The municipal government of Nueva Era in Ilocos Norte has entrusted heifers, or young female cows, to college students so they could contribute to their families’ livelihood.

“This means so much to us. The cow is not just a livestock, it is a lifeline that can support our education and families,” Angelo Campañano, a nursing student of Northwestern University here, told the Philippine News Agency in a phone interview on Monday.

Campañano and 71 other student-beneficiaries received the heifers, along with livestock vitamins, during a ceremonial distribution at the Nueva Era Municipal Agriculture Office ground over the weekend.

“This is more than just assistance — it is an investment in people, in livelihood and in the future of our community,” Mayor Aldrin Garvida said during the distribution.

The municipal government urged the recipients to use their free time, particularly during weekends, to tend to their livestock.

“With these blessings, we feel seen, valued, and inspired to continue dreaming and striving, not only for ourselves but also for our community,” Campañano said.

Parents of the student-beneficiaries who are rice farmers, meanwhile, received hybrid rice seeds from the Department of Agriculture (DA) Regional Field Office-Ilocos and inbred rice seeds from the Philippine Rice Research Institute during the ceremony.

Yellow corn seeds, along with urea and foliar fertilizer, were distributed by the DA.

Gardening tools and vegetable seeds were handed out to women organizations to enhance the implementation of “Gulayan sa Barangay,” a community garden project that aims to boost food security in the municipality, home of the indigenous peoples group Tingguians.

All these efforts, according to Garvida, is part of the municipality’s “One Professional, One Family” program, which aims to have at least one employed professional in every household and puts premium on education to uplift the lives of Tingguians. (PNA)