[av_one_full first min_height=” vertical_alignment=” space=” custom_margin=” margin=’0px’ padding=’0px’ border=” border_color=” radius=’0px’ background_color=” src=” background_position=’top left’ background_repeat=’no-repeat’ animation=”]
[av_heading heading=’Flower business thrives on death ‘ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”]
BY MERIANNE GRACE EREÑETA
[/av_heading]
[av_textblock size=” font_color=” color=”]
ILOILO City – “Basta may patay, may mabakal gid na ya bulak.”
People will buy flowers for their dead, said flower vendor Lydia Diogenes, 57.
Despite the rising prices of flowers, she remains confident of disposing all her blooms this Nov. 1 (All Saints’ Day) and Nov. 2 (All Souls’ Day).
People traditionally mark these two days by bringing flowers to cemeteries.
Diogenes has been selling flowers for years at the Iloilo Central Market. This past week, the business was sluggish but she expects brisk sales today and tomorrow.
The high prices may discourage some people from buying flowers, Diogenes said. She blamed the two recent successive typhoons for the prohibitive cost of her blooms.
Typhoon “Karen” hit northern Luzon on Oct. 16. Three days after, super typhoon “Lawin” made a landfall.
According to Diogenes, her flowers were grown in northern Luzon. Her suppliers jacked up the prices so she had to adjust her retail prices here, too, she explained.
“We’re losing a lot of money when storms strike. The flowers we ordered and paid in advance would reach us already in a bad state. Who would buy them?” said Diogenes.
Nevertheless, Diogenes expressed confidence people will continue buying flowers.
“Basta may patay, may mabakal gid na ya bulak. Kapin pa subong nga damo na ang gakapatay,” she said.
Novy Abela, a flower vendor also at the Iloilo Central Market, agreed with Diogenes. While her sales were slow the past week, she expected to make some money now.
“Mag lapit na lang, amo na ina pagtudo baklanay,” she told Panay News.
Last week, a dozen of Chrysanthemum cost P150. This week, this is expected to fetch at P180.
The Manzanilla that cost P250 last week and Golden Flower priced P350 also last week per bundle may now sell for an additional P20 to P50.
A dozen of Radox and Gladiolas which cost P400 and P240, respectively, last week may now be priced P40 to P50 higher./PN
[/av_textblock]
[/av_one_full]
