SUMMARY
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BENGUET, Philippines – Farmers will continue to trade their agricultural produce at the Benguet Vegetable Trading Post in La Trinidad town for at least 20 more days.
On February 29, the First Judicial Region Branch 63 of the Regional Trial Court in La Trinidad issued a 20-day temporary restraining order (TRO) against the implementation of a notice to evict farmers from the vegetable trading post.
The notice to vacate was earlier issued by La Trinidad Mayor Edna Tabanda. The notice ordered over 3,000 farmers, retailers, and vegetable truckers to leave within 30 days – or until March 1, 2016.
The trading post is sought to be turned into a commercial complex for the cutflower industry and a promotional area for the One Town, One Product (OTOP) project of the municipality.
However, Judge Jennifer Humiding granted a TRO on February 29 following the hearing of complaints filed by petitioners Juana Bay-an, Imelda Chicay, Bernabe Comising, Ismael Danglipen, Josefino Espadero Jr., Nora Ganase, Osiana Onsiab, Sammie Lim, Patricia Pedaso, Florence Segundo and Adolfo Pendog.
The petitioners hoped for the issuance of preliminary injunction with immediate TRO against Mayor Tabanda. An injunction bond of P500,000 was posted by the petitioners.
The court stated in its TRO, “great and irreparable injury would result to the petitioners if the respondent and all persons acting for and in her behalf and acquiring rights from her were not restrained from committing the acts,” referring to the notice to vacate.
The TRO directs cease and desist from implementing the notice to vacate supposedly on March 1, 2016.
The parties are directed to appear on March 7 at 1:30 in the afternoon before the court “to show cause, if and why a writ of injunction should or should not issued.”
The La Trinidad vegetable trading post was developed in 1980s and is considered by farmers as one of the landmarks of the strawberry-producing town.
When Tabanda issued her eviction order, she advised the farmers and vegetable traders to transact business at the Benguet Agri-Pinoy Trading Center (BAPTC), about a kilometer away from the old trading post.
The BAPTC was developed thru the initiative of Secretary Proceso Alcala of the Department of Agriculture with a funding of P600 million. The government vegetable trading facility was opened last year but failed to attract its intended market – the farmers – due to higher fees compared to the old trading post.– Rappler.com
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