ILOILO City – Due to the coronavirus pandemic, this year’s observance of “Fiesta Minatay” is getting more somber, according to flower vendors reeling from sluggish sales.
“Puro lang manogbaligya ang ari diri, wala manogbakal,” according to Ma. Lowella Basister who has a flower stall at the district plaza of Jaro. “Pag-abot sang gab-i indi ka man kaobra.”
Basister worries she may not be able to recover her capital, especially that flower prices have soared high this year “by P50 to P100.”
“Gasto lang nga gasto, wala pa buena mano,” she said.
Basister’s flower arrangement costs P250 on average but she’s willing to slash the price to P150.
Some of the flowers she sells are the following:
* Malaysian mumps – P500 per dozen
* Anthurium – P400/dozen
* Button flowers – P400/dozen
* Gladiola – P300/dozen
* Gladiolus flower – P300/dozen
* Rados mums – P500/dozen
Basister gets her supply from the Dangwa Flower Market in Metro Manila.
Vendors Lorna Olivares and Nestor Indencio shared Basister’s sentiments.
“Pigado gid,” Olivares said. “Wala benta. Nagapahangin lang kami sa plaza.”
“Tunaw amon kwarta, hinulaman pa ‘ni,” added Indencio.
He sells flowers from P150 to P200.
According to the vendors, if they are only allowed to sell flowers outside the plaza, they could be more visible to people and motorists.
At the Iloilo Central Market, vendor Kurt Stephen Latumbo said the hike in flower price may be attributed to the dwindling supply.
Latumbo’s assorted flower arrangement ranges from P150 to P1,000; a bundle (one dozen) Malaysian mumps costs P350 to P500.
But despite the high cost, Latumbo said he had his “mga suki” coming to buy.
Regina Villavicencio of Barangay Anilao, Pavia, Iloilo, meanwhile, recounted their pre-pandemic situation outside the Pavia Catholic Cemetery.
If previously Villavicencio could sell 100 baskets of flowers daily, now she can barely sell 10.
“Lain gid kon wala pandemic,” she said./PN
