The University of the Philippines (UP) Kalilayan deems the Neil Eria Educational Discussion Series (Needs) 2024 edition, also known as "Bigkis: An Outreach Program and Workshop on Livestock Management," for the Alta community of Barangay Diteki, San Luis, Aurora a success.
The event at the community's tribal hall on Dec. 20, 2024, capped off several months' worth of planning.
With the support of the UP Kalilayan Alumni Association or UPKAA and multiple anonymous donors as sponsors, the organization was able to raise funds to facilitate the acquisition of four piglets, two male and two female, all sourced locally from Maria Aurora, Aurora, as an early Christmas gift to the Alta community.
During this event, UP Kalilayan turned over these piglets to the Alta locals, assigning a pair each to the care of each cluster and providing a week's worth of starter feeds to help ease the transition.
The event was made possible with the cooperation and assistance of the local government of Aurora, especially the Sangguniang Kabataan of Barangay Diteki, San Luis and the Provincial Veterinary Office of Aurora.
Agricultural Center chief Bienvenido Ritual and government veterinarian Philip Francis Casao were guest speakers, who, through their educational talks, shared their expertise on animal husbandry and livestock farming, as well as helpful advice to the Alta locals to aid in their hog-raising venture.