Vegetable farmers in Benguet (a highland province in the northern Philippines known as a major source of fresh produce for the capital) are facing deepening losses as fuel-driven transport costs surge while farmgate prices collapse. Traders say a five-ton truck of cabbage now sells for as little as 15,000–20,000 pesos, far below the 60,000–70,000 pesos it costs to grow, with fertiliser prices and disrupted oil supplies linked to the Middle East conflict compounding the squeeze. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. visited the province on 17 April and announced emergency measures including a temporary fuel subsidy for cargo trucks, toll fee waivers on routes to Metro Manila, and a government purchase of more than 20 tonnes of highland vegetables for distribution to social welfare facilities — though farmers remain uncertain whether the relief will be enough to offset their losses.