Like Sherika and Chrislyn, the two girls featured in the story, students from Don Gothong Memorial High School in Cebu City are also among the last-minute Christmas shoppers who choose to buy gifts in a night market in Colon Street, Cebu City, where all sorts of items are sold at bargain prices. (CDN PHOTO/MOREXETTE ERRAM)
It was the first time for junior high school students Sherika Argente and Chrislyn Borres to shop on their own, in one of Cebu City’s night markets.
Before, it was their parents who traveled to the city’s downtown area just to buy gifts for their school manitos and
manitas.
Sherika and Chrislyn, both 16, are students of Budlaan High School in Barangay Budlaan, in the northern uplands of Cebu City.
For months, the two saved up around P800 each to buy presents and food for their class Christmas party.
But P800, they said, would not be enough if they were to shop in malls.
Last December 20, a day before their Christmas party, the best friends opted to buy the things themselves in Cebu City’s downtown area.
The girls revealed how excited they were after their parents allowed them to purchase gifts by themselves in the bustling city, away from their house up in the mountains.
And so off they went, traversing a 12-kilometer distance between the village of Budlaan and Colon Street.
Because no public utility jeepneys pass through Budlaan, Sherika and Chrislyn took a motorcycle-for-hire, commonly known as habal-habal, for a ride downhill to Barangay Talamban.
For the one-way trip from Budlaan to Talamban, they each had to shell out P20.
The two girls spent another P12 for a jeepney ride from Barangay Talamban to Colon.
“We secured P100 for our fares, which left us with P700 for food and gifts,” explained Sherika in Cebuano.
The girls said they left Budlaan at approximately 12 noon and arrived in downtown Cebu City two hours later at around 2 p.m.
They then spent most of the afternoon checking out every shop and stall along Colon Street.
“We decided not to buy immediately because we know there are a lot of cheaper options around Colon. Instead, we bought food first. We were both assigned to buy cakes, and we spent around P500 on each cake,” Chrislyn told Cebu Daily News.
Free of rent, food vendors also set up stalls in the area to draw in more tourists. (CDN PHOTO/MOREXETTE ERRAM)
Right after buying their cakes, Sherika and Chrislyn noticed vendors setting up stalls at around 4 p.m. on one lane of Colon Street at the end portion of the road leading to Barangay Parian.
They watched and waited to see what was going on in the area.
Soon, a banner was raised which read “Kasadya sa Parian.”
The girls did not hesitate to stay a little longer than planned as they saw stalls spouting up like mushrooms in the busy night.
From 6 to 8:30 p.m., Sherika and Chrislyn circled the entire night market of Parian and ended up buying mobile phone accessories for their
manitas.
Street food vendors and tenants selling various merchandises — from all sorts of accessories, shoes, wallets and clothes to tribal items — make up the night market scene.
Sherika bought a protective case designed for a smartphone at P160, while Chrislyn got a pair of earphones and an LCD screen protector which cost her a total of P230.
Like other shoppers in the night market, they both enjoyed the big bargains.
A pair of strap-on sandals, for example, can be bought from P120 to P170, while the price for a pair of sneakers ranges from P250–P300.
Wallets and bags sell for only P100 and P120, respectively.
Contemporary women’s accessories can be purchased at P20, while handmade wooden tribal ornaments are sold at P40.
“We saw the exact items in several stalls outside the night market earlier, but they’re so much cheaper here,” said Sherika.
“It’s great that they are open even on Christmas Day. It’s more convenient for us who are rushing to buy gifts,” she added.
Up to Sinulog 2017
The night market in Colon Street will last until the third week of January next year – in time for the city’s Sinulog celebration.
(CDN PHOTO/MOREXETTE ERRAM)
Yoon and Jenny, a Korean couple, told CDN how the night market reminded them of the night markets in their home country, South Korea.
“We like it here. It is fun and wonderful – just like in Korea. It is amazing to see Filipino streetfoods, too,” added Yoon.
Last November 28, Parian barangay officials opened Kasadya sa Parian, initially planned to occupy just one lane of Burgos Street.
But village officials, who took part in drafting the proposal for the approval of the Cebu City government, decided to extend it up to Colon Street, right at the historical marker indicating Colon as the oldest street in the country.
Parian Councilor Allan Dilao, principal author of the proposal, said that several plan revisions were made after monitoring and studying the traffic flow and jeepney routes plying the area.
Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña, according to earlier reports, said that he was closely monitoring the operations of the night market.
“I’m not giving any go signal. I’m just going to observe. I’ll look first because if it’s bad, I’ll stop it right then,” said Osmeña in an earlier interview.
Authorities of Barangay Parian dispatched 22 persons to work as members of Task Force Kasadya sa Parian every night.
Dilao stated that several village officials are also present every night to oversee the situation of the night market, which opens at 6 p.m. and closes at 12 midnight.
“So far, no huge and alarming incident was reported to our task force officers and to us,” said Dilao.
Among the reasons cited for the night market was to promote heritage sites within the barangay’s jurisdiction to attract more local and foreign tourists, officials said.
“That is why we have foreign tourists going in and out of the night market. They’re here not only for the local food but also for the historical landmarks all around Barangay Parian such as Casa Gorordo, the Jesuit house and the heritage marker designating our barangay as a heritage site itself,” Dilao said.
There are no rental fees charged to vendors occupying the market, but they will have to pay for their respective electric and water bills.
Romeo, a 46-year-old barbecue and grilled seafood vendor, told CDN that he was relieved upon hearing that the space provided by the village was free of rent.
“Nalipay ko ug samot pagkahibawo nga wa’y renta pagkahuman napili akong ngalan sa pag draw-slots sa kinsay swerte makatinda dinhe (I was even happier when I learned that they were not charging any rent after my name was picked when they drew lots on who would be lucky to sell here),” he said.
It did not bother Romeo that he and his family would be spending their Christmas on Burgos Street, selling food in Kasadya sa
Parian.
“We have grown used to it,” Romeo said in Cebuano as he continued to count his blessings.