Acar
For 24 years, sidewalk vendor Francisco “Tatay” Acar sold cigarettes and candies to passersby near the Radisson Blu Hotel at the North Reclamation Area, Cebu City.
At the end of the day, the 82-year-old Acar walks several kilometers to barangay Subangdaku, Mandaue City to a house where he rents a room at P500 a month.
When asked if he had a wife and children, Acar said, “Wa uy! Wa ko nanganduy ana (No. No, I never dreamed of that).”
Born in Davao on Jan. 1, 1934, Acar moved to Cebu when he was 18 years old after working as a laborer in Davao City a year earlier.
After helping his father make wooden beds to support the family, Acar decided to try his luck in Cebu.
Only choice
But a good job, let alone someplace to stay, was hard to find so Acar slept for one week at Pier 2.
With no friends or acquaintances, Acar soon found work as a stevedore in Pier 2 and managed to get by until typhoon Ruping swept Metro Cebu in 1990.
Acar lost his belongings to the typhoon and then decided to become a sidewalk vendor, selling candies and cigarettes in various places until he took up space near the Radisson Blu Hotel, where he’s been doing business since.
Asked why he became a sidewalk vendor, Acar said it was the only choice he had because he got old and could no longer lift the heavy cargo at the pier area.
Expensive
Having finished only Grade 3, Acar said he never dreamed of becoming a professional due to his family’s poverty.
“I only finished Grade 3 so I never dreamed of anything. I only want to have something to eat,” he said in Cebuano.
Nowadays, food is the least of Acar’s concerns. Asked if he is able to eat three times a day, his answer was “Sobra-sobra pa” (More than enough).”
He said he didn’t miss his family back home in Davao that much.
“Tungud kay mahal ang pliti sa barko, wala nay mingaw-mingaw (Because the ship fare is expensive, I can’t afford to miss them),” he said.
The last time Acar visited his family was in 1995. Since then, he has been unable to visit them.
“Sa una man gud ang pliti P81 ra. Karon naa nas 800 kapin. Asa man ko mukuha ana? Ari na ko dinhi, hangtod sa hangtod (Before the fare is only P81. Now it’s more than P800. Where would I get that? I’ll stay here forever),” Acar said.
Thankful
Like any sidewalk vendor, Acar said he experienced being told by authorities to leave his space.
“Sa una daghan man mi diri, mao to gipahawa mi. Karon ako nalang usa, wa naman ko pahawaa” (Before, there were many of us vendors here. Now it’s only me, and I’m no longer told to go away),” he said.
He also experienced being fooled by people who pretended to buy his wares by taking out their wallets, only to run away.
Still, Acar said he was thankful that no one tried to beat him up or attack him.
“Suway lang sila’g kulata, dunggabon jud nako (Let them try to beat me, I will stab them),” Acar said.
Besides, Acar said he can count on some of the Radisson Blu Hotel employees who became his friends to help him out.
Regardless of the weather or traffic, passersby can be sure to find Acar near the hotel, minding his own business and selling his wares to those interested enough to buy from him./Palompon Institute of Technology Intern Mariel Grabillo