SAN CARLOS CITY, Pangasinan – The theft of cattle in this province is still rampant which is now a cause of concern among barangay officials and farmers. This was disclosed by Punong Barangay Ariel Dela Cruz of barangay Balococ during the second leg of the “Consultative Meeting 2015” which is one of the activities of former 5th district Rep. Mark Cojuangco for him to be updated on the issues affecting the lives of the people provincewide.
Dela Cruz narrated that a male and a pregnant female cattle were reported stolen in their place recently, however, law enforcers responding to reports of the lost cattle found a butchered bull upon their arrival. Fortunately, the female bovine was recovered at the scene alive.
San Carlos City Police C/Supt. Charlie Umayam underscored their efforts in deterring cattle rustlers. This year’s crime index reflected a drop in cattle rustling by 69.15% at seventy-four reported cases compared to one hundred seven in the same time of last year. C/Supt. Umayam also reminded the townsfolk to report any suspicious persons and activities in their community.
In the same consultative meeting, Cojuangco, candidate for governor in the upcoming May 2016 elections advised cattle owners to quicken the raising process of their livestock. He acknowledged that rustling was one of many risks in cattle raising.
Growing cattle takes time and may last from three to five years. Cows must reach the required weight prior to being butchered or sold. Cojuangco summarized that cattle raisers could have encountered issues such as long-term return of investment, dying cattle brought about by infectious diseases and sometimes cattle as collateral payment in a gamble. The former congressman firmly believes: lesser time to raise a cattle equates to lesser chances to encounter risks.
Cojuangco assured to give at-no-cost seeds of protein-rich fodder named after him, the “Cojuangco Grass.” Feeding cattle with this highly-nutritive fodder allows the livestock at least a year for the bovines to gain weight from 200 to 500 kilograms. “Cojuangco Grass,” when propagated can be harvested every sixty days which will last for eight (8) years.” he quipped.
