30/05/2026
Tacio Felangen used to grow flowers in Tuba, Benguet.
When pests and disease began affecting his crops, the expenses became impossible to manage.
He switched back to vegetables, thinking it would be more practical. It wasnโt.
Farming costs kept risingโfertilizer, fuel, and transport.
Some seasons, he said, he already expected losses even before the harvest left the farm.
When prices dropped, traders offered too little, and much of the harvest went unsold. Some ended up as feed for livestock or were used as compost. There were times he spent months farming and didnโt earn any profit.
For Benguet farmers like him, bringing vegetables to market meant long trips, higher fuel costs, and selling through middlemen who further reduced returns.
This changed when he joined the Weekend Market in DMCI Homes communities, which is a partnership between DMCI Homes and the Tuba Agri Tourism Community (TATC).
The program gave farmers from Tuba, Benguetโthe host community of DMCI Homes Leisure Residencesโ Moncello Crest ecoโagri resort condotelโa direct selling platform inside DMCI Homes condominium communities in Metro Manila.
By selling directly to residents, Tacio and his fellow farmers were able to shorten the supply chain and reduce costs. More of their produce reached buyers instead of going to waste.
A year after the Weekend Market began, he says the difference is clear. They can now set aside money for their childrenโs school needs and buy food for their family.
Tacio hopes the market will continue to help farmers like him.
โBago ti Weekend Market, mas abak pay ti garden expenses kaysa diay kita mi. Tatta, adda pagalaan mi iti kasapulan ti ubbing idiay eskwela ken adda igatang mi a k***n mi a pamilya (Before the Weekend Market, our garden expenses were even higher than what we earned. Now, weโre able to set aside money for our childrenโs school needs and buy food for our family),โ he said.
