Before I left for Malaysia to join the 23rd Senior Officials and Ministers Meeting of the BIMP-EAGA last Thursday, I hosted an early dinner in my farm in Kidapawan City Wednesday for Rachel Tan-Renucci of the now famous Renucci Rice, North Cotabato Gov. Nancy Catamco and members of the UP Medical and Psychosocial team who helped earthquake victims.
The main feature of the farm dinner held under rented tents was the roasted free-range chicken which I personally bred and developed over the last nine years, Manok Pinoy.
I invited Rachel to my farm after the distribution of the 40 tons of Golden Dinorado rice which she and her French husband, Patrick, donated for the earthquake victims of Mindanao.
In the farm, I asked her to join me in feeding the Manok Pinoy breeders in the yard so she would appreciate farm life.
During dinner, I gave her one whole Manok Pinoy lechon stuffed with Lemon Grass and Tamarind leaves and wrapped in banana leaves.
“This is the tastiest chicken I have ever tasted,” Rachel said as she and Gov. Catamco feasted on their share of the roasted free-range Manok Pinoy.
What she said lifted my spirit as a farmer and virtually rewarded the nine years which I spent on a genetic experiment to breed an improved free-range Philippine chicken.
I actually started developing my “ideal” free-range chicken in 2010 because I prefer native chicken over the 30-day broilers.
Broiler chicken meat is clumpy and coarse while that of the free-range native chicken firm with long muscle strands and tasty.
Using an indigenous chicken breed which I crossed with heritage breeds producing brown eggs, I started developing a new strain.
In the first few years, I focused on the body conformation and egg laying because native chicken have notoriously lean body and are poor egg layers.
Having succeeded in that area, I then focused on the phenotype or the physical appearance.
I wanted my Manok Pinoy to have dark legs or dark spotted legs, to differentiate them from the yellow-legged broilers, dark feathers and peacombed to emphasise their Oriental blood.
My absence in the farm, however, stunted the development of this breed because I personally choose the roosters and the hens placed in the breeding yards.
My new assignment, however, has brought me nearer to my farm and allows me to personally handle the breeding during weekends.
After nine years, I could claim that Manok Pinoy, a breed name registered with the Intellectual Property Office (IPO), has reached a level where I could proudly introduce it to the market.
Now, I have about 1,000 hens in the yard and I intend to reach the 10,000-hen level by mid-2020, all in the free-range.
My dream?
To open an outlet which would sell “Manok Pinoy” lechon and barbecue in three flavours – regular, honey-glazed and spicy – wrapped in banana leaves and placed in a “to-go” box with one cup of Organic Red or Black Mindanao Rice.
Maybe, just maybe, “Manok Pinoy” Lechon and Barbecue outlets will spread from Kidapawan, Davao and later to the rest of the country.
Libre namang mangarap ang magsasaka, di ba?
(All photos posted here showing Manok Pinoy chicken were taken in my farm.)
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