This is for the little geek in you crying out for facts and statistics. The data is from the 2003 Benguet Socio-Economic Profile which we downloaded from the Benguet provincial website. The files appear to have been removed from said site so email us if you want a copy [in PDF].
Please note that these figures may have changed since four years have passed after the Profile was written. But then again, considering the slow pace of change in the Philippines, maybe these figures have remained basically the same.
17% – Percentage of highland vegetables bound for Baguio/La-Trinidad which come from the town of Buguias. Other vegetable sources are: Atok and Mankayan (12% each), Mt. Province (11%), Kibungan (10%), Bakun (8%), Kabayan (7%), Kapangan (7%), Tublay (7%), La-Trinidad (4%), Tuba and Itogon (2% each) and Bokod (1%).
36% – Percentage of highland vegetables going out of Baguio/La-Trinidad which are bound for Metro Manila. Other market destinations are: Pangasinan (23%), Pampanga (9%), Nueva Ecija (7%), Bicol (6%), Bulacan (4%), Tarlac (4%), Cavite (2%), Laguna (2%), Cagayan (1%), Ilocos (1%), Bataan (1%), Nueva Vizcaya (1%), La Union (1%), and other destinations (1%).
32 to 67 cents – The vegetable farmer’s share of the consumer’s peso. The share goes down as the number of intermediaries between the farmer and the consumer increases.
31,292 hectares – Average annual effective area used for vegetable production in Benguet. This area yields an annual average produce of 471,201 metric tons. White potato is the most widely cultivated crop with an estimated annual effective area of 8,120 hectares.
134 – Number of barangays which are energized according to the Benguet Electric Cooperative (BENECO). This is equal to 95.71% of the province’s 140 barangays. However, only 64% of households (40,448 out of 63,123) have electricity.
95% – Percentage of barangays which can be accessed by motor vehicles. Only seven barangays (out of 133) are not accessible. These inaccessible barangays are found in the towns of Bakun (2), Bokod (2), Kibungan (2), and Sablan (1).
8 – Barangays threatened by insurgency in 2002. These are: Bagu and Gambang in Bakun; Sagubo in Kapangan; Badeo and Tacadang in Kibungan; Bulalacao and Colalo in Mankayan; and Dalupirip in Itogon.
SOURCE: benguet.gov.ph