FIRST, here is wishing all Baguio folks a Happy Baguio Day and MinDA Fruit Festival.
So a "New Tradition" begins at Session Road, during the observance of Baguio Day, I hope, thanks to Mayor Benjie Magalong and Secretary Emmanuel Piñol of the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA).
Baguio folks swarmed like bees to buy their share of Mindanao-grown fruits today at Session Road.
As promised by Secretary Piñol last week, they brought more fruits to be sold this Sunday.
But more people from all over came and the lines were still long, especially for those buying durian.
Durian and mangosteen were real favorites and had the longest lines.
Many went looking for marang fruits.
And there were as many people buying lanzones, pomelo, and rambutan.
I bought whatever the quantity the sellers were instructed to sell per person of the fruits available at Session Road.
This just tells me, "Session Road must really be in Bloom" with Benguet grown flowers in February, and also swelling with fruits from Mindanao and elsewhere from around the country in September.
But a better way must be found to manage the crowd of buyers.
Although it is much organized now, stalls should be set up on the night before the day of selling, along with markers indicating the lines for elderly and what fruits could be bought at the end of the line.
You see, I joined the long line only to be told midway in the line that there is a line for the elderly and PWDs.
But not notwithstanding the experience, I had a lot of fun with the elderly group.
There was this old lady in front of me. When it was her turn, the old lady asked the people who were selling the durian that since buyers are allowed only one fruit each, they should not give her small-sized durian in front of her. She reasoned out that there are eleven people in her family, so they should at least find the biggest durian that should also weigh 11 kilos.
Just when the line is about to move, another senior came in front to demand his change. He forgot to wait for the change after the durian fruit was given to him.
While this man was demanding for his change, another lady complained that she has yet to receive her change.
Thankfully, and that is my point in mentioning this, the fruit sellers were honest and kind enough to acknowledge that the seniors were not lying about it. They gave the change that the old folks demanded.
When my number was called, another senior at the back shouted and complained why they are serving my number when his number is 10. It turns out that he kept silent when his number was called because he did not want to buy the small durian.
Again, he should not be faulted. The rule says that only one fruit should be allowed for each buyer but if that fruit is small, at least allow the buyer to have two.
Funny, but that is why the young lady had a long and gloomy face when she served me, and why our lines hardly moved.
I am glad for this initiative that took shape for us in Baguio City. It sure helped us, consumers, to buy the products of our Filipino farmers in the south.
May it also open a more permanent inter-trading venture to sell farmers products all over the country, at affordable prices but beneficial to our farmers as well.
Initiatives like this can help us learn to beat the competition and challenges from global trading. Let us patronize Filipino products, more than what we import.