Pantawid beneficiaries in Naga City launch their livelihood project La Familia’s Lechon. With them is SLP Project Development Officer John Paul Peca (extreme right). (CONTRIBUTED)
CEBU’s lechon is always the star of every Filipino buffet.
The word “lechon” comes from the Spanish term that refers to a roasted suckling pig.
This well-loved dish has inspired the 24 Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) partner-beneficiaries in Naga City, southern Cebu to venture into lechon business for their group enterprise.
“Our pigs are not ordinary because these are organic and they are not injected with chemicals,” Gever “Bonog” Encabo, the one who leads the group enterprise, said in Cebuano.
“Organic hog raising is a natural way of raising pigs and this means rearing healthy and leaner livestock,” he added.
With this organic hog raising, consumers are assured that pigs are free from antibiotics and growth hormones.
Encabo said that they called their group as Pantawid La Familia’s Lechon to highlight the sense of belongingness among the members of the group.
“Even though we are not related by blood, we treat each other as family because our common goal is that we will all uplift our economic status,” Encabo said.
“We are grateful that while our children are in school as they are supported by Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, we, the parents are also being helped by the Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP),” he said.
SLP is a community-based capacity-building program that increases the economic opportunities of the families through the different modalities that it offers such as skills training, seed capital fund, pre-employment assistance fund, and the cash for building livelihood assets.
It is implemented through the Community-Driven Enterprise Development Approach which equips program participants to actively contribute to production and labor.
The group enjoys the privilege of being the only lechon stall inside the New Naga Public Market and the members are very optimistic that they will reap the seeds of their hard work.
Encabo encouraged everyone to buy their organic lechon because this is not only delicious, they will also help Pantawid partner-beneficiaries like him who strive hard to stand on their own.