Organically grown vegetables and fruits that are cultivated and harvested in the upland villages of Antipolo City by the natives of the city, the Dumagats, are showcased in a weekend livelihood fair near a church in the city.

Church goers attending Sunday mass at the Parish of the Immaculate Heart of Mary on Daang Bakal Road in Barangay Dela Paz will not miss the row of stalls showcasing the fresh produce of the Dumagats that are harvested and brought straight to the city proper from the upland villages, Calawis and Sta. Ines, during the weekends.

Fruits such as medium sized avocados, bananas, papayas, and guyabanos (soursop) and vegetables like string beans, carrots, root crops such as sweet potatoes, gabi, and cassava; leafy greens, squash, eggplants, sayote, and other vegetables that are part of the lyrics of the song, “Bahay Kubo”, are sold at a much cheaper price.

Vendors told Manila Bulletin that most of their products are organically grown without harmful pesticides and chemicals in the rich soil and naturally watered mountains of Barangay Calawis and Sta. Ines.

Several customers, including this reporter, have been regular buyers of the upland products of the native Dumagats every weekend outside the church and even before when their stalls were still located at Sumulong Park, the city’s plaza beside the Antipolo Cathedral.

Medium sized avocados sell for P50 a kilo; saba banana at only P30 per kilo or even lower if one will buy more than a kilo.

The weekend livelihood trade fair, which is being held every Saturday and Sunday, and sometimes during Wednesday (half-day), is in coordination with the city government and Barangay Dela Paz.

One of the vendors told Manila Bulletin that the recent oil price hike has been greatly affecting their income as they have to spend more on diesel for their vehicle that would transport the produce from the mountains to the lowlands and to the city proper where the market and their stalls are located.

The vendors said they are hoping that their produce will be bought by traders at a regular basis so that their livelihood will be sustainable.

They also wish to tell President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., that the government should look into the hardships that vegetable farmers experience due to the unstable prices of petroleum products.