Mangaldan, Iloilo City Top Producer of CaraBeef in Ph

 By Mortz C. Ortigoza, MPA 

MANGALDAN, Pangasinan – This first class town in Pangasinan and Iloilo City are the top areas where most carabaos are slaughtered everyday, data say.

CARABAOS’ HUB. Mangaldan Mayor Bona Fe D. Parayno (left) and Iloilo City Mayor Raisa Maria Lourdes Sarabia Treñas-Chu.

 Approximately 30 carabaos are k*lled daily in Mangaldan, Pangasinan, for the town's thriving pindang (carabeef tapa) industry. This high demand results in as many as 11,000 carabaos being slaughtered annually to supply the local delicacy to customers, including those in Metro Manila.

"Not to mention the thriving businesses around the town, Mangaldan’s bustling economy was due to its Double A's abattoir where 50 carabaos, 30 cows, and 400 hogs are slaughtered everyday," posted by Northern Watch Newspaper on the interview of GMA-7 Balitang Amianan in December 21, 2018 with the slaughter house's head Veronica Junatas".

Mangaldan modern abattoir caters to the insatiable appetite of the population and visitors in Dagupan City to the legendary delectable pigar-pigar.

Pigar-Pigar features thinly sliced beef seasoned with salt and pepper, tender cabbage, and caramelized onions. Street food vendors there and in Mangaldan traditionally cook this sizzling beef dish in hot oil until brown and crisp at the edges, and the vegetables soak up all the flavor.

Iloilo City and Mangaldan are among the top locations for carabao slaughter in the Philippines, according to the August 22, 2018 issue of Agricultural Monthly. 

Records indicate that the slaughterhouse in Iloilo City processes approximately 26-30 carabaos per day while Mangaldan, Pangasinan handles about 25 carabaos per day. 

Other notable areas for carabao slaughter include Tuguegarao City (10 per day), Infanta, Quezon (4 per day), and smaller numbers in Abuyog, Leyte, and Virac, Catanduanes. Regional

Western Visayas has been cited as a top producing region for carabao, with Iloilo having the highest provincial inventory (57,998 heads as of Quarter 2 2025).

 Regulations, such as the "seven-eleven policy" (males at least 7 years old, females 11), are generally in place, though practices vary.

 While some areas have high slaughter rates, others, such as Carlos P. Garcia (CPG) in Bohol, have enacted local ordinances to prohibit the slaughtering of female carabaos to preserve the local breed. 

Despite the k*lling of water buffalos in these area, the government encourages the protection of, particularly female, carabaos through the Philippines Carabao Center.

Everyday is market day in Mangaldan, declared to the reporters by Mangaldan proud mayor Bona Fe Parayno to show to the public how the town under her administration makes raves and waves economically.

This burgeouning town celebrated last February 14, 2026 to March 9, 2026 its vaunted Pindang Festival to honor its famous practices of drying and curing carabao meat in a town.

Iloilo City is under the stewardship of Mayor Raisa Maria Lourdes Sarabia Treñas-Chu.