'Paeng' affects supply of flowers from Busay

Super typhoon "Paeng" that hit Luzon recently has indirectly affected the supply of flowers in Cebu. Flower vendors in Carbon market said there is less supply of flowers this year because many of the flowers from Busay, the "flower capital of Cebu," are sent to Iloilo and Manila.

Baguio, the biggest flower supplier to Manila, only sent a limited supply of flowers to the country's capital because the recent storm did not only destroy flower farms but also caused cancellation of trips. During a tour in Carbon, The FREEMAN also observed that fewer people are buying flowers this year, the reason why there is only slight increase in prices of flowers.

"Gamay na lang ato buwak diri kay dalhon man uban sa Manila kay kulangan man supply didto. Barato na gani ni ato'ng baligya kumpara sa miaging tuig. Gamay ra pud mamalitay og buwak ron, dili pareha sa una," a vendor said. Prices of flowers range from P30 to P70 per dozen, depending on sizes, freshness and quality.

Wonder whites are sold at P30 to P70 per dozen depending on their freshness and quality. Aster is sold at minimum of P30 per bundle, while roses are available at P35 to P40 a dozen. Ferns are also sold at P15 per bundle.

For those who would opt for flowers to be arranged, these can be bought at a minimum of P75 per basket.

Some people also prefer to buy arranged flowers that are sold in cemeteries. They may not be as good-looking and well arranged but they are cheaper at minimum P10 per can/vase.

Vendors said pricing of flowers depends on quality and competition. "Dili man mi pwede magpamahal kay wa na unya mamalit sa among baligya," a flower vendor in a cemetery said. Most of the flowers in Carbon are bought by bulk from Busay and other mountain barangays of Cebu City. Flower vendors in cemeteries buy their supply at the Carbon market.

But due to the recent typhoon, some flower growers in Busay send their products to Iloilo and Manila, resulting to less supply of flowers in Carbon.

Super typhoon "Paeng" ravaged northern Luzon on Sunday night, leaving massive destruction and at least five people dead and forcing hundreds of people to evacuate from their homes.

Paeng (international code name is Cimaron), which has packed winds of 195 kilometers per hour and gusts of up to 230 kilometers an hour, destroyed houses, roofs and roads, and tore down power lines and trees. In Baguio, where the eye of the storm passed, a landslide also buried a house, injured a mother and her two children.

The storm disrupted thousands of travelers who were about to go home to provinces to observe All Saints and All Souls Days because many trips have been cancelled. - Wenna A. Berondo/MEEV