DOT hails frost promotion in Benguet

La Trinidad, Benguet – The Department of Tourism (DOT) has welcomed the promotion of the frost experience in Benguet and in other areas in the Cordillera where it occurs.

Purificacion Molintas, director of the DOT-Cordillera said the occurrence of frost could be promoted as a tourism attraction, without disregarding the consequences of this to the farmers.

“As long as this is packaged in a way that this will not dwell on its negative impact to agriculture,” Molintas said.

When it strikes, frost deals a devastating toll on Benguet agriculture, the country’s “Vegetable Salad Bowl.”  

Wilting millions of potato, cabbage, lettuce and other produce, frost is a nightmare to Benguet farmers who rely heavily on the vast highland vegetable farms.

“This will be a very good tourism come-on if our presentation does not focus on the damages that frosts bring. Frosts only occur in the Cordillera,” she said.

The drop in Baguio’s mercury levels more often than not worries farmers in northern Benguet especially Atok, Buguias, Kibungan and Mankayan, whose temperature sometimes are two to three degrees lower than that of Baguio.

On Saturday, the temperature in Baguio dropped to 9.6 degrees Celcius but increased by two notches Sunday morning (11.8). On Monday, it went up to 12 degrees.

On Dec. 17 and 18, the temperature in Atok town reached a low of five degrees but this went up during the holidays.

The tourism department here said turning the frost experience into a tourism come-on would complement the tourism strategy that they are promoting, particularly for Halsema Highway (Baguio-Bontoc Road).

The cool weather in the areas traversed by this highway and the national thoroughfare itself is being promoted by the DOT as haven for catching low-lying clouds, Molintas said.