Ex-rebels’ new mission: 1M balut a month for Negros Occidental, Bacolod

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The former rebels now focus on mastering the timing of duck egg incubation to produce the perfect balut

NEGROS OCCIDENTAL, Philippines – They once moved in the shadows, carrying out deadly missions for the underground. Now, former rebel hitmen in Negros Occidental have taken on a different kind of assignment that involves no gunfire.

Their new mission is to ensure the province never runs out of balut, the fertilized duck egg that has been a staple of Filipino street food for generations.

Former members of the once-dreaded Arturo Tabara-Joseph Stephen Paduano renegade wing under the Revolutionary Proletarian Army-Alex Bongcayao Brigade (RPA-ABB) have traded in their bullets for balut incubators as part of a new local initiative.

The RPA-ABB emerged in 1990s after a faction of the New People’s Army in Negros split from the Communist Party of the Philippines.  

BALUT. Negros Occidental and Army officials distribute ‘balut’ production packages to former rebels during a ceremony at the capitol grounds on Friday, February 14. courtesy of the Negros Occidental PIO

The former rebels turned duck farmers have embraced their new livelihood, shifting from evading checkpoints to perfecting balut incubation. The battle-hardened men, now part of the rebranded “Kapatiran,” are taking aim at meeting Negros Occidental’s, including Bacolod’s, demand for balut, which sits at a staggering one million pieces per month.

Trained in precision strikes, they now focus on mastering the timing of duck egg incubation to produce the perfect balut.

One former operative acknowledged that it requires a completely different skill set. Before, they had to be fast and decisive. Now, they have to be patient and gentle because balut-making, by itself, is an art.

Guerrilla warfare to eggs

With Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson banning balut from outside the province to shield its P8-billion poultry industry from avian influenza, the provincial government seized an opportunity to transform the former combatants into balut producers

Officials said it marks the first time in history that an armed insurgency has been countered with poultry-based economic incentives in Negros Occidental.

Initially, the Office of the Provincial Veterinary (OPV) has set aside P2 million worth of support packages, equipping the ex-rebels with ducklings, incubators, and bags of duck feed.

At least 10 organizations were initially given 1,000 ducklings, 10 incubators with 250-egg capacity, and 127 bags of feeds.

For starters, the Itik-Pinas Project (IPP) aims to produce more than 750,000 balut per month which, if met, would boost local production significantly. The initiative aims to provide them with a stable livelihood, provincial veterinarian Placeda Lemana said.

The capitol is implementing the project among organized farmers in areas such as Bago City, La Carlota City, Murcia, Valladolid, and Enrique.

Farmer groups in San Carlos City, Cadiz City, Kabankalan City, Himamaylan City, Sipalay City, Cauayan, and Ilog also stand to benefit from the program.

Colonel Rainerio de Chavez, provincial police director, said, “If this initiative will thrive and boom, and become sustainable later, this could somehow attract some active rebels to also go back to the folds of government someday and be balut producers, too.”

The balut production program will be integrated into the government’s amnesty program and the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP), both of which provide financial assistance, livelihood opportunities, and skills training for former rebels. – Rappler.com