Part 1: A Dream Built on a Mountain
In 2018, Rogelio “Roger” Santos, a 34-year-old man from Nueva Ecija in the Philippines, believed he had finally found a way out of poverty. His dream was simple but ambitious: start a small pig farm and build a better future for his family.
Roger rented a vacant plot of land on a quiet mountain in the town of Carranglan. It was isolated, surrounded by trees and wild vegetation, but to him it looked like opportunity.
He invested everything he had.
Roger spent his savings, borrowed money from the Philippine Land Bank, and built several pig pens. He even installed a deep well to make sure the animals would always have water. Finally, he bought 30 piglets to begin his small farming business.
The day he brought the animals up the mountain, he proudly told his wife, Marites:
“Wait for me. In a year, we’ll be able to build our own house.”
But reality was far harsher than the success stories he had seen on television.
Only three months later, African swine fever began spreading across Luzon. One farm after another collapsed. Farmers were forced to destroy entire herds just to stop the disease from spreading.
Smoke from burned pigsties hung over the mountains for weeks.
Marites became terrified.
“Let’s sell the pigs while they’re still alive,” she begged.
But Roger refused.
“This will pass,” he insisted. “We just need to hold on.”
The stress quickly consumed him. Sleepless nights, constant worry, and financial pressure weakened his body. Eventually, he was hospitalized in Cabanatuan after collapsing from exhaustion.
When he finally returned to the mountain, half of his pigs had already died. Feed prices had doubled, and the bank had begun calling about his unpaid loan.
Every night, as rain hit the metal roof of the pig pens, Roger felt his dream slowly collapsing.
One evening, after another call from a creditor, he sat alone on the floor and whispered:
“I’m finished.”
The next morning, he locked the pigsty, gave the key to the landowner, Mang Tino, and left the mountain.
For him, everything was lost.
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