No salary dispute, says owner of pig farm attacked by NPA

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY , Philippines   â€“ The owner of a pig farm in Libona, Bukidnon which was attacked by the New People’s Army (NPA) last week belied reports that the rebels invaded his property because of salary grievances from his employees.

Mega Farm owner See Hong maintains that he pays and treats his employees well.

“Our rates are quite high, above average,” he said, noting that he gives his employees basic pay plus incentive allowance “to encourage them to work.”

“I believe our employees enjoy working for us,” he added. “We have bunkhouses for those workers who want to stay there.”

Hong also said that he never received any demand from the NPA, but he deplored the attack in which more than 50 hogs were shot dead and 500 others wounded.

“We believe we should not be treated this way,” he said, adding that the damage could reach millions.

Earlier reports said the NPA attacked the piggery because of salary grievances from the employees, but the military said it could have been related to “revolutionary taxes.”

The military launched a pursuit operation against the NPA fighters but the troops were not able to apprehend them.

Mega Farm is one of the major suppliers of hogs in Northern Mindanao. It raises around 10,000 hogs and delivers about 80 heads per day to the slaughterhouse in Cagayan de Oro City. It employs around 150 people and is being managed by Hong’s son, Erwin.

Hong said that the farm is environmentally safe, with regular inspections from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

“We use the pig manure and wastes as fertilizer,” he said.

“The colored water that goes to the river comes from rainwater that brings along topsoil. It’s not water from our lagoon, which we use as septic tank to make biogas,” he added.