LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – The annual Sweetest and Heaviest Strawberry Contest, as part of the 2025 Strawberry Festival, was held at the La Trinidad Municipal Tourism Grounds, bringing together local farmers to showcase their best harvests.
Edgar T. Wallang won first place in the sweetest Sweet Charlie category with an average sweetness score of 11.30, followed by Zane Ira Allidem Peang (10.83) and Jandy T. Buya (10.30), who placed second and third, respectively.
Meanwhile, Elvirisa Akelio earned the top spot in the heaviest Sweet Charlie category with a strawberry weighing 41.33g. Sherwin Cuadli Gomiho followed closely with 40.67g, while Frida Wanas won third place with 40g.
Aside from the popular Sweet Charlie, other strawberry varieties also took the spotlight. Robert Jan Allan won the sweetest in the other variety category with a 12.87 sweetness score, followed by Margarita Anaban (11.37) and Jenalyn Pultino (11.30).
In the heaviest other variety category, Pedro Galacyan achieved first place with a 42.33g strawberry, while Luther Palukpok followed with 40g.
Robert Jan Allan, who won the sweetest category for other varieties with his Snow-White strawberries, shared the challenges of growing the rare variety. “Para sa amin, yung pagtatanim ng white strawberry is medyo mahirap siya kasi susceptible siya sa mga sakit compared dun sa red varieties natin dito,” he explained.
He emphasized the meticulous care it requires, “From yung planting material kailangan malinis. Tapos throughout yung cycle niya hanggang dun sa first flowers niya is kailangan talaga mabantayan yung mga pesticide na inaapply, yung mga abono, yung pagdidilig din.”
Despite these challenges, he chose to grow Snow White strawberries to offer a unique alternative. “Hindi masyadong madami yung supply ng white. Pang kontra rin sa oversupply kasi pag March talaga madami yung supply ng red na variety ng strawberry,” he shared.
Popularly known as the Strawberry Capital of the Philippines, La Trinidad celebrates its rich agriculture through the annual Strawberry Festival, which promotes both economic and tourism growth.
One of the festival attendees named Ayuna, a student from the University of Shizuoka, Japan, appreciated the competition’s uniqueness compared to farming practices in her home country. “In Japan, there’s no competition, just planting and the visitors picking [the strawberries], but here, there’s a competition,” she shared. “It’s very exciting. This is a good experience for me.”
The contest not only recognizes La Trinidad’s dedicated farmers but also reminds us of the importance of preserving its agricultural traditions for future generations. By Julianna Mallari
