Pada upacara serah terima di Barangay Carolina, Naga City, Pilmico Animal Nutrition Corporation dan Departemen Reformasi Agraria (DAR) secara resmi menyerahkan peralatan mata pencaharian kepada para petani penerima manfaat yang terpilih dari Bicol sebagai upaya bersama untuk membantu meningkatkan pendapatan rumah tangga petani dan mempromosikan mata pencaharian yang berkelanjutan di wilayah tersebut.
Di bawah bendera program advokasi unggulan Pilmico, Mahalin Pagkaing Atin dan program Pengembangan dan Keberlanjutan Penerima Manfaat Reformasi Agraria DAR, empat (4) Penerima Manfaat Reformasi Agraria (ARB) dari Kota Naga menerima masing-masing tiga anak babi, konsumsi pakan dari tahap penanam hingga tahap akhir dan bantuan teknis dari spesialis produksi hewan Pilmico.
Wakil Sekretaris DAR Bernie Cruz, Wakil Presiden Pilmico untuk Strategi Korporat, Apol Castro dan Wakil Presiden Aboitiz Equity Ventures (AEV) untuk Pemerintah & Hubungan Eksternal Chris Camba hadir dalam acara serah terima jabatan tersebut.
Dalam pesannya, Wakil Presiden Pilmico untuk Strategi Perusahaan, Apol Castro mengatakan:
"Hari ini terwujud berkat keselarasan aspirasi DAR, Yayasan Aboitiz, dan Pilmico. Oleh karena itu, marilah kita bersama-sama – DAR, Pilmico, dan pemerintah daerah Anda – berupaya mengembangkan mata pencaharian tambahan ini."
Teodoro Lebuit, salah satu penerima manfaat dari program ini, berterima kasih kepada kelompok Aboitiz atas bantuan peralatan mata pencahariannya. Ia mengatakan:
"Kami sangat berterima kasih kepada Pilmico yang telah memilih kami untuk menjalankan bisnis ini. Saya sudah lama ingin kembali memancing dan keinginan itu terwujud berkat Pilmico. Kepada semua pihak yang terlibat dalam program ini, DAR, Pilmico, Aboitiz, dan lainnya, semoga Tuhan Yang Maha Kuasa memberkati kalian semua. Ini sangat membantu kami dan keluarga kami."
Hingga saat ini, tujuh belas (17) Penerima Manfaat Reforma Agraria dari Camarines Sur, Cotabato Selatan dan Surigao telah menerima bantuan mata pencaharian dari Pilmico dan DAR.
"Saya ingin menyampaikan bahwa Kemitraan Pemerintah-Swasta adalah salah satu cara untuk meningkatkan gaya hidup masyarakat. Di sini ada banyak hal yang dapat dilakukan Pilmico di Aboitiz untuk meningkatkan jumlah investor yang akan berinvestasi di sektor ini, terutama untuk meningkatkan kualitas hidup masyarakat," kata Cruz. Kata Wakil Ketua DAR Bernie Cruz.
Pertanyaan yang Sering Diajukan
What did DAR Undersecretary Bernie Cruz say about the value of public-private partnerships in this context?
DAR Undersecretary Bernie Cruz affirmed that public-private partnerships are critically important for achieving livelihood development goals of this scale, and explicitly encouraged Pilmico and Aboitiz to continue their support for Filipino farmers. His statement represents official government recognition that programs of this type — combining DAR’s beneficiary networks with Pilmico’s agricultural expertise and capital — are more effective than either sector attempting to address farmer livelihood needs independently.
What livelihood kits were distributed in Camarines Sur and under what programs?
Under a joint initiative between Pilmico Animal Nutrition Corporation and the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), four Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries (ARBs) from Naga City each received three piglets, feed consumption support from the grower to finisher stage, and technical assistance from Pilmico’s animal production specialists. The donation was made under Pilmico’s Mahalin Pagkaing Atin program and the DAR’s Agrarian Reform Beneficiary Development and Sustainability program — two complementary frameworks that together address both the agricultural skills and the policy backing needed for beneficiary success.
Who attended the turnover ceremony and what did it signify institutionally?
DAR Undersecretary Bernie Cruz, Pilmico VP for Corporate Strategy Apol Castro, and AEV VP for Government and External Relations Chris Camba were all present at the Barangay Carolina, Naga City turnover. The attendance of senior officials from both DAR and Pilmico at the provincial-level event signals that this partnership is not a one-off gesture but a formal, institutionally committed program with executive-level endorsement from both the government and private sector sides.
What did beneficiary Teodoro Lebuit say about the impact of receiving the livelihood kit?
Beneficiary Teodoro Lebuit expressed deep gratitude on behalf of the recipients, describing his aspiration to return to pig farming as long-held but finally fulfilled through the Pilmico program. His testimony conveyed both the personal significance of the opportunity and the community-wide benefit — emphasizing that the support would extend to his family and beyond. His words reflect the lived reality that for many ARBs, access to capital and technical support represents the difference between aspirational and achievable livelihood.
By the time of this CamSur event, how many ARBs had received assistance nationally from this partnership?
By the time of the Naga City turnover, a total of 17 Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries from three provinces — Camarines Sur, South Cotabato, and Surigao — had already received livelihood assistance under the Pilmico-DAR partnership. This geographic diversity confirms that the program was being implemented as a national initiative with regional reach rather than as a localized experiment, reflecting the breadth of both Pilmico’s distribution network and DAR’s agrarian reform program reach.
