Quiapo vendors fear low sales due to Traslacion restrictions

Some vendors near Quiapo Church in Manila expressed concerns about their sales due to safety and security restrictions on Monday in the lead-up to the Traslacion, the massive procession that caps the Feast of the Black Nazarene. The streets around Quiapo Church, the homes of the image of the Nazarene, have been cleared of vendors and obstructions.

Sampaguita vendor Alicia Rosales said that while the Traslacion will draw more possible buyers, their sales will actually depend on the leniency of authorities towards sellers.

“Mas maganda po iyong may okasyon kung hindi mahigpit kasi iyon lang po ang inaasahan namin. Hindi po kami mapalagay kung saan kami pupuwesto nang makabenta nang maganda-ganda,” she told GMA News Online.

(The sale is better during these occasions if authorities would not be so strict. We are restless moving from one place to another where we could sell better.)

“Maganda man ang benta, papalayasin ka na doon. Natural aalis ka doon sa pinagpuwestuhan mo. Hahanap ka ng lulugaran mo nang makabenta ka,” she added.

(Your sales might be good there, but the authorities will ask you to leave your spot. Of course, you will leave. You will find another place where you could sell.)

Rosales, 55, said she has been selling sampaguita at Quiapo Church since she was 10, with her mother. This is her only livelihood to support her children and grandchildren.

“Hindi natin masabi kung nandito kami bukas. Ngayon medyo malaya kami pero bukas mahigpit na po kasi maraming pong mga bantay,” Rosales said.

(We can't say if we will be here tomorrow. Today we can still sell but tomorrow it will be tighter because there will be more security.)

“Kumbaga, kung saan-saan na po kami lulugar. Kanya-kanya na kami [We will sell in any place. We will find our spot individually],” she added.

During an interview with GMA News Online, sweet corn vendor Dave Mendiola, 20 years old, was scolded by barangay officers to leave Evangelista Street twice.

“Nag-iikot lang ako diyan. Kung saan maraming tao doon po ako…Kapag maraming tao, sa gilid lang po kami. Doon lang. Nagtitinda lang po ako doon,” he said.

(I was just roaming around here. I go to areas that are full of people…If there is a crowd rushing towards my spot, I will just go to the side of the street. I will stay there.)

Mendiola said his 19-year-old brother is also selling sweet corn around Quiapo Church. The two have to work to support their six younger siblings.

“Ako po naghahanap-buhay kasi mahirap lang po [I work because we are only poor],” he said.

Mendiola said he is also a devotee of the Black Nazarene but he has to work for their livelihood first.

Candle vendor Rowena Defensor, 50, decided not to sell during the conduct of Traslacion on Tuesday because no vendor is allowed in her spot on Evangelista Street.

“Kapag may bisita, pinapaalis kami sandali. Babalik din [If there are visitors, authorities will remove us there. Later on, we will be allowed to return],” she said.

Defensor, who has been selling candles at Quiapo for 16 years, said that she will go to the Avenida area to sell her candles on the day of Traslacion. But, she said, she will have to outrun the authorities there.

“Mahirap doon e. Takbo-takbo. Hinahabol po. Tatakbo kami [It is hard there. We have to run. We are being chased],” she added.

About 2.3 million people are expected to take part in the Traslacion on Tuesday. National Capital Region Brigadier General Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said that they will manage the vendors in the area through “lockdowns.”

“[We] will have lockdown areas. Inner ring portion shall be closed to vendors, parking, vehicles, carrying of bags, bottles, no wearing of hoods and head caps, no raincoats, no umbrellas, et cetera during the January 9 festivities,” he told GMA News Online.

Manila Development Authority (MMDA) general manager Procopio Lipana said around 800 of their personnel will be deployed to make sure that the area is clear of obstructions and vendors.

“Within the area, binawal naman natin.Tuloy-tuloy ang clearing operation natin. Walang obstruction [We already prohibited vendors within the area. The clearing operation is continuous. There will be no obstruction],” Lipana said. — BM, GMA Integrated News