SANTA MARIA, ISABELA — For smallholding farmers who have spent years weathering the devastating impacts of animal diseases and supply shortages, a major lifeline has finally arrived in Northern Isabela.
On July 3, 2026, the Department of Agriculture-Regional Field Office No. 02 (DA RFO 02) formally turned over a state-of-the-art, “P5.5 million” Community-Based Swine Clustering Project to Santa Maria Green Ladies Organization Producers Cooperative in Barangay Calamagui North Funded under the Integrated National Swine Production Initiatives for Recovery and Expansion (INSPIRE) Project, the facility represents a critical step forward in localizing hog production and securing food supply within the province’s 1st District.
The newly minted facility isn’t just a standard barn; it is a highly specialized infrastructure package designed to protect livestock from external disease threats while maximizing growth. Built with strict biosecurity in mind, the project features:
A climate-controlled finisher operation facility
Modern, optimized pig pens
An integrated office and bunkhouse for on-site management
A dedicated silo for efficient feed storage
A secure perimeter fence and comprehensive support structures
This modern setup serves as the cornerstone of the DA’s calibrated repopulation initiative, which aims to aggressively recover the swine sector’s capacity to produce a sufficient and steady supply of local pork.
Beyond the brick and mortar, the INSPIRE intervention directly aligns with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s national thrust to empower local communities. By channeling these millions in infrastructure directly to farmer cooperatives, associations, and local government units (LGUs), the initiative enables small-scale raisers to confidently scale their operations, bridging the gap between raw production and profitable value-chain processing.
The atmosphere at the turnover ceremony was one of collective optimism. Regional Executive Director Rose Mary G. Aquino, Dr. Judith Tattao, Livestock Coordinator, Dr. Helen Sevilla of PLGU Isabela, Mayor Michael Pagauitan, Vice Mayor Larry Pagauitan led the event alongside local officials, municipal agriculturists, agricultural extension workers, and eager cooperative members.
For those on the ground, the project is a powerful validation of their hard work.
“The project is a manifestation that the government has not forgotten smallholding farmers like us, pushing our limits to make our cooperative work for the community,” remarked the Santa Maria Municipal Agriculturist Herminia Atal during the ceremony.
The Santa Maria turnover is not an isolated victory. It marks a continuation of DA RFO 02’s aggressive rollout of agricultural interventions across the Cagayan Valley. By continuously equipping local cooperatives with modern machinery and livestock facilities, the agency aims to drive up farm productivity, bolster rural incomes, and anchor the region’s broader food security agenda.
As the first batches of hogs enter the Calamagui North facility, Northern Isabela’s farming community takes a definitive step away from the uncertainties of the past, steering toward a more self-sufficient and resilient future.
Via Dr. Ferdinand Cortez