Black Market suffers during Panagbenga
Despite the tourist influx brought about by Baguio Flower Festival or Panagbenga 2009, the city’s underground market was not benefited.
According to many illegal vendors, they were affected negatively by the recently-concluded Panagbenga Festival. Vendors claim that they haven’t got any profit from the event and most of them even said that their sales were reduced as compared to what they usually get.
Tessie Bautista, kakanin vendor alongHarrison Road said that the decrease in their sales is an effect of the stalls in the Market Encounter and Session in Bloom that offer the same goods and many other goods.
“Mas tumumal kasi maraming nagtitinda. Dati dalawang bilao nabebenta ko pero ngayon isang bilao na lang, Bautista said. She added that she used to gain P200 but during the Panagbenga season, her profit was cut to half.
According to Sharon Rodriguez, vendor of silver jewels along Burnham Park, she lost many customers because tourists prefer to go to the stalls in the market encounter and buy the products sold there. “Wala na kaming nabebenta dito kasi mas gusto ng mga tao na pumunta diyan sa encounter. Marami kasi silang pagpipilian," she said.
Even those products that can only be found inBaguio such as strawberries were not patronized during the visit of local and foreign tourists to witness the float parade and the street dancing which were the highlights of the Panagbenga. “Yung orange ang mabenta pero yung strawberries, matumal kasi mahal,” said Jenelyn Limpac, fruit vendor along Harrison Road .
Public Order and Safety Division Administrative Assistant Jonas Gambi Danganan claimed that the decrease in sales of the illegal vendors are the result of their own actions. “Sila mismo ang gumagawa ng dahilan para hindi kumita. Parang yang strawberry, pag wala namang okasyon, magkano lang isang kilo niyan, ngayon tinaasan nila ang presyo. Matalino rin naman ang mga tao, alam nila kung nananamantala ang mga vendors. Hindi nila papatusin ang produkto na sobrang mahal,” Danganan said.
Danganan also pointed the trajectory of the underground economy to the crisis. "Siguro yung paghina ng benta nila ay dahil na rin sa krisis. Halimbawa na lang diyan sa Session in Bloom, mas marami na ngayon nagbebenta ng food kumpara sa ibang accessories kasi yan talaga yung negosyo na hindi malulugi," she said.
Danganan also said that the decrease in sales of the illegal vendors can be an effect of the burning of a section of the public market. “Nasunog kasi yung sari-sari section ng palengke so siyempre isa sila sa mga nawalan ng mapagbebentahan kasi hindi sila pwedeng magbenta kung saan-saan lang sa palengke," Danganan explained.
According to Danganan, illegal vendors are allowed to vend before 8am and after 5pm outside the vicinity of the central business district and on parks but because of lack of people from the POSD, illegal vendors were hardly controlled.
Danganan also said that POSD offered the Melvin Jones area for ilegal vendors to vend because it is an open area but vendors did not buy the offer. "Makakabenta sila basta ilugar nila ang mga sarili nila, Danganan said.
The underground economy in the city can be considered to be booming for a long time now because of the black market that is being patronized by most consumers. The city’s black market is popular because of the cheap products offered by the illegal vendors.
According to many illegal vendors, they were affected negatively by the recently-concluded Panagbenga Festival. Vendors claim that they haven’t got any profit from the event and most of them even said that their sales were reduced as compared to what they usually get.
Tessie Bautista, kakanin vendor along
“Mas tumumal kasi maraming nagtitinda. Dati dalawang bilao nabebenta ko pero ngayon isang bilao na lang, Bautista said. She added that she used to gain P200 but during the Panagbenga season, her profit was cut to half.
According to Sharon Rodriguez, vendor of silver jewels along Burnham Park, she lost many customers because tourists prefer to go to the stalls in the market encounter and buy the products sold there. “Wala na kaming nabebenta dito kasi mas gusto ng mga tao na pumunta diyan sa encounter. Marami kasi silang pagpipilian," she said.
Even those products that can only be found in
Public Order and Safety Division Administrative Assistant Jonas Gambi Danganan claimed that the decrease in sales of the illegal vendors are the result of their own actions. “Sila mismo ang gumagawa ng dahilan para hindi kumita. Parang yang strawberry, pag wala namang okasyon, magkano lang isang kilo niyan, ngayon tinaasan nila ang presyo. Matalino rin naman ang mga tao, alam nila kung nananamantala ang mga vendors. Hindi nila papatusin ang produkto na sobrang mahal,” Danganan said.
Danganan also pointed the trajectory of the underground economy to the crisis. "Siguro yung paghina ng benta nila ay dahil na rin sa krisis. Halimbawa na lang diyan sa Session in Bloom, mas marami na ngayon nagbebenta ng food kumpara sa ibang accessories kasi yan talaga yung negosyo na hindi malulugi," she said.
Danganan also said that the decrease in sales of the illegal vendors can be an effect of the burning of a section of the public market. “Nasunog kasi yung sari-sari section ng palengke so siyempre isa sila sa mga nawalan ng mapagbebentahan kasi hindi sila pwedeng magbenta kung saan-saan lang sa palengke," Danganan explained.
According to Danganan, illegal vendors are allowed to vend before 8am and after 5pm outside the vicinity of the central business district and on parks but because of lack of people from the POSD, illegal vendors were hardly controlled.
Danganan also said that POSD offered the Melvin Jones area for ilegal vendors to vend because it is an open area but vendors did not buy the offer. "Makakabenta sila basta ilugar nila ang mga sarili nila, Danganan said.
The underground economy in the city can be considered to be booming for a long time now because of the black market that is being patronized by most consumers. The city’s black market is popular because of the cheap products offered by the illegal vendors.
