8 March 2014. I got a day's leave from work. After a very good night's sleep, I decided to go to the market for fresh meat and produce. I took my shopping bag, stuffed my pocket with my cellphone, my handy digicam, and of course, money.
When I got to the market, I noticed that there were more people than usual this morning which made me think, "Is there an upcoming holiday? Why are there so many people in the market today?" What I saw got me excited. Good thing I always have some gadget with me to capture pictures.
Today, the market was full because a "Timbangan Ng Bayan" was installed and inaugurated by the Congressman, the City District Councilor, the Baranggay Chairman and the Market Administrator. A "Timbangan Ng Bayan" is a calibrated weighing scale that the public can use to check if their purchases are weighed and priced accordingly. It is a way for the government to protect the consumer from unscrupulous businessmen.
Thank God for my trusty little digicam. My intent to buy meat and vegetables turned out to be an article for a blog post. Sharing with you pictures of the event.
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| Councilor Gian Sotto (2nd from Left) and Congressman Bolet Banal (Right with microphone) |
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| Ribbon cutting |
And now, I will take you on a picture tour around our public market.
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| The rice stall |
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| The meat stall where I get my choice cuts of beef, pork and chicken, sometimes sausages too. |
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| The seafood section. Fresh catch of the day - mussels, clams, squid and shrimp. |
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Fresh fish of all kinds and sizes
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| When you get hungry while shopping, you can always have fried plantains, skewered and covered with caramelized sugar. Yum! |
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This is my favorite vegetable stand. The old lady always gives me a discount or a freebie (an extra onion or a head of garlic.)
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| This is where I get my green leafy vegetables. |
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| Dried fish, anyone? |
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Smoked fish and shrimp fry
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Coconuts! The basic ingredient for making rice cakes and creamed fish or meat. Curry won't be curry without coconut milk.
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| The dry goods stand. They have everything houseware - from pots and pans to flower pots, plungers, clothes hangers, brooms, trash bins, etc. |
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| Clothes and slippers store where you can get shirts, shorts and sandals at a very low price. |
Seems like we got everything covered, right? All you need in one trip. The bakery is just across the street together with the drugstore and fruit stand.
I love living here. All I need is just a stone's throw away.
the timbangan ng bayan is a must-have for every palengke, as we all know some of the weighing scales in the market are meron daya :(
ReplyDeleteWe have one too here in Agdao market Davao, though I doubt its often being used since there's never a case of 'daya sa timbangan' being reported so far... but just in case :) consumer protection.
ReplyDeletethis is awesome, i miss public market in the philippines where you can get fresh seafoods in a very cheap price.
ReplyDeleteThe timbangan ng bayan is very useful, it has been a while since I visited the wet market. Sigh it is just it is too far away from where we live.
ReplyDeletethe idea of "timbangan nang bayan" is great, i think even if some consumers would not check their goods, but somehow, the sellers would be more cautious in reducing the real amount in the goods they sell. I miss those green mussels, and the fresh fish that when you make fish soup in tomatoes, you can really taste the goodness of sweet fish taste, unlike here, i would have to put a lot of tamarind or lots of lemon to make the taste good, haha!
ReplyDeleteHay nakaka-miss ang palengke sa Pinas. I'm seeing those fresh fish and veggies. A far departure from what we get here. Galing pa sa malayo ang supply namin dito (sigh).
ReplyDeleteWe need to have the "timbangan ng bayan" in all the public markets in our country. We are all aware how those endorse cheat the consumers. Thanks for sharing the the pics of your public market. It's really an advantage if you live close to the market. You can go there anytime if you need something.
ReplyDeleteI rarely go to the market and i really don't know how to bargain buys.. he he. I left the marketing stuff to the experts at home. he he!
ReplyDeleteThis post reminds me of home... we also live just a stone's throw away from the market and every Sunday is market day for us! We also have the Timbangan ng Bayan... I miss the busyness of our public market, the smell of dried fish, and those fried bananas!!! Oh my!!!
ReplyDeleteomg! those banana cue!! i was craving for them the other day but made a turon instead hehe. timbangan ng bayan looks nice to be fair with everyone! www.tauyanm.com
ReplyDeleteI miss our own palengke back home too. It looks pretty much the same! Thanks for the free virtual tour! It reminded me of my childhood. I am the eldest of three broods and I am often asked to do the errands and marketing; I was only about 10 years old then when I frequent the market.
ReplyDeleteI must have missed reading in the article your location, Sis? Nacurious akong bigla :)
I wish I can pick all those green leafy vegetables right now! Hahaha! I super miss those veges and all those fresh fishes! Oh dear I will simply have to endure the heartache as I look at these stuff you featured. :D
ReplyDeleteAhhb I wish it's like that here, I miss going t an open market like that.
ReplyDeleteLovely! Everything is in the market! Minus the air-conditioning. ^_^
ReplyDeleteYou're just like a reporter with photos and the news about the Timbangan ng Bayan. I like the way you posted it here.
ReplyDeleteI super love your posts! I can even smell the place, mixture of every possible smell in the tropics just like Harry Potter's all flavor jellybeans. I prefer being this place not being in Paris, I tell you. There is something special about our "palengke" , probably because it holds countless childhood memories. Haaay, I'm homesick again!
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