Strawberry farmers hit La Trinidad flood control proj

To DPWH: ‘This will displace us’ 

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet— Strawberry farmers at the swamp area in Barangay Betag of this town urged the Dept. of Public Works and Highways to stop and transfer of a flood control project because this will displace farmers.
    The request was made in a letter forwarded to De Isagani Cayme, OIC district engineer of the DPWH’s Benguet Engineering District,
    The letter was signed lawyer Richard B. Kilaan, lead convenor of Lawyers for Farmers, legal counsel of the Swamp Farmers Assoc. Inc. (SFAI) conformed by Peter S. Bulangen, president of Swamp Farmers Association Inc.  and the association members.
    The letter was received Feb. 21 by the DPWH-BED.
     The letter stated, "In a consultation held on Feb. 18, 2022, attended by members of the Swamp Farmers Association Inc. (SFAI), representatives of the Benguet State University, barangay officials of Betag, La Trinidad and representatives of your office, it appears that there is no prior consultation, knowledge or consent of BSU and the SFAI of the flood control project."
    "Be it noted that the property where you intend to implement the flood control project is property of BSU and our client, the Swamp Farmers Association Inc., have an existing lease contract with BSU. Hence, their prior consent is needed before any project or undertaking is to be implemented in the property."
    The letter added: "We ask your good office to terminate and transfer implementation of the flood control project to other areas. Otherwise, our office will be constrained to file the appropriate criminal, civil and administrative action in court to protect the rights and interests of our client."
    Meanwhile, Bulangen, in an interview said, “we were surprised when DPWH personnel arrived with construction materials and said we should start vacating the lands we were tending because they will start with the construction of a flood control project.”
    “We are worried, where will our member farmers get money to feed their families now that they are telling us to stop farming and give way to the project,” Bulangen said.
    In the past, we have formally for dredging of the canals most especially downstream, and that was years ago, we grew tired waiting for the grant of our request and also got discouraged following up the request that we already forgot about it, then, a few days ago, DPWH informs us that we should vacate our farms because of this project,, he said.
     “It came as a big surprise, for us to vacate our farms immediately, we never requested for steel and construction of new flood control project, what we requested was dredging as the existing JICA funded flood control project is still in good condition,” Bulangen said.