Flower, candle prices remain stable in Tacloban

TACLOBAN CITY, Oct. 30  -- Shop owners in this city said prices of flowers and candles remain stable despite high demand for the observance of All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day.

Allan Cahingcoy, owner of AC flower shop in Burgos St. here, said that unlike Valentine’s Day, there will be no flower price adjustment this week.

“Even if our suppliers will raise their price, we cannot just adjust it because most of our customers are our friends and regular buyers,” said Cahingcoy, whose shop has been receiving orders since last week. He gets his supplies from Baguio City, Cebu City, Davao City, and Bohol.

Flower vendor Helen Flowas, 55, who has been operating a makeshift sidewalk store along Gomez St. for some three decades, said a possible increase would be minimal since a lot of people cannot afford to buy expensive flowers.

“Our objective is to sell all our stocks and we won’t take advantage of high demand,” Flowas told PNA.

Prevailing flower prices are the following: Roses (PHP35 per stem), Carnation (PHP50 per stem), Lilium (PHP250 per stem), Gerbera (PHP400 per dozen), Anthurium (PHP350 per dozen), Malaysian Mums (PHP350 per dozen, Asters (PHP200 per bundle), and Orchids (PHP500).

Meanwhile, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has stepped up the monitoring of prices of candles as demand is expected this week.

DTI Consumer Welfare Division chief Araceli Larraga said Monday they have been checking candle trading since early October.

“Only one brand of candle has increased its suggested retail price due to high cost of imported wax,” Larraga said.

Based on the DTI’s suggested retail prices for candles, the cost per pack ranges from PHP29.75 to PHP136.50 depending on the brand.

Genevieve Homeres, 20, who owns a candle store near the city’s largest cemetery in El Reposo, said there is no increase in prices of their candles.

“We cannot set our own price because we have to follow the DTI’s suggested retail price,” Homeres said.

The trade department will continue its candle price monitoring until early November to check if traders follow the standard price.

During All Saints’ Day, people usually leave flowers and light up candles on the graves of their departed loved ones. (SQM/with Ali Krause Gamana & Mikaela Angelica Ramirez, OJT/PNA)