Business startups getting into the carnival trade Fiesta + Perya = Profit

CEBU, Philippines - Most businesses, whether big or small, often focus on gaining profit from the products and services offered, but in the Peryahan trade or mini-carnival, entrepreneurs earn while giving people entertainment through activities and games.

In the Philippine society, Peryahan is essentially part of a fiesta celebration of a barangay or city, which is usually dedicated to a patron saint.

It is a gaming and amusement center comprising of different carnival game stalls such as shooting gallery, drop coins, color games, three balls, the famous bingo and many others.

Entrepreneurs engaged in the carnival business are called Peryante. They normally do their business in a place--both in city and province--where fiesta is being celebrated. 

Fiesta means business

For 40-year-old Josephine Mandaya, a veteran in the industry, Peryahan is a travel business, explaining “Kay magbiyahe-biyahe man mi pirme bisan asa sa Cebu diin naay piyesta. Di gyud mi mapuyo og balay.” (We often travel to where a fiesta is being celebrated anywhere in Cebu. We never stay put.)

Mandaya, whose family is residing in barangay Sikatuna in Cebu City, started to familiarize the ways of operating a carnival which she learned from her previous partner’s family for more than 20 years already.

She said her first husband’s family was a carnival operator. “Gidani mi sa papa ug mama sa akong asawa nga sudlan kining pagpamerya kay ingon pa sila dako kuno og kita ug makalingaw sab.”(My in-laws encouraged us to venture into this business because aside from the profit that we can earn from it, it is also entertaining.)

Mandaya’s family started with P5,000 capital to build a game stall for shooting gallery, a carnival game featuring a pellet gun and different moving toys with small targets worth prizes such as candies and material things.

They spent the money for wood, plywood, nails, paint, curtains, prices and others and eventually built connections with barangay officials for fiesta schedules and other events.

From one stall, they have already expanded their business after earning a good amount of money, enough for creating more carnival games.

Moreover, Peryahan operators personally check the place where they want to put up their carnival game stalls. They also talk to barrio or barangay leaders to comply the necessary permits and pay electricity and rental fee for space.

“Susihon sa gyod namo kon naay dakong hawan sa lugar nga katukuran namo sa peryahan, mao nay importante gyud,” (We first check the area if there is enough space where we can set up our stalls, that’s very important) she told The FREEMAN.

Expenses

She said based on experience, the barangay permit fee in the city is lower than in the province. On the other hand, barangays in the province offer higher space fee than those in the city.

Mandaya’s Peryahan is currently operating in barangay Kalunasan which will be celebrating its fiesta in June. It started to operate in the area late March and will end early June.

Mandaya said she payed P1,100 to the barangay for the permit and P30,000 for the space, which is as big as a basketball court.

She added that the space fee depends on the number of stalls to be mounted in the area. For her case, she owns five carnival games including Bingo which, she said, generates bigger income among other games.

“Sa puwesto namo karon, kami ra ang namerya,” she said. “Wa mi competitor so mas maayo ni.” (As of now, we don’t have any competitor in the area, which is good.)

Aside from the game stalls, they also build a separate house or payag where they can stay and sleep for a specified period of operation.

‘You need people’

Mandaya is employing her relatives to be part of the workforce, working as guard and money collectors in the carnival games.

These workers, she said, get a 30% share of the generated earnings in the game they are handling.

“Nalipay sab sila kay nakapangita sila og kwarta bisan ginagmay lang,” the lady said. “At least nakatabang ta ba.” (They are happy because even if its just minimal, at least they are earning and I was able to help.)

She would normally hire male workers to help in carrying their materials at the time when they would eventually transfer to another barangay within Cebu.

In a year, Mandaya’s Peryahan visits different places that include Lilo-an, Santander, Talisay City, Boljoon, Lapu-Lapu City, Mactan and Cebu City.

Carnival owners choose a place where there is a great number of local residents who flock to the Peryahan.      

Mandaya also said they earn more or less P4,000 each night, operating from 7:30 p.m. through 11 p.m. This amount is the source of their daily needs such as food and water and the share money for her workers.

“Sa daghan nang katuigan, nabuhi man gyod mi ining pamerya,” she shared. “Napaeskuyla nako akong mga anak ug nakahatag ko sa ilang needs.” (Through the years, this livelihood has sustained us. I was able to send my children to school and provided for their needs.)

This is mainly the reason why Mandaya can’t leave the business. Before she attempted to do so for two years but after that, she realized her heart called for it.

But in her years of exposure to the business, Mandaya revealed to The FREEMAN that it’s not an easy doing as it highly requires so much hard work, commitment and sacrifice to be far from family members. 

She has been away from her children for a couple of years because of the nature of her business.

Although her eldest son has committed to religiously help her in the operation and, in fact, the Peryahan now becomes the source of income for her son’s family.  (FREEMAN)