Even that money wasn’t enough to get the farm going, so reluctantly he applied for a loan from the Lord Bank of the Philippines.
The approval came two weeks later, which brought relief, but also a great responsibility that would soon follow him everywhere.
With the funds already available, Roger began to buy materials: bamboo posts, galvanized roof sheets, cement blocks and pipes for a deep well system.
For almost two months, he climbed the mountain every morning before dawn, carrying tools and supplies along the narrow path of land.
The neighbors would occasionally approach to watch him work, shaking their heads with curiosity and murmuring about the ambitious young farmer.
But Roger ignored his doubts and focused solely on finishing the pig pens before the rainy season arrived.
At the end of July, several robust corrals stood on the hillside, their roofs glistening in the afternoon sun as the breeze blew gently through the surrounding trees.
Roger installed this deep well pump so that the animals always had clean water, even during dry weeks.
One afternoon, standing on the hillside, he admired with pride the small farmhouse and imagined dozens of healthy pigs growing there.
The last step was to buy his first litter of piglets, which he acquired from a breeder who lived in a nearby town.
