NO TO MCDO LEASE: Affected farmer-tenants, who are both members of La Trinidad Vegetable Trading Post Multi-Purpose Cooperative (LTVTPMC) separately express opposition on the action of the Board ,allowing a giant food chain to establish a branch at the Market Center during a meeting held on March 19 in La Trindidad, Benguet. Dozens of member-tenants attended the said meeting,They also voice out their resistance on the issue. INSET A view of the contested Farmers’ Center at Barangay Puguis,La Trinidad,Benguet. Photos by Primo Agatep
LA TRINIDAD, Benguet — Thousands of farmers, their families, and small business owners in this highland capital are rallying to protect a livelihood they say has sustained them for more than three decades, as opposition grows over a plan to lease part of the La Trinidad Vegetable Trading Post Multi-Purpose Cooperative’s property to fast-food giant McDonald’s.
The dispute erupted after the board of the La Trinidad Vegetable Trading Post Multi-Purpose Cooperative (LTVTPMC) approved a resolution allowing McDonald’s to lease around 1,400 square meters of space at the cooperative’s Farmers’ Center in Barangay Puguis for P250,000 a month. The area, located in the town long known as the country’s “Salad Bowl” and “Strawberry Capital,” is currently occupied by cooperative members composed of local farmers, vegetable dealers, and small and medium business operators.
A significant portion of the site also serves as a parking and staging area for highland vegetables delivered from various Benguet towns, making it a vital hub in the province’s farm-to-market chain.
For many members, the proposed lease is more than a property issue. It is a threat to the only source of income they and their families have known for years.
During a recent marathon meeting, affected farmers, traders, and business owners, along with their leaders and disposers, voiced strong opposition to the board’s action. The gathering also served as a mobilization for the March 28 referendum, where members are expected to formally express their position on the controversial lease.
The emotional weight of the issue was felt even by the children of those affected. One child who listened to the discussion reportedly asked her mother what would happen if they were forced to leave the market center that had long been their family’s lifeline.
“Ma, where will you get the money to pay for our studies?” the child asked, according to those present, capturing the fear now gripping many families in the trading community.
Opponents of the lease claimed the cooperative board failed to observe proper processes before moving forward with the agreement. Some also alleged that signatures gathered during a general assembly last year were later used to make it appear that members were in favor of a 28-year lease with the multinational fast-food chain.
The protesting members appealed to the board to put the welfare of the cooperative’s own farmers and small entrepreneurs first, rather than giving prime space to what they described as corporate interests.
Since last year, affected members have sought the intervention of several agencies, including the Cooperative Development Authority and the local government of La Trinidad, in hopes of stopping the deal or at least subjecting it to closer scrutiny.
But in a telephone interview, LTVTPMC Board Chairman Jimmy Ayatoc said the agreement allowing McDonald’s to lease the area is already a “done deal.” He added that the matter had already been presented to cooperative members, as well as to the Cooperative Development Authority and the Office of the La Trinidad mayor.
With the March 28 referendum approaching, the fight over the proposed lease has become a defining issue for many in La Trinidad — one that pits promised commercial development against the survival of farmers and small traders who say the land has long been at the heart of their daily struggle and livelihood.
