AWAITING TOURISTS The Good Shepherd compound in Baguio has been quiet for more than two months as it awaits the return of tourists patronizing its jams and popular “pasalubong” items. —PHOTO FROM GOOD SHEPHERD-BAGUIO CITY FACEBOOK PAGE
BAGUIO CITY, Benguet, Philippines — Almost every tourist here makes time to drop by the Good Shepherd convent near Mines View Park to buy its famous “ube” (purple yam) jam for “pasalubong” (gift) to take home.
But the production of Good Shepherd jams and pastries was halted abruptly on March 16 when President Duterte enforced the enhanced community quarantine in Luzon to contain the spread of the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
Its store closed and about 400 full-time staff members and students were sent home, said Sister Guadalupe Bautista, product developer at the convent. Ten of the students were stranded at the Good Shepherd compound.
Although food producers have since been allowed to reopen, Good Shepherd’s main market has been the tourists who are banned by a border closure during summer, part of Baguio’s peak tourist season.
Livelihood training
With hardly any visitors, 1,000 jars of ube and strawberry jam that were produced for the canceled Baguio Flower Festival and the Holy Week break were given away for free to COVID-19 front-liners in the city, said Bautista.
BENEFICIARIES Part of sales from fruit jams and pastries produced by Good Shepherd pay for the education and training of Cordilleran students who work at the convent. —PHOTO FROM GOOD SHEPHERD-BAGUIO CITY FACEBOOK PAGE
About 30 contract strawberry farmers in the provinces of Benguet and Mountain Province also lost their market when Good Shepherd stopped production of its strawberry jam.Good Shepherd products are made by Cordillera students as a form of livelihood training. Proceeds from sales pay for their education.
Aside from ube jam, the convent makes peanut brittle, pickled chayote, blueberry jam, orange marmalade and 40 other products. Ube jam usually sells for P210 a jar of 440 grams.Bautista said she hoped operations would resume soon as Baguio shifts to general community quarantine where more businesses would be allowed to produce or sell basic necessities.
A P5,000 cash aid from the Department of Labor and Employment and full salaries until April 15 had been released to the convent’s workers, including the students.
—VALERIE DAMIAN