Mercury Drug

MERCURY Drug is perhaps the country’s biggest drug store chain, from which generations of us grew up buying all of our medicines. The Mercury drug store is a fixture in many a neighborhood, its red masthead announcing its already ubiquitous presence to one and all.

In Baguio, Mercury has been on lower Session Road for the longest time, somewhere on Magsaysay Avenue for a long time, somewhere in the Baguio market for some time, and on Upper Session Road lately. We understand, too, that the old Puyat lot on Session Road has been bought up by the chain. This last bit is gossip, so we’re not too sure of that.

At any rate, our little drug stores battle for the meds buying market. Here is Dennis Anthony’s in Sunshine, the first ever to happily honor the Senior Citizens discount, too. Dennis Anthony’s also trailblazed a system by which buyers picked a number from a stack of ordered numbers, and the counter people served buyers in order of their numbers. Very orderly, very fair to the buying public.

There is Parungao Drugs in the market, which was one of the first places in town, if not the first, to use these baskets to deliver your medicines to you at the counter. The order of the baskets being served by the cashier was first come, first served. Another system that promotes order.

In 2008, as confirmed by Councilor Phylian Weygan-Allan, City Ordinance No. 48 was passed, requiring that drug stores and other such establishments use a method of having numbers drawn by buyers, and their being served in an orderly, numbered fashion. In St. Joseph Drugstore and the other Johnny-come-lately places, generics drugstores included, the system is rightfully in place, and works.

This can no longer be said of the Mercury drugstores in town. I have personally questioned the one on Upper Session Road as to why they do not obey the above-mentioned city ordinance. Answer: “Hindi kami nag na-number.” Said with the touch of ignorant arrogance that chafes the sensibilities of people like me. With a highly raised eyebrow, I said, “Di ba kailangan may number kayo. City ordinance yan, batas ‘yan, diba.” Of course, I got served with dispatch.

Which is not the point. The point is that there is a city ordinance in place that is blatantly, notoriously, knowingly violated by a business establishment. This is to publicly inform the pertinent authorities of this situation, and to ask that they take appropriate action, as per the ordinance provisions.

Me, I think Mercury Drug licenses to operate in Baguio should be suspended until they obey city law.