NCotabato peasants receive livestock for new year

NORTH COTABATO, Philippines — At least 32 more peasants benefited from the continuing livestock dispersal program of the provincial government just before year-end, officials said on Saturday.

Veterinarian Bel Gornez, a senior staff of the North Cotabato provincial veterinary office, said each of the 32 beneficiaries in the town of Mlang and Tulunan received last week either a young bull or heifer each.

Gornez, who led the dispersal of the farm animals, said 17 of the 32 farmers were from Tulunan, while the rest are from hinterland farming enclaves in Makilala.

He said the beneficiaries can train the farm animals to plow their fields and use them for breeding as well.

North Cotabato Gov. Emmylou Taliño-Mendoza said they will also extend continuing agricultural interventions to improve the productivity of the farmers who received the farm animals.

Mendoza said they intend to disperse bigger herds of cattle to North Cotabato farmers in 2015.

Erwin Angulo, chairman of Barangay Esperanza in Tulunan, said he and his constituent-farmers are thankful to the office of Mendoza for providing them farm animals under the provincial government’s "serbisyong totoo" initiatives.

"These are the kind of programs that will boost the productivity of farmers in North Cotabato," Angulo said.