Benguet gov assails nat’l media reports on Benguet veggie industry

By Redjie Melvic Cawis

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet-- Benguet Gov. Nestor Fongwan urged Interior Sec. Mar Roxas and officials to help the province  correct issues on the vegetable industry of the province being presented in Metro Manila in the aftermath of Typhoon Ineng.

“We would like to disprove the reports of national media outfits na walang gulay na nanggagaling sa Benguet kaya tumataas ang presyong mga gulay sa Manila at sa ibang lugar.”

Fongwan bared this during Benguet Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council assessment of effects of Ineng attended by Roxas, presidential spokesperson Sec. Edwin Lacierda and Welfare and Development Assistant Sec..Vilma Cabrera recently here at provincial capitol.

Reports said Manila markets had less supply of vegetables since Benguet could not deliver  needed vegetable supply so several traders marked up their prices twice or three times the real price of the vegetables.

He cited  cabbage which was bought by traders in the La Trinidad Trading Post at P18 to 22 per kilo and sold in Metro Manila  at P100 to 120per kilo.

“Reports in different national media outfits showed prices of vegetables have increased due to the effect of typhoon but that is not true,” Fongwan added national media should  ask the real situation from the province or any authorized persons who will tell the truth.

He added this also proves traders and sellers were taking advantage of the current situation of the farmers who were affected by the typhoon. More than P46 million was reported in damage to agricultural industry in Benguet.

Fongwan said there was a temporary shortage of vegetables when the Halsema Highway closed during the height of typhoon Ineng, but the situation  lasted for less than a day since the Dept. of Public Works and Highways immediately  worked to make the damaged  portion the  road  in Km 16 in  Tublay, Benguet passable.

He urged Roxas to coordinate with the DTI in the national level to look into usurious practice of traders and entrepreneurs in Metro Manila who take advantage of situation of typhoon-affected farmers.

Roxas assured of the support of the national government to typhoon affected provinces including Benguet and the rest of the Cordillera region. He said he would personally coordinate with the DTI to make sure entrepreneurs don’t take advantage of situation of farmers in Benguet.

He also offered the support of the DILG and the PNP by providing vehicles and escorting the farmers to bring their vegetable produce directly from Benguet to the Metro Manila markets so that the farmers will be the ones to take advantage of the temporary increase of prices of their goods.