The farmer who thought he had lost everything

A dream built on a mountain

In 2018,  Rogelio “Roger” Santos  , a 34-year-old man from Nueva Écija, dreamed of escaping poverty through pig farming.

He rented a vacant lot high up on a mountain in the town of Carranglan, and decided to build a small pigsty there.

Roger put his whole heart into it.

He spent his savings, took out a loan from the Philippine Land Bank, built pigsties, installed a deep well, and bought  30 piglets  .

The day he carried the first stretcher to the top of the mountain, he proudly announced it to his wife,  Marites  , who was 31 years old at the time:

“Wait for me. In a year, we can finally build our own house.”

For Roger, this mountain was more than just a piece of land.

It was hope.

When disaster struck

But the reality was very different from the success stories shown on television.

Less than three months later,  African swine fever  was spreading across Luzon.

Pig farms collapsed one after another.

Some farmers were forced to burn down their entire pig barns in an attempt to stop the spread of the virus. Thick smoke hung over the mountains for weeks.

Marites was terrified.

“Let’s sell them while they’re still alive,” she pleaded.

But Roger refused.

“It’ll pass,” he said stubbornly.
“We just have to hang on a little longer.”