A number of Philippine flags are seen displayed outside a building in Cebu City on June 11, 2024. CDN Digital photo by Niña Mae Oliverio
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Vendors selling flaglets on the streets have symbolized that the celebration of Independence Day is near. In previous years, when classes started in June, flaglet vendors were a common sight near school buildings.
However, this year, some find it difficult to spot even a single flaglet vendor, especially in downtown Cebu City.
Karen, a third-year college student at a university in Cebu City, told CDN Digital that the Independence Day celebration this year is “less felt.”
“Because, the previous [years] nga mag start ang class sa June, you can feel the Independence [Day] by looking sa students. You know [through] the activities…but right now nga it’s summer (vacation) and you don’t see students, I think ang feeling or the impact sauna nga naay students, I think di na siya ingon ana ka heartfelt,” Karen said.
Meanwhile, Stella Suarez, an office worker at a private firm in the city, shared similar sentiments.
“As someone nga ga commute na for three years as a corporate worker and has to clock in at 8 a.m. naka notice gyud ko sa difference,” Suarez said.
Suarez mentioned that during her travel hours, around 7 a.m., she used to see flaglet vendors on the road, especially near the schools.
“Nya karon, na notice lang nako nga medyo mingaw atong kadalanan murag little to none nalang jud akong nakita nga namaligya sa flaglets. Wala kaayo koy nakita nga presence of flags sa streets, except sa buildings sa government agencies,” she said.
Suarez added that she used to see students bringing flaglets to school, unlike now, as it is already vacation season.
“Kung makakita ko sa flaglets, mareminded nalang ko nga Independence Day na diay,” she added.
Meanwhile, Marvin Degamo, a freelance writer, said that he still noticed some vendors selling flaglets this year. But he said there are fewer compared to when classes began in June.
“Nagkamingaw gyud siya because of the school calendar. But right now akong na notice is naa man gihapoy mga some of them mamaligya. Naa koy nakit-an didto sa SRP when I was going in south last week naa pod sa may skina sa N. Bacalso ug skina pa Labangon,” Degamo said.
Although he had not seen any students bringing flaglets now, he still observed some jeepney drivers and private car owners placing flaglets in their vehicles.
“But some pod naa koy nakit-an some of the stores sa Carbon nga nagbutang sad gyud og flags, mga tindera. Nindot ba kay at least, even though mga juy mag celebrate ana before tungod sa mga program sa school relating to Kalayaan [at least] naa gihapo’y mga adult nga naghuna-huna nga magsabit sa flag…Pero lahi ragyud tong naay klase,” Degamo added.
READ: Selling flaglets is challenging this year for flaglet vendors
In CDN’s report last year, selling flaglets was challenging for some vendors like Jovani Dela Cruz since June became the month of summer vacation in the country.
Dela Cruz, 46, said that he could sell many flaglets when classes were held in June because the students would join a parade and eventually buy flaglets.
“It is challenging now, we only have a few sales. The student would sometimes buy, sometimes they will just make them themselves because they find buying it expensive,” Dela Cruz said in Cebuano.
The adjustment of the school calendar started in 2020 during the height of the pandemic. In 2020, classes began in October. In the following year, classes began in September.
But in the school years 2022-2023 and 2023-2024, classes started in August. For the coming school year 2024-2025, classes are set to begin in July.
ALSO READ:
Marcos tells Filipinos to continuously ‘fight for freedom, sovereignty’