Turning waste to energy: How Zamboanga farm benefits from biogas technology

From the DOST public archive. Original source publication date: 2026-08-20. Captured 2026-09-04. Read the original DOST source.

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It is never unusual for poultry and livestock farms to amass waste and stench, inviting swarms of flies and neighbors’ woes. But Zamboanga Peninsula’s Rockefeller Farm found a fix: turning wastes into power.

The Rockefeller Farm, a seven-hectare poultry and livestock farm in Dipolog City, now turns its accumulated waste into power through its established biogas digester facility.

Describing what the facility is, Lester Uy Ong, the owner, explained that the waste from more than 100,000 chickens and pigs housed in the farm is collected in their dug three-storey-deep pit,  where microorganisms eat it up and help convert it into energy.

Select microorganisms break down the manure into simple molecules enough for other microbes to feast on, digesting these and eventually burp out gases, such as methane, which is converted into electricity through their biogas generator.

When asked why they resorted to establishing a biogas digester facility, Heidi Ong, co-owner and wife of Lester, said two things: to reduce the foul odor and swarming flies, and to have a sufficient power source.

“Magrereklamo yung neighbor mo [sa langaw at amoy] at alam naman natin in the future, mag-i-increase pa ang presyo ng kuryente,” she reasoned.

Currently, the Rockefeller has one biogas generator capable of 300 kilovolt-amperes (KVA), which can power the whole farm for 15 hours, comparable to lighting up an entire rural barangay.

As Lester laid out, before the establishment of the biogas facility, the farm spent about 900,000 pesos on electricity per month to power two buildings of chicken and pig housing, sorting facilities, and other maintenance costs.

“Kapag may biogas na generator, magiging free na ito o ma-minimize sa 40,000 o 50,000 pesos na babayaran pa,” Lester said.

This has improved the production of Rockefeller Farm—supplying poultry products and meat to local restaurants in Dipolog City, partnering with distributors for major consumer brands, and reaching markets in nearby provinces in the Zamboanga Peninsula and even Dumaguete City and Cebu.

“Yung pinaproduce namin, hindi naman din ganun pa karami as of now. Kaya, in the future, we're planning to expand,” they said.

Aside from their main supplies, the biogas digester facility also produces high-quality fertilizers, either used on their own farm within the Rockefeller or distributed to their workers for their crops.

Moreover, the farm observes circular and sustainable practices, including treating their wastewater for reuse in farming maintenance, especially in animal waste disposal—aligned with the standards of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

But beyond their efforts to make Rockefeller Farm sustainable, Lester affirms his willingness to also help other communities leverage biogas, targeting the high potential of installing biogas digester facilities and electric generators at landfills.

“Ang gusto ko is to share ito (biogas digester facility) at gawin nating modern ang mga landfill. Kasi ang landfill, mas maraming mapo-produce na biogas ‘yon,” he said.

Putting it in figures, he said that one landfill may produce electric power enough to light up five to 10 barangays.

“‘Pag na-execute ‘yan, malaki itong tulong sa mga community [near landfills],” he emphasized.

The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) aided in the upgrade of Rockefeller Farm through one of its flagship initiatives, the Small Enterprise Technology Upgrading Program (SETUP), providing five-million pesos of funding to acquire the biogas digester facility.

SETUP is one of the programs of the DOST that aims to provide micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) with zero-interest, refund-based funding for equipment acquisition, technical training, consultancy, and packaging improvement to boost their business’ productivity and market competitiveness.

About RSTW

The Regional Science, Technology, and Innovation Week (RSTW) is an annual event organized by the DOST regional offices across 17 regions. This celebration showcases local technologies, research and development (R&D) projects, and innovative initiatives that connect communities, local industries, and stakeholders with science-based solutions. These efforts promote inclusive, sustainable, and resilient development in the region. The RSTW is one of the major scientific events leading up to the National Science, Technology, and Innovation Week (NSTW) celebration, which will be held in General Santos City in November.  For more information, visit www.dost.gov.ph or the National Science, Technology, and Innovation Week (NSTW) Facebook page. (By Karl Jerome M. del Mundo, DOST-STII and photos by Patrick James Lee C. Alfonso, DOST-STII)