A Filipino man said he plans to fight a citation for roasting pigs in his back yard, arguing that village officials are unfairly barring him from a cultural and religious tradition.

“This is our tradition since I was born in the Philippines. Whenever they had a fiesta, there was always a roasted pig,” said Amante Enad, 55, who will argue his case before a judge next week in the Rolling Meadows branch of Cook County Circuit Court.

The Wheeling Department of Community Development cited Enad last week after he was mentioned in a January 25 Chicago Tribune story about lechon, a Filipino word that means “ roast pork.”

The story described how Enad and other Filipino Americans celebrate their heritage preparing the dish, even in the dead of winter.

Though some people interviewed in the story roast pigs as part of a side business, Enad says he doesn’t charge for his services, providing it free to religious festivals at a Glenview church.

He said he does so out of gratitude for prayers answered when his wife recovered in 2005 from hip surgery.

Village officials ordered him to get rid of his roasting equipment, Enad said.