighboring towns within the Visayan Region, and as far as Mindanao Island.
In her supply business, Aling Etang supplied the raw hides mostly to some firms in Manila, and in Guiguinto and Meycauayan in Bulacan.
It was during the 70s when her business boomed. Her delivery of raw hides in a month ranged from 30 to 40 tons of mixed carabao and cow hides.
Aling Etang made good “harvest” from her business. She was able to procure properties and made travels abroad with her family. She has 10 children, all of whom helped her
manage the business.Her children helped sourcing out
stocks of raw hides from Antique, Capiz, Aklan, and Negros.
Unfortunately, Aling Etang passed away leaving behind the management of the business to her children. The business met difficulties and eventually led to its bankruptcy in 2008.
That same year, Veronica the sixth child of Aling Etang, with husband Jesse James Agustin, decided to revive the business and put it up as their own after their retirement from abroad.
They decided to acquire a property in Barangay Bolilao, Mandurriao, Iloilo City where the business establishment is also located. Veronica wanted to rejuvenate the business because she still wanted to continue her mother’s legacy.
They named it “J.J. Agustin Trading” after her husband’s initials.
J.J. Agustin Trading keeps the passion in doing this endeavor equipped with the knowledge of the old techniques and methods that came from their ancestral background.
In effect, Veronica and her husband are the third generation of raw hide dealer started by Aling Etang’s mother.
ShipmentEvery three months, eight to 10 tons
in
The buyers pay them with post-dated checks or cash upon delivery. The hides are picked-up by the buyers in the port area.
Leather productsThe leathers produced from the
hides are made into footwear, bags, belts, accessories, and upholstery by the manufacturers who ordered the hides.
“Unlike cow, carabao leather has coarser grains and natural hardness. It is mostly used in thicker products such as belts and soles,” Veronica said.
Jesse and Veronica admitted that the leather industry is experiencing a slowdown. At the same time, they said, the carabao hides are now popularly used for food processing thus limiting its use for leather-making.
Faced with these challenges, Veronica still holds on to her passion of continuing the business even if it is not as profitable anymore compared to her mother’s. Her husband supports her all the way.
Meanwhile, Jon has explored the possibilities of exporting the raw materials as well as the finished products like bags and purse. He promotes the business thru the internet.
As of now, possible clients from Oman, United States, and United Kingdom have been asking for samples.
“Lying low seems to be a practical approach since the leather business is not as good as it used to be during my grandmother's time. I may have to find some other ways to come up with end products for the raw material if ever I decide to boost and revive the business of my mother,” Jon said.
hidesA family that prides
Manufacturing of leather goods is a tough business to engage in. Stiff competition exists, with China fiercely in it.
at Php140 and Php150 for younger carabaos.
When inspecting a potential carabao to buy, Edwin gives the animal a rub on the rump, chest, and body to have a feel of its overall physique. Another manifestation that a carabao is well-nourished, he said, is the feel of a medium fat layer under the animal’s skin.
He is also careful, like any livestock buyer in the auction market, not to buy a carabao with a cut-off tail. Livestock traders in Padre Garcia believe that a carabao with a cut-off tail brings a twofold bad luck to someone who buys it. Thus, this “unlucky carabao” fetches only about 50 percent of the actual price in the auction market.
An albino carabao, on the other hand, is believed to bring fortune to the paradahan as it will usher more animals for trading.
Edwin buys 25 head of carabaos per day or 100 head per week. He brings 25 head everyday to the retailer who usually slaughters about 17 to 20 head. During peak season, especially during the Christmas and New Year seasons, Edwin said this retailer requires 50 head per day for them to deliver.
For every 10 head of carabaos, Edwin and his team earn an average of Php20,000.
For every carabao that he pulls out from the auction market, Edwin pays an ownership transfer fee of Php90.
For as long as ‘Listahe!’ is a reverberating exclamation every auction day at Padre Garcia, which equally means a resounding pouring in of cash in the pockets, Edwin, Alex, and the other key players in the auction market of Padre Garcia look forward, with buoyant hope, to more years of being mainstays in the livestock trade.
That positive outlook, happily, augurs well, too, for the livestock raisers, including the raisers of carabaos to supply the gourmand’s delight for carabao meat’s delicacies.
PCC Newsletter • April-June 201228
of cured raw hides are being shipped to Manila and eventually to Bulacan. Forty percent of these are carabao hides while the rest are cow hides.
The hides are sourced out from the stocks of local market butchers of Passi City, Zaraga, Pototan, and Barotac Nuevo in the province of Iloilo; San Jose, Sibalum, Hamtic in the province of Antique; and Navas, Ibahay in the province of Aklan within the Island of Panay.
The collected raw hides from the three provincial sources are already cured. It was learned that the curing of raw carabao and cow hides takes three months.
According to Jesse, 4 kg of salt are needed for every 30 kg of raw hide when curing.
Each source provides at least three tons of cured raw hide. The couple is informed thru a phone call whenever the desired amount of hides is already available.
The couple pay Php25 to Php26 per kilo of cured raw hide delivered to them.
“The cured raw hides are kept in our storage area until such time that we accumulate the needed amount required by our buyers,” explained Jesse.
“The initial condition of raw hides depends on how it is preserved. Less salt makes the hide more prone to breakage and shedding of hair. We always ask them to properly handle the removal of the hide from the animal to avoid possible hole marks. Every hide must be round in shape for design purposes,” he added.
Their son, Jon, takes charge of the shipment to Manila.
The delivered hides are priced at Php32 per kilo.
29
By Khrizie Evert M. PadrePhotos by Joahna G. Goyagoy
from page 17
They seek, they find,and blurt out. . .
Couple Jesse and Veronica Agustin strives to revive the leather industry in Iloilo as they also try to keep their mother’s legacy alive in the business thru the years.
PCC Newsletter • April-June 201228 29
One company in the Philippines, though, that supplies carabao raw hides for manufacturing leather goods, manages to keep itself alive for years now.
J.J. Agustin Trading in Iloilo City continues to specialize in the collection of raw water buffalo and cow hides used in making quality leather goods such as shoes and apparel items.
It has been continuing its age-old legacy in the dealership of raw hide since 1936.
Then and nowThe raw hide dealership which
started with the Blanco/Rubio Clan of Bangkal, Meycauayan, Bulacan was inherited by the late Margarita Rubio Lizardo, simply known as Aling Etang.
Her mother was the first to venture in the raw hide dealership during the late 1930’s. But it was Aling Etang who made it prosper.
Aling Etang, guided by her entrepreneurial spirit, migrated to Rizal Street, Iloilo City Proper in the mid-
1950 where she chose to have her own business, “Margarita Lizardo raw hides”, a dealer of raw hides coming from cow, carabao, and even goat.
She was considered as the pioneer in raw hide dealership in Iloilo City.
She also engaged in manufacturing slippers made of leather materials such as cow and carabao hides. She also operated a small tannery at Balantang, Jaro, Iloilo City for a short period of time until she decided to transfer the processing of the hide to Meycauayan, Bulacan tannery due to leather demand for Marikina and abroad.
She also became one of the slipper and shoe makers in Iloilo City and the popular shoe supplier to Colegio de Las Hijas de Jesus in Iloilo City, and neighboring towns within the Visayan Region, and as far as Mindanao Island.
In her supply business, Aling Etang supplied the raw hides mostly to some firms in Manila, and in Guiguinto and Meycauayan in Bulacan.
It was during the 70s when her business boomed. Her delivery of raw hides in a month ranged from 30 to 40 tons of mixed carabao and cow hides.
Aling Etang made good “harvest” from her business. She was able to procure properties and made travels abroad with her family. She has 10 children, all of whom helped her
manage the business.Her children helped sourcing out
stocks of raw hides from Antique, Capiz, Aklan, and Negros.
Unfortunately, Aling Etang passed away leaving behind the management of the business to her children. The business met difficulties and eventually led to its bankruptcy in 2008.
That same year, Veronica the sixth child of Aling Etang, with husband Jesse James Agustin, decided to revive the business and put it up as their own after their retirement from abroad.
They decided to acquire a property in Barangay Bolilao, Mandurriao, Iloilo City where the business establishment is also located. Veronica wanted to rejuvenate the business because she still wanted to continue her mother’s legacy.
They named it “J.J. Agustin Trading” after her husband’s initials.
J.J. Agustin Trading keeps the passion in doing this endeavor equipped with the knowledge of the old techniques and methods that came from their ancestral background.
In effect, Veronica and her husband are the third generation of raw hide dealer started by Aling Etang’s mother.
ShipmentEvery three months, eight to 10 tons
in
The buyers pay them with post-dated checks or cash upon delivery. The hides are picked-up by the buyers in the port area.
Leather productsThe leathers produced from the
hides are made into footwear, bags, belts, accessories, and upholstery by the manufacturers who ordered the hides.
“Unlike cow, carabao leather has coarser grains and natural hardness. It is mostly used in thicker products such as belts and soles,” Veronica said.
Jesse and Veronica admitted that the leather industry is experiencing a slowdown. At the same time, they said, the carabao hides are now popularly used for food processing thus limiting its use for leather-making.
Faced with these challenges, Veronica still holds on to her passion of continuing the business even if it is not as profitable anymore compared to her mother’s. Her husband supports her all the way.
Meanwhile, Jon has explored the possibilities of exporting the raw materials as well as the finished products like bags and purse. He promotes the business thru the internet.
As of now, possible clients from Oman, United States, and United Kingdom have been asking for samples.
“Lying low seems to be a practical approach since the leather business is not as good as it used to be during my grandmother's time. I may have to find some other ways to come up with end products for the raw material if ever I decide to boost and revive the business of my mother,” Jon said.
hidesA family that prides
Manufacturing of leather goods is a tough business to engage in. Stiff competition exists, with China fiercely in it.
at Php140 and Php150 for younger carabaos.
When inspecting a potential carabao to buy, Edwin gives the animal a rub on the rump, chest, and body to have a feel of its overall physique. Another manifestation that a carabao is well-nourished, he said, is the feel of a medium fat layer under the animal’s skin.
He is also careful, like any livestock buyer in the auction market, not to buy a carabao with a cut-off tail. Livestock traders in Padre Garcia believe that a carabao with a cut-off tail brings a twofold bad luck to someone who buys it. Thus, this “unlucky carabao” fetches only about 50 percent of the actual price in the auction market.
An albino carabao, on the other hand, is believed to bring fortune to the paradahan as it will usher more animals for trading.
Edwin buys 25 head of carabaos per day or 100 head per week. He brings 25 head everyday to the retailer who usually slaughters about 17 to 20 head. During peak season, especially during the Christmas and New Year seasons, Edwin said this retailer requires 50 head per day for them to deliver.
For every 10 head of carabaos, Edwin and his team earn an average of Php20,000.
For every carabao that he pulls out from the auction market, Edwin pays an ownership transfer fee of Php90.
For as long as ‘Listahe!’ is a reverberating exclamation every auction day at Padre Garcia, which equally means a resounding pouring in of cash in the pockets, Edwin, Alex, and the other key players in the auction market of Padre Garcia look forward, with buoyant hope, to more years of being mainstays in the livestock trade.
That positive outlook, happily, augurs well, too, for the livestock raisers, including the raisers of carabaos to supply the gourmand’s delight for carabao meat’s delicacies.
PCC Newsletter • April-June 201228
of cured raw hides are being shipped to Manila and eventually to Bulacan. Forty percent of these are carabao hides while the rest are cow hides.
The hides are sourced out from the stocks of local market butchers of Passi City, Zaraga, Pototan, and Barotac Nuevo in the province of Iloilo; San Jose, Sibalum, Hamtic in the province of Antique; and Navas, Ibahay in the province of Aklan within the Island of Panay.
The collected raw hides from the three provincial sources are already cured. It was learned that the curing of raw carabao and cow hides takes three months.
According to Jesse, 4 kg of salt are needed for every 30 kg of raw hide when curing.
Each source provides at least three tons of cured raw hide. The couple is informed thru a phone call whenever the desired amount of hides is already available.
The couple pay Php25 to Php26 per kilo of cured raw hide delivered to them.
“The cured raw hides are kept in our storage area until such time that we accumulate the needed amount required by our buyers,” explained Jesse.
“The initial condition of raw hides depends on how it is preserved. Less salt makes the hide more prone to breakage and shedding of hair. We always ask them to properly handle the removal of the hide from the animal to avoid possible hole marks. Every hide must be round in shape for design purposes,” he added.
Their son, Jon, takes charge of the shipment to Manila.
The delivered hides are priced at Php32 per kilo.
29
By Khrizie Evert M. PadrePhotos by Joahna G. Goyagoy
from page 17
They seek, they find,and blurt out. . .
Couple Jesse and Veronica Agustin strives to revive the leather industry in Iloilo as they also try to keep their mother’s legacy alive in the business thru the years.
PCC Newsletter • April-June 201230 31
Through the years, the Philippine handicrafts have evolved through inventive changes in designs bolstered by exciting choices and combination of indigenous materials. Among these raw materials are carabao horn and hoof.
These carabao’s by-products are turned into masterpieces of various workmanships like necklace, earrings, bracelets, buttons, and bolo handle.
Any material, says the expert of the handicraft industry, can be used in making a beautiful craft. But it takes some imagination and creativity of the designer.
In the country, the carabao hooves’ and horns are turning to be good materials for works of art and for convenience.
In Cebu CityCebu City is known internationally
for its unique fashion accessories made from indigenous materials. Carabao horn and hoof are among these materials, the others being exotic seashells, wood, bone, coco shell, seeds and nuts, and limestone corals.
Filipino artisans in Cebu City rely on what raw materials are supplied to them for their craftsmanship. These suppliers come from different provinces in the Visayas.
Alain Lizardo, 42, of Brgy. Salvacion, Apog-Apog Baluarte, Iloilo City makes a living by supplying carabao horns and hooves to different handicraft manufacturers in Cebu City.
He supplies 2,000 pairs of carabao horns every three months and 1,000 pieces of carabao hooves every month to his buyers.
The stocks are sourced out from local market butchers of Estancia, Barutac Nuevo, and Balasan in Iloilo City and in Capiz, Roxas City.
The horns are classified into three based on their measurement. The first class measures more than one meter. The second class measures less than 24 inches while the third class is only 12 inches.
Alain usually collects the 1st and 2nd classes of horns and is paid Php50 per pair. He sells the 1st class for Php200 per pair while the second class for Php100 per pair.
The hooves are sold in kilograms. He gets a kg of hoofs for Php2 and sells it at Php8 per kg.
“My contacts inform me through phone calls whenever the ideal number of horns and hooves are already available,” Alain said.
The collected stocks are shipped to Cebu where they will be picked-up by the buyers. Advanced payments are made to the suppliers before shipping the stocks.
Alain has been doing this source of livelihood for 27 years now. He said it’s a good business because he can provide
the needs of his family.“Collecting these materials from
different locations is not easy. With my age, I easily get tired. But despite that, I go on for the sake of my family. It’s where we get our main income from. I was able to send my three children to school and has provided a better life ahead of them,” Alain said.
In Tuguegarao CityBolo-making is a well-known
source of livelihood in two villages in Tuguegarao City. Barangays Larion Bajo and Larion Alto are the top producers of quality hand-made boloes in the province.
This hand-made craft involves the use of a traditional forging technique which has been passed down from generation to generation.
One of the raw materials being used by the local blacksmiths in bolo-making includes carabao horns.
Alipio Dayag Ventura, 65, is the top collector of carabao horns in the vicinity. His collections are supplied to the blacksmiths of Barangay Larion Bajo and Larion Alto, one of whom is considered as the topnotch maker of boloes in the city.
Silverio Butay, 79, owner of “The Blade Master Shop” located in Barangay Larion Bajo is the pioneer maker and producer of boloes in the city.
His products, that include bolos and samurai marked with his SVB initials, are sought-after products in his shop. Most of the handles of boloes and samurai are made out of carabao’s horn.
Alipio, who is more known as Mang Ely, regularly delivers horns to Mang Silverio.
According to Mang Silverio, the handles made from carabao horns are more durable compared to the rubber materials that are sometimes used by the blacksmiths for handle-making because they are cheaper.
Mang Ely gets his stocks from the Don Domingo public market which is located along Balzain East, Tuguegarao City. It is the second public market in the city after the old “Pamilihang Bayan ng Tuguegarao”.
Every Wednesday and Sunday, Mang Ely collects carabao horns from the carabao meat dealers in the public market. His job requires him to be there every 3 a.m. His main supplier, Nelly
Macabadbad, reserves the horns for him which are ready for pick-up.
He buys the horn in bulk which is paid at an average price of Php450 to Php600 per sack depending on the size of the horn.
In the open market, each pair of horns costs Php150. He sells every pair to the blacksmith at Php180.
Buying and delivering horns is just a sideline for Mang Ely. His main income, though, comes from bolo-making, as he is a blacksmith, too. He also repairs butcher’s knife in the market.
He uses his unsold horns in making his own craft which he also sells to the butchers.
“Sourcing out of horns is not that easy nowadays. Blacksmiths have also lowered the buying price for them compared to what they offered in the past few years I have been selling them”, shared Mang Ely.
The number of carabao horns that he is able to collect and sell depends on the number of slaughtered carabaos for selling in the public market.
According to John Cabrera, slaughterhouse meat inspector, five to 11 head of carabaos are being slaughtered every day. The carcass and by-products are delivered to Don Domingo Public Market.
Mang Ely has been in the business since he was 18 years old. He said that even with a minimal profit that he earns out of it, this helps him provide for his family.
On the other hand, his service helps much in the venture of blacksmiths in coming out with boloes and knives with durable handles.
farm, says its special projects manager Bimbie J. Pineda.
“We supply all sorts of poultry and livestock paraphernalia, equipment, and veterinary pharmaceuticals. We gain pride in caring for the welfare of our clients’ animals,” Bimbie said about the
company.She said being one of the top players
in the supply chain for poultry and livestock needs is a mandate on the provision of quality service that the company continues to uphold.
The company is mainly engaged in importing and distributing animal nutrition products, feed additives, veterinary drugs, biosecurity products, and equipment and instruments for animal husbandry.
Bimbie shared that the company has won a bid for supplying PCC’s requirement for AI paraphernalia several times and that “it has been a pleasure to partner with PCC for its needs for 15 years.”
“The company acquired the specialization in the direct selling of AI paraphernalia and materials for cattle, goats, sheep, and swine,” she added.
The company recently supplied, for the first semester requirement
of PCC, a total of 30,000 doses of estrus inducer. The hormone is used by PCC AI technicians for its estrus synchronization activities.
“Most of our clients are government agencies and local government units,” Bimbie said.
She said the company has also the capability to set up milking parlors.
Most of the company’s products are sourced out from reputable companies in Germany, UK, Italy, France, Spain,
USA, China, Korea, Taiwan, and Malaysia, she said.
Aside from the credible source of its products, Bimbie said the company is proud of providing after-sales service to their clients.
“We make sure that we immediately respond to our clients’ concerns not only before the sale but even after that. We send a technician to our customers in case they will be needing troubleshooting, demonstration,
and installation. We also have readily available spare parts. So, troubleshooting doesn’t have to take a long time as our company can do it,” Bimbie explained.
With the kind of service that the company pursues to consistently commit, Bimbie is positive that they will continue to be one of the leading animal health care products providers in the country.
PCC Newsletter • April-June 201230 31
By Khrizie Evert M. PadrePhotos by Rowena G. Bumanlag
from page 23
A trade to last. . .
Silverio Butay
Alipio Ventura
PCC Newsletter • April-June 201230 31
Through the years, the Philippine handicrafts have evolved through inventive changes in designs bolstered by exciting choices and combination of indigenous materials. Among these raw materials are carabao horn and hoof.
These carabao’s by-products are turned into masterpieces of various workmanships like necklace, earrings, bracelets, buttons, and bolo handle.
Any material, says the expert of the handicraft industry, can be used in making a beautiful craft. But it takes some imagination and creativity of the designer.
In the country, the carabao hooves’ and horns are turning to be good materials for works of art and for convenience.
In Cebu CityCebu City is known internationally
for its unique fashion accessories made from indigenous materials. Carabao horn and hoof are among these materials, the others being exotic seashells, wood, bone, coco shell, seeds and nuts, and limestone corals.
Filipino artisans in Cebu City rely on what raw materials are supplied to them for their craftsmanship. These suppliers come from different provinces in the Visayas.
Alain Lizardo, 42, of Brgy. Salvacion, Apog-Apog Baluarte, Iloilo City makes a living by supplying carabao horns and hooves to different handicraft manufacturers in Cebu City.
He supplies 2,000 pairs of carabao horns every three months and 1,000 pieces of carabao hooves every month to his buyers.
The stocks are sourced out from local market butchers of Estancia, Barutac Nuevo, and Balasan in Iloilo City and in Capiz, Roxas City.
The horns are classified into three based on their measurement. The first class measures more than one meter. The second class measures less than 24 inches while the third class is only 12 inches.
Alain usually collects the 1st and 2nd classes of horns and is paid Php50 per pair. He sells the 1st class for Php200 per pair while the second class for Php100 per pair.
The hooves are sold in kilograms. He gets a kg of hoofs for Php2 and sells it at Php8 per kg.
“My contacts inform me through phone calls whenever the ideal number of horns and hooves are already available,” Alain said.
The collected stocks are shipped to Cebu where they will be picked-up by the buyers. Advanced payments are made to the suppliers before shipping the stocks.
Alain has been doing this source of livelihood for 27 years now. He said it’s a good business because he can provide
the needs of his family.“Collecting these materials from
different locations is not easy. With my age, I easily get tired. But despite that, I go on for the sake of my family. It’s where we get our main income from. I was able to send my three children to school and has provided a better life ahead of them,” Alain said.
In Tuguegarao CityBolo-making is a well-known
source of livelihood in two villages in Tuguegarao City. Barangays Larion Bajo and Larion Alto are the top producers of quality hand-made boloes in the province.
This hand-made craft involves the use of a traditional forging technique which has been passed down from generation to generation.
One of the raw materials being used by the local blacksmiths in bolo-making includes carabao horns.
Alipio Dayag Ventura, 65, is the top collector of carabao horns in the vicinity. His collections are supplied to the blacksmiths of Barangay Larion Bajo and Larion Alto, one of whom is considered as the topnotch maker of boloes in the city.
Silverio Butay, 79, owner of “The Blade Master Shop” located in Barangay Larion Bajo is the pioneer maker and producer of boloes in the city.
His products, that include bolos and samurai marked with his SVB initials, are sought-after products in his shop. Most of the handles of boloes and samurai are made out of carabao’s horn.
Alipio, who is more known as Mang Ely, regularly delivers horns to Mang Silverio.
According to Mang Silverio, the handles made from carabao horns are more durable compared to the rubber materials that are sometimes used by the blacksmiths for handle-making because they are cheaper.
Mang Ely gets his stocks from the Don Domingo public market which is located along Balzain East, Tuguegarao City. It is the second public market in the city after the old “Pamilihang Bayan ng Tuguegarao”.
Every Wednesday and Sunday, Mang Ely collects carabao horns from the carabao meat dealers in the public market. His job requires him to be there every 3 a.m. His main supplier, Nelly
Macabadbad, reserves the horns for him which are ready for pick-up.
He buys the horn in bulk which is paid at an average price of Php450 to Php600 per sack depending on the size of the horn.
In the open market, each pair of horns costs Php150. He sells every pair to the blacksmith at Php180.
Buying and delivering horns is just a sideline for Mang Ely. His main income, though, comes from bolo-making, as he is a blacksmith, too. He also repairs butcher’s knife in the market.
He uses his unsold horns in making his own craft which he also sells to the butchers.
“Sourcing out of horns is not that easy nowadays. Blacksmiths have also lowered the buying price for them compared to what they offered in the past few years I have been selling them”, shared Mang Ely.
The number of carabao horns that he is able to collect and sell depends on the number of slaughtered carabaos for selling in the public market.
According to John Cabrera, slaughterhouse meat inspector, five to 11 head of carabaos are being slaughtered every day. The carcass and by-products are delivered to Don Domingo Public Market.
Mang Ely has been in the business since he was 18 years old. He said that even with a minimal profit that he earns out of it, this helps him provide for his family.
On the other hand, his service helps much in the venture of blacksmiths in coming out with boloes and knives with durable handles.
farm, says its special projects manager Bimbie J. Pineda.
“We supply all sorts of poultry and livestock paraphernalia, equipment, and veterinary pharmaceuticals. We gain pride in caring for the welfare of our clients’ animals,” Bimbie said about the
company.She said being one of the top players
in the supply chain for poultry and livestock needs is a mandate on the provision of quality service that the company continues to uphold.
The company is mainly engaged in importing and distributing animal nutrition products, feed additives, veterinary drugs, biosecurity products, and equipment and instruments for animal husbandry.
Bimbie shared that the company has won a bid for supplying PCC’s requirement for AI paraphernalia several times and that “it has been a pleasure to partner with PCC for its needs for 15 years.”
“The company acquired the specialization in the direct selling of AI paraphernalia and materials for cattle, goats, sheep, and swine,” she added.
The company recently supplied, for the first semester requirement
of PCC, a total of 30,000 doses of estrus inducer. The hormone is used by PCC AI technicians for its estrus synchronization activities.
“Most of our clients are government agencies and local government units,” Bimbie said.
She said the company has also the capability to set up milking parlors.
Most of the company’s products are sourced out from reputable companies in Germany, UK, Italy, France, Spain,
USA, China, Korea, Taiwan, and Malaysia, she said.
Aside from the credible source of its products, Bimbie said the company is proud of providing after-sales service to their clients.
“We make sure that we immediately respond to our clients’ concerns not only before the sale but even after that. We send a technician to our customers in case they will be needing troubleshooting, demonstration,
and installation. We also have readily available spare parts. So, troubleshooting doesn’t have to take a long time as our company can do it,” Bimbie explained.
With the kind of service that the company pursues to consistently commit, Bimbie is positive that they will continue to be one of the leading animal health care products providers in the country.
PCC Newsletter • April-June 201230 31
By Khrizie Evert M. PadrePhotos by Rowena G. Bumanlag
from page 23
A trade to last. . .
Silverio Butay
Alipio Ventura
Slices of Life in Carabao-based Industry