Photo courtesy of Mark Kelvin Aliliran
CEBU, Philippines—A TikTok video uploaded by a freelance photographer and filmmaker from Bicol of a man selling little bouquets at a mall’s parking lot is making rounds online.
Mark Kelvin Aliliran identified the man as MJ Dela Cerna.
He shared with CDN Digital that the Dela Cerna was supporting his wife’s idea.
Dela Cerna was calling out passersby outside a mall in Pasay City offering them his little bouquets of flowers.
“Flowers for your girlfriend,” he told them.
Each bouquet has assorted flowers wrapped in a paper along with the words, “Le Petit Bouquet Manille.”
It was sold P150 per bouquet.
Aliliran said he decided to make him his subject since he saw that only a few people had bought his bouquets.
“Nadaanan ko na sya, actually papasok po ako ng seaside kasi ‘dun tlga ako mghahanp ng subject. Kaso paglampas ko kay kuya, ewan nakaramdam akong awa kasi wala talga sa kanya pumapansin despite his efforts sa pagabot ng neto sabay sabing ‘flowers for your girlfriend’ sobra malumanay yung boses,” he said.
(I passed by him and I was actually entering seaside because it was really there that I was looking for a subject. But as I passed by Kuya, I don’t know but I felt pity for him because nobody took notice of him despite his efforts to offer them the bouquet of flowers with an accompanying sincere voice saying “flowers for your girlfriend.”)
Tumigil ako sa unahan mga ilang mins din den I decided na balikan sya. Sabi ko parang kelangan ko sya gawing subject. Parang may humatak ba sa kin to choose him that day. Ramdam ko kasi yung sincerity nya and eagerness to sell the flowers. Sobra naappreciate ko ‘yun. Kaya sabi ko kelangan to makita ng mga tao,” he said.
(I stopped a few meters away for a few minutes and I decided to go back to him. I told myself that I need to make him my subject. It seems like somebody was pulling me to choose him that day. I felt his sincerity and eagerness to sell the flowers. I deeply appreciated that. So I told myself that people need to see this person.)
He said that Dela Cerna and his wife runs a Facebook page where customers can order those little bouquets.
The video has now reached 398.4 thousand views as of this writing.
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