Before I write about my past decade's summer escapades, I will write first about the pigs in Upi, Maguindanao province, that my brother is taking charge of these past half year. The pigs you see in the picture are part of batch 3. The were bought from a local breeder about 2 months ago. Their pig pen is largely made up of concrete hollow blocks and bamboo. Unlike typical pig pens in the Philippines, the pig's bedding is not plain smooth concrete. It comprises of "Ipa" or rice grain hulls. I got the idea from the organic farm in Naic, Cavite, that I have visited long time ago when I used to work with WV Phils. I suggested it to my brother and he took my suggestion without any hesitation. I was later told that we were the first one in the province of Maguindanao to actually utilize ipa beddings (according to some reliable or unreliable sources) in pig pens. The advantage of having ipa as beddings, is the non-smelly and cozy feel or ambience in the farm. When you visit other pig pens in the provinces, 100 meters away, you can already inhale the stench and no amount of holding your breath, or covering layers and layers of handkerchiefs or wet towel on your face could suppress the force that's about to enter your nostrils.

Whether the piggery is small or big in scale, if you have pure concrete pig pens or cages, a spectator will usually feel sticky and can't help but breathe through their mouths. I do not have anything against hog raisers who adhere to that style of their pigs sleeping on the cold, wet concrete floor, celebrating the sight of excrements. Pigs don't actually sweat (that's why it's said that they're one of the cleanest animals), and they don't need to huddle together to feel warmth from their comrades, but the point is, animals too need a homey, warm and natural ambience for the months left before they face their perpetuators in the slaughter house. Pigs also have a strong sense of smell and they like to dig through their mouths (that's why they're also best hunters for truffles in other parts of the world). Having ipa actually lessens their boredom and improves their social interaction! If they are not busy sleeping or eating, they can clean off each other's bodies by snorting the hulls from their skins (which is actually unnecessary). Their excrements are also camouflaged, by the way, though the farmer has to have sharp eyes to know where to pick-up the magic fertilizer goodies. Pigs have a natural instinct of doing their toilet business in just one part of the pen, and identify which part of the pen is for sleeping and cuddling. The ipa beddings wear out in time, so it's recommended that you replace it once every quarter, really depending also on the number of pigs you are tending.