DESPITE the continued drop in temperature in the highlands, officials said damage to vegetable crops in Benguet province is minimal.

As of 6:30 a.m. of January 30, Baguio City experienced a temperature of 9 degrees Celsius, the coldest recorded this year, according to Letty Dispo, weather specialist at the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) in Baguio.

Low temperatures of 6.4°C and 7.1°C at Mount Santo Tomas and at the Benguet State University in La Trinidad, respectively. Municipalities with higher elevation have lower temperature.

Pagasa said the continuing drop in temperature is due to the active northeast monsoon winds from Siberia and mainland China.

The all-time-low temperature record in Baguio City was 6.3 °C in 1961 and 6.7 °C on February 18, 1963.

The city is expected to experience lower temperature in the coming days, added Dispo.

Although frost is affecting some vegetable farms in Atok town and Barangay Madaymen in Kibungan, most of the farmers in the province said their crops have been spared.

Cherry Sano, Atok municipal agriculturist, said they have not received any report of damage to crops although frost has been reported in some parts of the municipality.

She said wide ray and thick frost were recorded last Monday.

Augusta Balanoy of the La Trinidad Vegetable Trading Post said frost has had no effect on the supply and cost of vegetables because this did not affect a quarter of the total vegetable production of Cordillera.

“Perhaps for every 100 percent production, less than one percent is affected,” Balanoy said.

Balanoy reiterated their appeal for retailers of Metro Manila not to take advantage of the frost occurrence.

“Ginagamit nilang rason ang frost para magtaas ng presyo (They raise prices and blame it on the frost),” added Balanoy.

In previous reports, Department of Agriculture Cordillera Regional Director Cameron Odsey reported incidents of frost locally called as “andap” in Atok is not alarming as farmers use sprinklers to wash away the frost.

Vegetable frost occurs because of the low temperature experienced in areas with high elevation. Once the moisture enters without the presence of air, it develops into ice.