News Details

Ilocos Norte Students Receive Cattle and Farm Support to Strengthen Livelihoods

NPO

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September 16, 2025

LAOAG CITY – College students in Nueva Era, Ilocos Norte, are now tending to young cows entrusted to them by the local government, in a bid to support their education and help sustain their families’ livelihood.

“This means so much to us. The cow is not just livestock—it is a lifeline that can support our education and families,” said Angelo Campañano, a nursing student at Northwestern University, who is among the 72 student-beneficiaries.

The heifers, along with livestock vitamins, were distributed over the weekend during a ceremony held at the Nueva Era Municipal Agriculture Office grounds. Mayor Aldrin Garvida said the program is designed not merely as a form of aid, but as “an investment in people, in livelihood, and in the future of our community.”

Students were encouraged to devote their free time, particularly on weekends, to care for the livestock. “With these blessings, we feel seen, valued, and inspired to continue dreaming and striving, not only for ourselves but also for our community,” Campañano added.

The initiative also extended support to farming households. Parents of the student-beneficiaries, mostly rice farmers, received hybrid rice seeds from the Department of Agriculture (DA) Regional Field Office-Ilocos and inbred rice seeds from the Philippine Rice Research Institute. The DA likewise provided yellow corn seeds, fertilizers, and gardening tools, while women’s groups received vegetable seeds to strengthen the “Gulayan sa Barangay” food security project.

All these efforts are part of Nueva Era’s flagship “One Professional, One Family” program, which seeks to ensure that every household has at least one employed professional, emphasizing education as a pathway to uplift the lives of indigenous Tingguians in the municipality.

NPO News Team | PNA-PR