By Gabriela Baron
A Bulacan town has launched an online "palengke" (market) to curb the spread of the coronavirus by helping residents to stay at home while having access to things they need to buy.
Plaridel town's online market project may be accessed via the Facebook group, "Plaridel Online Palengke" to see the goods available for purchase.
(Screengrab from Facebook/MANILA BULLETIN)
"Ang objective po namin is yung ma-decongest yung palenge plus yung opportunity po ng mga seller sa palengke na makabenta po sila online," Cecille Hilario of the Plaridel local government told the TV news program, "24 Oras."
(Our objective is to decongest the wet market and give opportunity to sellers to sell their goods online).
An online palengke helps reduce the need to go outside as residents can simply order what they need.
The local government has tapped the youth to deliver the goods to people's homes to protect high-risk individuals like senior citizens and those with underlying diseases.
"Yung Sangguniang Kabataan po namin, yung mga chairman, at kasama po nila sa barangay, SK councilors, sila po yung nagra-run ng errands," said Jeffrey Glean, a Municipal Youth Development Officer.
(Members of our Sangguniang Kabataan, chairman, and their colleagues are the ones who are running errands).