Flower vendors at the famous Dangwa flower market in Manila as well as in Baguio and Cebu may be mourning lost business because of a ban on cemetery visits amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

Senator Imee R. Marcos, chairwoman of the Senate economic affairs committee, however, said flower farmers and vendors could still take heart in the possibility of expanding their business by recycling truckloads of unsold flowers, some of which ended up being given away on Halloween ahead of the traditional cemetery vigils on All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day.

“The flower petals can still be pressed for essential oils or dried and made into potpourri or design ingredients in candles and soap. That’s your ImeeSolusyon!” Marcos said.

Marcos cited that the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) could teach flower processing, while the Department of Trade and Industry could offer loans to entrepreneurs through the Small Business Corporation (SBC).

“Business opportunities do reveal themselves during a crisis,” she said.

Flower vendors appealing for help from Marcos’s office related how trucking and space rental costs added to their losses from weak sales which began eight months ago when lockdowns were imposed.

Flower prices monitored by the senator's office show how the pandemic caused drastic reductions this year:
         *Sunflower – P15 per stem, from the previous P180
         *Malaysian mums  – P20 per bundle, from P130
         *Chrysanthemum – P30 per bundle, from P180
         *Rados  – P30 per bundle, from P180
         *Green buttons –  P40 to 50 per bundle, from P200
         *Red/White roses  – P100 per dozen, from P500
         *Orchids  – P300-P350 per bundle, from P700
          *Bouquet  - P300-P400, from P800 to P1,200
         Marcos said flower vendors might be able to make better sales on November 4 onwards, when cemetery bans have already expired and people make belated visits to the cemeteries.