La Trinidad celebrates Strawbery Festival

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La Trinidad Municipal Agriculturist Nida Organo shared that there is a few volume for the Snow White variety as it was only introduced to the municipality before the pandemic. According to her, only two farmers are producing the Snow White variety in La Trinidad under the supervision of Benguet State University.

The Snow White variety is also featured in this year’s twin giant strawberry cake, one of the main highlights of the festival. The twin giant cake is about seven feet tall, 14 feet wide, and five feet in width with about 16,000 slices.

Strawberry Lane

Another highlight of the festival is the Strawberry Lane. It showcased the products of some micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) featuring stalls selling strawberry flavored cakes, wines, jams, cookies, candles, and other strawberry- themed decorations. La Trinidad Mayor Romeo Salda thanked the different agencies who have trained the different agencies who have trained the MSMEs.

“We would like to thank our different agencies who have trained our MSMEs to produce some byproducts of our strawberries. Isuda piman ti nangisponsor ti training tapno agtraing dagitoy MSMEs,” said Salda in an interview with PTV Cordillera.

Parade and dances

The floats for the Valley of Colors category featured an array of flowers and vegetables produced in the municipality while the Pro-Environment category showcased the use of recycled materials such as pet bottles, carton boxes, and used straws.

Beckel was awarded as champion for the Valley of Colors category while Balili was

NHA demolishes illegal structures at Teacher’s Camp

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The National Housing Authority began demolishing homes and other structures covering the Teachers Compound on April 9 to stop illegal structures built on a portion of Proclamation 613 covering the Teachers Camp Compound.

On April 13, 2023, The Baguio City Public Information Office posted on Facebook about the case with the caption, “Three structures built within the Teachers Camp reservation without the requisite building permit and no consent to construct were demolished April 13, 2023, by the composite members of the City Demolition Team and City Anti-Squatting and Illegal Structures (BASIS).”

The demolition sparked a lot of interest in the citizens of Baguio City. There were a lot of opinions being circulated online, and some of them commented on the post of the BCPIO saying that they did an excellent job in acting immediately. However, some of the comments are against the owner of the house.

To correct the opinions being circulated online, one of the owners of the structures commented on the post by

Baguio Midland Courier, saying that they voluntarily agreed [their house] to be demolished in accordance with the law’s implementation. They also mentioned that the demolition went well, and there was peace between them and the authorities.

“Be sensitive po. Di niyo po alam ang prosesong pinagdaan namin dito. Sumunod po kami ngem at least ginawa po namin lahat nang makakaya namin, win or lose at least we did our best.. and di po naming kailangan maki pag away sa ahensya..at all peace po ang nagyari dto in awarded as champion in the Pro-environment category. The winners received certificates and cash prizes. between all concern body and we respect all decision[s] kaya nagvoluntary demolition po kami,” commented Jho Jhajhe, owner.

“The floats showcased our products here in Benguet and it showed us that there are so many beautiful and wonderful things that we can be proud of, like one example is our strawberries. Some people think that strawberries are from Baguio City, and that’s what’s actually being advertised but of course we know that it’s not true. That’s one of the good things about the floats. It has shown that strawberries are from Benguet. From Kibungan, from La Trinidad,and other places that plant strawberries,” stated Molitas, judge.

The Strawberry Festival Parade also featured the drum and lyre and street dancing contest for elementary students where La Trinidad Central School conquered the competition.

“Para kanyami, kala ka naabak ti sugal d[i]ta. dibale t nu nasayaat ti kapanpanunutan ket ado nga bendisyon to kasukat na. Maluwag po sa puso namin yan na tinanggap namin ang tako namin. Godbless everyone, matago-tago taku am en,” added Jho Jhajhe.

While some commended NHA, some netizens pointed how quick the LGU acts on public matters.

“Sana all demolished agad lalo na yong na aplayan ng mayayaman na kahirap pakiusapan,investigate po lahat dyan ng nakatayo kung may

Pageant permit, at kung yong mga na awardan sana eh talagang homeless,” said Sweet Fangon Planas, netizen.

One of the most anticipated events in the festival was the coronation of Mr. and Ms. La Trinidad. 14 females and 12 male candidates graced the stage with their talents, creative wear, swimwear, evening wear, and wit as they competed for the titles. Mr. Puguis Miguel Jarrel Bas-ilen and Miss Balili Reynice Tello emerged as winners at the end of the pageant.

The month-long celebration had many institutionalized activities like Duting tan Dukto, Strawberry Fun Run, Concerts at the Park, Civic Parade, Kikkan, Owik tan Tayaw, MultiCultural Celebrations, Balili Clean up Drive, Job Fair, and Community contests.

Mayor Salda thanked the sponsors, partners, as well as everyone who helped with the successful implementation of the month-long celebration.

“Ang daming illegal structures sa barangay pero pag formal complaint ng private citizens dedma lang pero pag government ang bilis ng action,” commented Etan Lecnad, netizen.

Following this, Mayor Magalong stressed the importance of this campaign, stating, “Please know that the city is taking this campaign seriously since this is a very crucial issue in our city. It is not just an issue of safety but also of health and sanitation, all of which are critical factors affecting the well-being of our residents.”