TOMATO RESCUE

THE ROAD TO PERDETION. Perde in the Spanish language means to lose. This is exactly what these roads in Nueva Vizcaya are, the road to losing. In lieu of kilometer sign posts, the distances are equally marked by mounds of tomatoes. In this trip to the twin towns of Dupax, we saw four dumpsites. Tomatoes dumped by the farmers who are unable to sell them, tomatoes foraged by locals who have pigs to eat them. The trucks are emptied of their load to save on gasoline, before their owners go home empty handed. Walang kamatis, walang benta, walang kita. In between these kilometer markers, we saw fields of ripening tomatoes, their owners no longer bothering to harvest. Wala namang pupuntahan, wala namang bibili, wala nang kwenta magpagod. Cry.

TOMATO RESCUE BUY. We are writing to your heart for the very distressed tomato farmers of Nueva Vizcaya, Ifugao and Benguet, these are the farmers who come down to the Nueva Vizcaya Agricultural Terminal (NVAT) and the Aritao Agricultural Terminal (AAT). We would like to intercept the farmers as they come down, while the tomatoes are green, as much as our truck can take. This is a Tomato Rescue Buy. If you are a friend to us, be a friend to the farmers, let’s give them P599 for 20 kilos. Yes, for your kind and generous help, they will give you 20 kilos of first class tomatoes and the sturdy box they’re ship in.