SPECIAL REPORT; Surplus: What sellers, buyers need to know (Second of Two Parts)

Buying and selling surplus items particularly tools and mechanical parts is said to be a lucrative undertaking, which explains why surplus stores can be seen almost everywhere.

Edilberto “Boy” Suarez who operates a store along Colon Street in downtown Cebu City tells The Freeman he can even sell his items at twice the price.

“Nindot baya ni ang surplus business kon daghan lang ang mamalit kay usahay doble man ang presyo sa among pagbaligya (Selling surplus is good business especially when there are many customers because we can sell items at twice the price),” he says.

Manuel Abella, a regular in surplus shops, says it is from there that he was able to buy items that he would otherwise not be able to get at regular hardware stores because he couldn’t afford them.

“Okay ra man ni’ng surplus og barato ug ang uban original pa. Daghan na kaayo ko’g tools sa balay nga gipalit nako dinhi… anam-anam lang kun may kwarta (Surplus is ok because they’re cheap and other items are even original. I have many tools in my house that I have bought from surplus shops when my budget allowed),” he says.

Surplus dealers buy and sell almost anything, including mechanical tools, motorcycle parts, vehicle tires, jacks, garden tools and others. There are also shops that only sell surplus engines and spare parts like those operating along Colon, Borromeo and in Panganiban Streets.

Jun, a retired police official who operate a stall along M.J. Cuenco Avenue, tells The Freeman his items come straight from Japan where vehicle owners are required to change tires every change of season for road safety. This is one of the reasons why the tires don’t get overused.

“Didto sa Japan, lainlain nga klase sa ligid ang gamiton kun panahon sa summer, lain ‘sab ang para sa ting-uwan, mao nga makita nimo nga maayo pa ang mga ligid nga mangabot dinhi sa ato (In Japan, they use different kinds of tires for every season – another kind during the summer and another during the wet season – that is why the tires that reach the Philippines are still in good condition),” he said.

But not all dealers run their trade under a roof like Boy and Jun.

Dione is a resident of Talisay City but has earned the moniker “Mangaplagay” in Cebu City because he buys and sells just about anything and deals with just about anyone, even garbage collectors. At his spot in Leon Kilat Street, he launches his small operation from late afternoon until past 8 pm.

One time, a man brings him a plastic bag with a pair of muddy rubber slippers, which he bought for P10. Another brought him brand new tools.

 Dione tells The Freeman, “Ang uban tingali ani nila mga palusot (kinawat) sa mga nagtrabaho og hardware para ilang sideline. Ibaligya ra man na nila og barato basta lang madispatsar dayon (Perhaps some of them like those working at hardware stores would take out an item or two and would sell them at a very low price just so they can dispose of stolen items fast).”

 From his legitimate shop in Colon Street, Boy tells The Freeman there is some truth to the trade.

“Tinuod g’yud na nga dili imposible nga may higayon tingali nga makapalit kami diri og gibaligya nga mga kinawat kay wala man kita makahibalo kun ang nagbaligya sila ba gayud maoy tag-iya (It’s true that it’s not impossible we can buy items that have been stolen because there are times when we would never know if our source really owns the goods),” Boy says.

 He says there are many surplus dealers who do not submit lists of their purchased articles to the police, as what is required by law. At the other end of the line, authorities themselves, at least locally, have reportedly not been that strict.

Enforcement

Inspector William Alicaba of the Theft and Robbery Section (TRS) of the Cebu City Police Office explains he only assumed his post not too long ago and acknowledges that there is a need to strengthen enforcement of the law.

He told The Freeman his office will arrange   a meeting with the surplus dealers here to remind them of their responsibilities.

Surplus dealers are required to submit an inventory of the articles they have acquired with the names and addresses of the persons from whom the articles were acquired. They are also required to submit to the police a complete list of articles to be sold or offered for public sale, as well as the place(s) where the items are displayed. They must also publish a list of the items in newspapers of general circulation for two successive days before they sell them.

It is the intention of the law that owners of items possibly stolen would know where to find the items.

Meanwhile, the law mandates that the police monitor or visit surplus shops constantly, as they are allowed to inspect the shops even without a search warrant, as long as there is a written authority from the chief of police of the area where the shops are located. Policemen may visit the shops during regular office or business hours.

It may be difficult to say how rampant the practice of robbery and theft suspects selling their loot to surplus dealers is here, but incidents like this is certainly not isolated.

One time, city government personnel swooped in on dealers of second hand phones along Sanciangko and Leon Kilat Streets and confiscated 30 used mobile phones of different models. The street dealers reportedly operate from sundown until around 8 pm.

Raquel Arce, head of the city’s clearing team, says they conducted the operation after getting a report from a theft victim that she saw her mobile phone being sold in the sidewalk.

“Gisakmit namo ang mao nga mga second hand nga cellphones kay wala man sila makapakita og kamatuoran nga ila gayud kadtong mga butang (We seized the mobile phones because the dealers failed to show proof of ownership of the items),” Arce tells The Freeman. 

The confiscated phones were turned over to the TRS.

Records obtained by The Freeman from the Regional Investigation and Detective Management (RIDM) branch of the police reveal that from January to October 2013, there have been 1,614 cases of robbery and 4,205 cases of theft in Cebu City.

 In the same period, police recorded 5,192 cases of robbery and 14,245 cases of theft in Central Visayas, which is composed of Cebu, Bohol, Negros Oriental and Siquijor. 

To a certain extent, surplus shops who bend the rules may have encouraged robbery and theft to thrive in the city, but a partnership between law enforcers and legitimate surplus dealers might just be the way to go to deal with the problem.

“Kinahanglang motabang sila sa mga polis kay kami ‘sab mosugod na mi sa paghimo pagbisita sa ilang mga shops (They also need to help us, especially that we will soon start paying their shops a visit),” Alicaba says./JMO