‘POST-COVID HOLIDAY RUSH’: Ilonggos flock to city for ‘last-minute’ shopping

By John Noel E. Herrera

The streets are bustling as people scramble for last-minute shopping in the city of love.

Streets, malls, and other establishments in the city are once again filled with Ilonggos who are in a rush to buy gifts for their family and friends and other goods like Noche Buena items days before Christmas.

Both the downtown area in the City Proper district and the new business district in Mandurriao are lively as Ilonggos flock to malls and other establishments and stalls to find the best and most affordable products they can give to their loved ones.

The scenes in the city harked back to what Iloilo City once looked like before the pandemic started.

Now that it is slowly going back to normal, several vendors said that it is already their chance to, at least, rebound from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Amat-amat lang bawi kay nami man nga ti daw gabalik na gid sa normal, damo na mga tao galagaw, hindi man gid dako ang kita, (pero) mayo naman nga may pangitan-an kami liwat kada paskwa,” Rita, a 47-year-old sidewalk vendor, said.

Some shoppers also said that they missed how the holiday season is usually celebrated in Iloilo City before the pandemic happened – filled with vibrant colored lights, busy streets and sidewalks, Christmas party events, and fellow shoppers buying gifts.

“Kahilidlaw man nga makita daw kasadya (liwat) sang syudad, damo lights, hindi boring, kag mga tao galagaw and daw balik na sa normal bala, mga Christmas party kag iba pa nga events, tapos ang sidewalks damo baligya, damo pwede pili-an nga barato man,” Carla Ebala said.

The city government has allowed sidewalk vending during the holiday season after Mayor Jerry P. Trenas earlier issued Executive Order No. 406.

“In anticipation of holiday celebrations, it is expected that as part of Filipino tradition, vendors set up stalls along the allowed and identified streets in the metro and customers should swamp to purchase needs, especially during the holiday rush, providing the vendors with their source of livelihood and another platform for economic recovery,” Trenas earlier said.

Meanwhile, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI)-6 also reminded the public to observe product safety in buying Christmas lights and other electronic decorations and make sure that the products comply with the requirements of the Bureau of Philippine Standards (BPS).

DTI-6 OIC assistant director Felisa Judith Degala also urged consumers to know their rights when purchasing products, and warned parents to be cautious when buying toys for their kids.

The entire Philippine National Police (PNP) was also placed on full alert status this holiday season as crowds are expected to flock to malls and other places, especially during the holiday rush.

Meanwhile, aside from the sea of people along the sidewalks and inside the malls, private cars and public utility vehicles (PUVs) also filled the streets, causing heavy traffic congestion in some areas in the metro, like in the City Proper, and Jaro districts, particularly in Brgy. Ungka due to the defective P680-million flyover connecting the city to Pavia, Iloilo.

Iloilo City Public Safety and Transportation Management Office (PSTMO) head Jeck Conlu earlier said that none of their personnel will be allowed to go on holiday break to make sure there are enough traffic aides to manage the streets.

Though the situation in the city is going back to normal, some people also expressed worry and dismay about the effects of inflation on the prices of goods, as Ilonggos also try to tighten their belts.

Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) indicated that Iloilo City’s inflation rate as of November 2022 has risen to 12.4 percent, noting a sharp and consistent rise when compared to the past 12 months.

Despite this, Ilonggos still emphasized that this year’s holiday celebration is livelier and more blessed compared to what the public experienced during the pandemic, as the real essence of Christmas is felt not by material things, but through the love and kindness that people share with each other.