LA TRINIDAD, Benguet — After years of recurring floods that have repeatedly submerged one of Benguet’s most important agricultural and tourism sites, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is moving toward a new set of measures aimed at keeping the famous La Trinidad Strawberry Farm above water.
Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon, during an inspection in La Trinidad on Aug. 21, ordered immediate and longer-term interventions to address flooding around the Strawberry Farm and the wider La Trinidad valley.
Among the measures being pursued are dredging Bolo Creek and the Balili River, clearing drainage channels, deploying mobile pumps and installing floodgates to prevent water from backing up into the strawberry fields.
Pumps could arrive as early as September
The DPWH said mobile pumps are expected to be deployed beginning September to help remove excess water from the Strawberry Farm basin and move it toward Balog Creek.
The agency is also studying a larger drainage system along Strawberry Road leading toward the Balili River, while five possible sites have been identified as potential detention basins where excess rainwater could temporarily be stored before being released into existing waterways.
DPWH officials are expected to coordinate with Benguet State University over the possible use of university property for detention basins and additional drainage facilities.
The proposed measures come after renewed flooding hit the Strawberry Farm area during weeks of heavy rain and southwest monsoon activity this month.
A Bombo Radyo report on Aug. 7 said portions of the popular tourist destination were submerged in knee-deep water, affecting some businesses and activities in the area.
This is not a new problem
The flooding crisis in La Trinidad has been building for years.
A 2025 Philippine News Agency report said the flooding had threatened more than 45 hectares of strawberry farms, with around 500 farmers affected by declining yields and delayed production. The farms’ location near Bolo Creek has made them particularly vulnerable when heavy rainfall overwhelms the drainage system.
Another PNA report in November 2025 said DPWH was already pursuing a flood-water interceptor pipe along Bolo Creek. The proposed system included a 348-meter armored polyethylene corrugated drainage pipe designed to help move water toward the Balili River, with a pump planned at the pipe inlet if peak creek flows exceed the river’s capacity.
That earlier effort highlights just how difficult the flooding problem has become: despite previous drainage and flood-control projects, farmers continued to report inundation even during ordinary monsoon rains.
Why the Strawberry Farm keeps flooding
The Strawberry Farm sits in a low-lying portion of La Trinidad’s valley, beside Bolo Creek.
According to previous DPWH assessments cited by PNA, prolonged and intense rainfall can push the volume of water beyond the creek’s capacity. Because portions of the strawberry fields are lower than the creek, excess water can spill toward the farms.
Local officials have also previously pointed to drainage bottlenecks near the point where Bolo Creek meets the Balili River.
In September 2025, La Trinidad officials asked President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to intervene, citing persistent flooding and concerns over existing flood-control infrastructure. The municipal government also called for an audit and performance review of the Bolo Creek Flood Control Project.
More than crops are at stake
The flooding is not simply an agricultural problem.
La Trinidad’s Strawberry Farm is one of Benguet’s best-known tourism attractions, and the strawberry industry supports farmers, vendors, tourism workers and small businesses.
Previous PNA reporting said flooding had already delayed the strawberry fruiting season, with harvesting pushed from its usual November start toward December or even the first quarter of the following year.
The latest flooding therefore comes at a critical time for a community whose agricultural production and tourism economy are closely tied to the strawberry fields.
The broader situation in the Cordillera has also been severe. DZRH reported on Aug. 22 that infrastructure damage across the region from weeks of heavy rains, storms and the enhanced southwest monsoon had surpassed ₱3 billion, with the figure expected to rise as assessments continue.
The big question now
Dizon’s visit signals a renewed push to address the problem through a combination of immediate pumping and drainage work and longer-term flood-control infrastructure.
But the proposed measures are not yet a guarantee that the Strawberry Farm will be permanently protected.
The real test will come when the next period of sustained heavy rain arrives — and whether the waterways, pumps, drainage system and proposed detention basins can handle the volume of water that has repeatedly overwhelmed the valley.
For farmers who have watched their crops disappear beneath floodwater year after year, the expectation is simple: this time, the solution has to last.
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