Early this week a wholesale durian buyer-trader, his driver and assistant dropped by at our roadside cold snack center to freshen their drying throat with our signature “halo-halo.” During that time too, Carmelo “Bebot” Clarion, a candidate for councilor of the third district and some companions were also around for the same purpose.
After the new arrivals were seated Clarion approached the durian trader and introduced himself. Both customers then started a conversation about the problems wholesale durian buyers and the durian farmers are facing for the last one year or so.
The trader told Clarion that their profit in bulk selling the durian from Davao City is fast diminishing as sending the fruits to their traditional markets like Cagayan de Oro, Cebu City or Metro Manila is getting to be more expensive. What with the rising cargo fare and the labor cost in transporting the same and board and lodging of their people who accompany each durian shipment.
The durian trader told Clarion that with the opening of companies in Davao City that are engaged in exporting the durian to other Asian countries, the wholesale traders or those offering “arendo” to farmers now prefer to sell their durian fruit acquisitions at the plants of exporter businessmen, mostly Chinese nationals.
Unfortunately, according to the bulk buyer of durian fruits the managements of durian exporting companies seem to have internal agreement among themselves. That is, that they agree to have similar buying price that wherever the bulk traders go the buying price is the same. And adding to the misfortune of the bulk buyers and subsequently the durian farmers, is that the buying price by the exporting firms is exceedingly low.
As consequence, the traders’ buying price to the farmers gets even lower. And if the farmers refuse to sell at the price offered by the wholesale traders, they (farmers) stand the risk of having their produce getting rotten
Meanwhile, the bulk durian trader told Clarion that even if they can only earn a very minimal profit in disposing their durian merchandise to the bigtime exporting companies, it is the only best option for them. The trader-customer told Clarion that by selling their durian to the exporter firms their loss due to the very low buying price is compensated by the diminution of their overhead expenses. But the trader lamented the misfortune of the durian farmers who earn the lowest since the durian traders’ buying price is dependent on the buying price of the durian exporter firms.
It was at this juncture that Clarion shared an idea that he could possibly introduce at the Sangguniang Panlungsod should he be lucky in the coming May 12 midterm election.
The Council bet in the Third District said he will introduce a proposed Ordinance that will establish a pricing mechanism for durian fruits sold to the exporters with the aim of improving farm gate prices as well as allowing for reasonable return of the wholesale traders who sell their bulk durian merchandise to the exporters.
Clarion also manifested to include in his measure, should he have the opportunity to be in the local legislative body, a provision that will allow the city government to earn from every transaction in the selling of durian fruit to the exporter companies.
When we asked him how he would do it, he told us and the durian trader that he will make sure he will hire a staff that can do research on ways of effectively crafting the ordinance he has in mind.
Upon hearing this idea of Clarion we felt it could be a difficult ordinance to flesh out especially in institutionalizing a pricing mechanism advantageous to all stakeholders including the city government. But if candidate Bebot Clarion can have the opportunity to work on it, we must admit that the idea makes sense.
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Yesterday was former President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s 80th birthday. There were several thousands who trooped to Davao City’s so-called Freedom Park to join in the Solidarity Rally where they greeted him on his natal day and at the same time strongly demanded the International Criminal Court (ICC) to let the former President return to the Philippines.
As we wrote this piece yesterday afternoon we were able to monitor that the people at the Freedom Park at Roxas Avenue were already starting to teem. The decibel of the noise created by those present was getting higher. Streets nearby that have direct link to Roxas Ave. were already closed and policemen reportedly numbering 1,800 including auxiliaries were all posted in strategic locations.
Our wish though that the participants listen to the call for sobriety and calm and to adhere to the laws appeared to have been granted. There were no untoward incident that could have painted a different picture of the Solidarity Rally.
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