In this rage against pork barrel scandal plaguing the Philippines, let me digress to an interesting topic: piggery feng shui! A timely topic for existing or wannabe agri-businessmen.
A couple of true-to-life feng shui case studies may be of great advice and help in this regard.
First, was my first piggery feng shui near the Star Tollways in the farmland outskirts of Lipa City, Batangas. While the lay of the farmland and its feng shui is attributed to the owner's personal feng shui (also owner of Speech Power), here are few insights about pig farming:
1. Pigpens like chicken houses are laid out in an East to West orientation for even humidity and temperatures from the normal path of the sun. A South to north or vice versa direction brings with it the hotness of the South wind in its usual cross ventilating pattern, thereby unhealthy for the livestock. It brings too much heat, even helps bacteria to breed. It easily spoils the feeds!
2. Without proper ventilation, heat strokes, and pestilence cause high mortality rates, often wiping out the investment and only leaving the structures or pigpens! And our introductory lesson ends here.
Next, is a backyard piggery in Pampanga, in the San Fernando area. A Chinese alien married to a Filipina ran a sizeable piggery operation to serve the local market. Their barangay or village has other similar backyard operations. However, this man's operation was tops in the field, inviting envy and ire from neighbors, and finally the barangay captain. He asked if feng shui can do something about it. Yes. How?
Upon doing feng shui for his home, backyard piggery and - oh, he confessed and had it feng shuied too - a full-blown feed mill operated by dummies near the North Luzon Expressway exit. I simply made a phone call. To whom? To the mistress of the provincial governor for help for this poor alien farmer!
As we returned to Chinese man's home, the barangay captain was by his gate, waiting for an hour already to express his apologies for the inconveniences and harassments he had caused to the guy, also in behalf of the governor! So there! Guanxi or friendly relations in feng shui can be of great help to any pig farm, especially in these times of political patronage!
Last but the best in regard to this beast of a feast - lechon! - is feng shui for a major player in the industry, Luz Farms of the Sarmiento family in Lipa, Batangas. Mortality of piglets plagued productivity. So I had to stay overnight in the pig farm learning that breeding and giving birth of sows are usually from 3 to 5 a.m. early morning. On the appointed hours, lo and behold, the forensic feng shui findings revealed that mortality was affected by the overhead pigpen beams above the designated breeding and maternity areas! After prescribing the feng shui cures, piglet mortality decreased tremendously in the next quarter and thereafter!
And an aside - the biggest piggery of them all owned by a taipan, thru his daughter, wanted a feng shui consultation. However, the daughter wanted it in exchange for lunch only. I politely turned down her offer quoting the age old principle of prudent business: No such thing as a free lunch in professional business!
In properly feng shuied farms the pigs lived happily after. The legitimate and legal pork farmers - not the scammers! - bring home the bacon. Happy Porking, Every Juan!