La Trinidad all set for Strawberry Festival

By John Pucay and Zhang Yu

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet -- As the Baguio Flower Festival winded up last week, this capital town opened its month – long Strawberry Festival showcasing its luscious product.

With a vision towards strengthening tourist branding, empowering the educational aspect of tourism featuring the wonders of the town, and exploring the potential of international trade and investment, the municipality of La Trinidad launched the 35th Panaspulan (Getting together) Strawberry Festival in media forum at the municipal garden.

Strawberry Festival’s theme this year: “A More Colorful Agro-Eco Tourism,” to promote the municipality’s agricultural entrepreneurship and its rich eco-tourism potentials.

Mayor Edna Tabanda said festivities will be mainly composed of agro-industrial trade fair to be participated by different business establishments and barangays; multi-cultural celebrations including the traditional cultural rites “Owik”; a mass wedding for young couples, together with the renewal of vows for married couples; and a grand street dancing parade with mini-floats and drum & lyre competitions.

It started March 4 with a civic parade participated by the local officials, representatives of the 16 barangays and the private sector.

March 18 is the main program with Department of Tourism Director Marie Venus Tan as guest and honor.

Other minor activities like concerts, pageants, contests, dog shows, battle of the bands and other entertaining community and family events and gatherings are scheduled for the whole month of March.

Tabanda said they are also expecting visitors from Guam and Thailand to ink  sisterhood ties with the municipality.

Municipal Police chief Radino Belly said plans for security of the visitors and traffic management are in place.

Valred Olsim, municipal tourism officer said they are expecting more than 30,000 local and foreign tourists to witness and join the festivities this year.

The municipality of La Trinidad is the Guinness Book of Records holder of the largest strawberry shortcake which weighed 9,622.23 kilograms made by various bakers in March 2004.