By Danilo P. Padua, PhD
Tourism Week had been declared in La Trinidad, Benguet from Sept25-30,2025. It is the only municipality in the whole Cordillera region that has such declaration, according to the Department of Tourism. This is a clear intention of La Trinidad to be known as a great tourism destination in the region, if not in the whole country.
This year is the first celebration of such tourism week with the theme: Tourism and Green Investments. Invited to attend were various stakeholders from the hotel and restaurant sector, food sector, health, infrastructure, other concerned government agencies, local officials and many more.
For the Sept 29,2023 program held for the purpose, Benguet Congressman Eric Yap and Ms Jovita Ganongan, the Regional director of the Department of Tourism-CAR were the major special guests.
It is wonderful to know that local officials headed by Mayor Romeo Salda and the special guests are all in one accord as to the tourism direction for the municipality.
The La Trinidad Vice mayor, Roderick Awingan, acknowledged the participants and six municipal councilors (Jason Dangwa, Belmer Elis, Guiller Galwan, Francis Lee, Teddy Walang) were also present to lend full support to the program and to tourism.
Mayor Salda said, “We already proved that we can advance tourism in this corner of the Cordillera. We have already proven that we can do this. We have already put our municipality in the tourism map when we produced the largest strawberry short cake in2004 as reflected in the Guinness book of world record. Let us continue to move further, and build on such accomplishment for our local tourism.”
Congressman Eric Yap was more expansive, and appears to be a strong advocate of tourism. He said tourism is key to the progress of a town like La Trinidad. It is an instrument to uplift the lives of the people in the locality.
The amiable congressman would like to see La Trinidad standing proudly as a tourist destination distinct or separate from the well-established reputation of Baguio as a tourism hub. He said, “together, we can show the world that La Trinidad can stand on its own feet for tourism purposes so it will not be confused with Baguio City”.
Yap enthused: “Pagmalaks ang tourism, malaks din ang pasok ng kita”.
Let us not just wait and see. Let all local residents pitch in whatever they can to make this possible. Let entrepreneurs also do their share, where needed.
He threw a challenge to all La Trinidad officials and residents that, “we can make the strawberry festival a major source of attraction and excitement for tourists. I enthusiastically agree with Yap’s dream of evolving a great Strawberry festival. This way, according to him, we can also attract celebrities like movie stars to grace our festival like what they did in Davao and Cebu”. He matter-of-factly drove his point home when he hurled this, “We will prepare hard for this”. I take that as his resolve to help make the festival much bigger.
It’s not only that kind of tourism that the congressman was talking about. He dropped the idea that he can also help in the promotion of sports tourism. In his plate of possibilities this year or early next year is to invite PBA veterans to come over and play with a Benguet All-star team to be composed possibly from a selection of players in the ongoing Cong Yap basketball tournament. The venue will be the Benguet Sports Complex. Let the Complex be safer to play in, and more conducive for watching.
“For our tourism, there’s nowhere to go but up”, Yap boldly asserted.
For her part, Director Ganongan showed that she knows tourism by the palm of her hand. She talked of responsible tourism, which means it is not the end all. It should be a part of a bigger picture where tourism activities should consider environmental impact. “It should be sustainable”, she pointed out.
“Green Tourism is the way forward”, Ganongon said. She explained that since local tourism is still largely connected to agriculture, farming operations should be carefully planned to make them attuned to green tourism or sustainability. Along this line, she talked about considering agroforestry system, planting cover crops, energy-efficient practices,etc. Speaking also like an agriculturist! A pleasant surprise for me.
She is therefore encouraging farmers/gardeners to use agricultural practices for sustainable tourism purposes and for healthier environment. “Tourism must be transformational”, she intoned. This sounds great, but let me understand this more.
She advises that tourists seek convenience as they travel around, so invest on hotels, farm lodges, and the like. But do we have incentives for investors so they could help plug present or future gaps in the tourism chain?
The tourism director wants to see the day when farm to table experience is the order of the day at least in some places. The DOT should make plans for this together with LGU officials and even interested private individuals or entities. It will not materialize by just wishing.
Ms Ganongan was emphatic in saying that, “ you are not a tourist if you are not buying in places where you are visiting”. She recommended that the present product portfolio be expanded and diversified. This of course is okay but definitely, it is easier said than done.
This corner asks: is there a La Trinidad brand that we can talk about? Just go to the strawberry area in La Trinidad, a tourist area, and ask for a T-shirt emblazoned with the word La Trinidad. You will be dismayed because they show you only shirts printed with the name, Baguio city.**
