Business isn’t blooming at the Dangwa flower market in Manila on the eve of All Saints’ Day as the number of buyers has gone down by 50 percent, according to shop owners.
From the usual busy street packed with people buying flowers during special occasions, few buyers were seen in the shops ahead of Undas or the Filipinos’ day of commemorating their departed loved ones.
Lyn Calma, a flower vendor at Dangwa for over two decades now, said fewer people trooped to their shops this year.
“Konti lang yung mga bumibili ngayon kasi katatapos lang ng bagyong Lando at mas prayoridad ng mga tao yung food nila,” Calma said.
Calma admitted that prices of flowers had gone up due to the devastation caused by Typhoon “Lando” in northern Luzon in October.
Most of the blooms for sale at the market come from northern Luzon, particularly in Baguio, Benguet, which is heavily damaged by the typhoon.
Due to the calamity, Calma said prices of flowers went up by P20 to 30.
However, she said there had been an “oversupply” of flowers since there was a substantially low turnout of buyers this year compared to the previous year.
“Compared this year, mas maganda talaga ang bentahan last year,” she said.
Calma said their shop as well as the other sellers at Dangwa had lowered their prices just to sell their wares.
She said the shops at Dangwa had been open for 24 hours but the place had not been crowded.
She added that prices of flowers were expected to drop on Nov. 1 so they could sell their remaining stocks. Nestor Corrales/RC
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