09/28/2026
THE MAN WHO TOOK OVER THE MOUNTAIN TO RAISE 30 PIGS AND LEFT THEM FOR FIVE YEARS – WHEN HE RETURNED, HE COULDN'T BELIEVE HIS EYES!
In 2018, Miguel "Kiko" dela Cruz, 34, from Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija, was full of hope. He came from a poor family. His whole life he worked as a farmer and construction worker just to send food to his table. But he had one dream he would never give up: to have his own business to give a better life to his wife Elena and their only child, Sofia, who was only 4 years old.
One day, he heard from a friend that there was a big piece of land for rent in Carranglan. He immediately went there. The land belonged to Mang Karding, an old man who could hardly reach the top because of his age. After several hours of negotiation and persuasion, Mang Karding agreed to rent a large portion of the mountain to Kiko for five years.
With all his savings, Kiko took a loan from the Land Bank of the Philippines philippines for the small land of his parents as collateral. He bought bamboo and wood for the cages, installed a deep bomb-proof barrel, and bought 30 pigs from a well-known breeder in San Jose City.
On the day he brought the pigs to the mountain, he hugged Elena and Sofia. "Elena, just trust me," he said with confidence. "In a year, we will be able to build our own house. We won't have to rent anymore. Sofia will have a bright future."
Elena smiled, but there was a hint of concern in her eyes. "Okay Kiko. Just be careful up there. We and Sofia will wait for you."
In the first three months, things seemed to be going well. Kiko woke up early, cleaned the pigsty, prepared food, and stayed up all night. Occasionally, Elena would go up with Sofia to bring food and talk to him. They were happy. It seemed like their dream was slowly coming true.
But everything suddenly changed.
The news about African Sw**e Fever, which is spreading in Central Luzon, started with Kiko. At first, he thought they were safe because they were in a high area of the mountain and far from the main roads. But then the news came in about pig farms losing pigs. Some neighbors decided to burn the dead pigs and close their pigsties to prevent the disease from spreading.
Kiko started to get scared. "Elena, let's sell the pigs while they're still valuable. Maybe they'll get infected too."
But Kiko was stubborn. "No, Elena. My pigs are still healthy. The disease is down there. We're far from the main roads. It'll be fine."
He continued working without rest. He didn't realize that his health was gradually deteriorating due to exhaustion, lack of sleep, and overthinking. One night, he suddenly lost consciousness. Elena took him to the Cabanatuan Provincial Hospital. He was diagnosed with severe fatigue and dehydration. He had to stay in the hospital for over a month. Later, Elena asked him to rest with his parents in Gapan.
While he was away, no one was watching the pigs. Several pigs lost their lives due to the disease. Some escaped and entered the forest. When he returned to the mountain, only about half of the 30 pigs were left. Worse still, the price of pork increased due to the lockdown and restrictions on transportation. The bank kept calling for more loans.
Every night, while the rain poured down on the tin roof, he thought about all the sacrifices he had made. It felt like everything he had worked for was slowly crumbling.
One night, a collector from the bank called. The conversation was long. After the call, he sat on the floor of the small hut and stared into the darkness. "Elena... I'm done," he whispered on the phone. "I can't do it anymore. I can't help you anymore."
In the morning, he closed the pigsties. He handed over the keys to Mang Karding. "Sorry, Mang Karding. I can't do it anymore. I'll return your land. Thank you all."
He couldn't bear to look again at the empty cages. He came down from the mountain as if defeated by a war. With his family, they moved to Quezon City. They worked as ordinary factory workers. Their life was simple – not rich, but quiet and without daily debts.
Every time someone asked about his past in raising pigs, he just smiled bitterly. "I lost everything in the mountain. I just gave my money to the land and the air."
Five years had passed. Sofia was now 9 years old and in Grade 3. Occasionally, she would ask her father, "Dad, why don't we go back to the mountain? Are there still pigs there?"
Kiko would always change the subject. He didn't want to revisit the painful memories.
One night, his old cellphone rang. A number he hadn't seen in a long time.
"Hello?" he replied.
"Kiko... my child," said the voice that was now trembling. It was Mang Karding. "You need to come back here to the mountain. The place where you were... something big happened. I can't explain it over the phone. Please come back."
Kiko felt his heart beat fast. Why now? What happened? Was the land destroyed by the typhoon? Was it sold? Or was it worse?
In the morning, he said goodbye to Elena and Sofia. He took the bus, then the jeep, and finally walked up the mountain for over two hours. The old path he often took was almost unrecognizable. Tall cogon grass, small trees, and bare branches covered the path. It was like a place he had left ten years ago.
As he climbed, all the memories came back – the hope, the fatigue, the arguments with Elena, the night he gave up. His legs were heavy, not just from climbing, but from the weight of the past.
When he reached the final bend of the mountain, he suddenly stopped. It was as if something had stopped his heart.
The place he left behind as a dead man... now...👇🥰🥰
