The unsung heroes of Valentine's Day: Meet the people behind the flowers in Dangwa
It was a quiet morning when we saw Elba Granadel, a flower vendor in one of the shops in Maria Clara St., slightly arranging her baskets of radus and sunflowers on display.
A few days before Valentine's Day, Dangwa is already blooming and lined with fresh flowers that are all ready to make someone smile. The Manila flower haven has stores that are open 24/7 for anyone who needs flowers for any occasion.
Valentine's Day is one of the busiest days for Ates and Kuyas in Dangwa. While everyone is busy with their own romantic surprises, the people behind every stunning bouquet work harder, with some even spending the day of love away from their families.
But for Elba, who grew up with parents who also grew all kinds of flowers, a busy February is the norm.
“Pag Valentine’s na, busy talaga ako; Nag-i-i-stay na ko dito kasi busy na kami. Pero nagme-message ako sa asawa ko, sa mga anak ko, gini-greet ko sila,” she told PhilSTAR L!fe, adding that she then decides to go home in Baguio past the peak day.
A flower vendor from roots
Elba got in the flower business when she was young as she saw her parents grow their first flowers—from seeding, tending, harvesting, to packing them for selling. She continued the business after she graduated from school and started her own family.
“Sa amin sa Baguio, talagang ang hanapbuhay namin doon flower grower kami. Kaya doon nag-start na pumunta ako dito. Kung volume ang bulaklak mo, dito talaga [sa Manila] ang pinakamagandang [bagsakan],” she told L!fe.
Over a decade later, she opened her own store with her cousin, Jen Lynn Flower Shop, which has become one of the main sources of flowers to resell in the area, all fresh from Baguio.
Their store mainly sells flowers wholesale, so usually, most of her on-display flowers get sold out the next morning.
“Lahat ng mga buyer namin dito pumupunta, kaya pag dating ng truck ng bulaklak [sa] hapon, mostly pagdating sa umaga nauubos na,” she said.
Being a vendor for years, Elba makes sure that she is involved in every process like the way her parents were—from seeding, tending, harvesting, to its drop off to Dangwa.
She either wakes up early or stays up late at night to help with cleaning, sorting, keeping the flowers fresh, waiting in idle hours, and responding to walk-in customers’ queries.
Making blooms more meaningful
Flower vendors aren't the only ones bustling during special occasions as florists also have their hands full.
One of the popular florists in Dangwa, Virgilio Mascardo, or Papa Vhaer, hops from one stall to another for the whole day. In the idle morning hour, we spotted him scrolling on his tablet, responding to business queries on Facebook while casually conversing with another busy florist.
In the afternoon, he’s at another store assembling a sunflower bouquet, and moments later, he’s on the side of Don Quijote Street, holding bundles of white anthurium and mums for a funeral flower scheduled for pick-up that same day.
As a florist, Papa Vhaer arranges and designs flowers into Instagrammable bunches—it's a far cry from his old job as a bouncer before the pandemic. Initially, he started just delivering flowers in 2020 but later got into arranging blooms.
“Nung una, medyo nahirapan ako kasi siyempre hinahanap hanap ng katawan ko yung pagbubuhat [ng] mga bakal, e ngayon bulaklak na yung hinahawakan ko e,” he told L!fe, chuckling.
Working in the business for years now, Papa Vhaer said that working is more of a fulfilling hobby, not just a source of income.
“Sapat lang naman [‘yung kita] na makabuhay ka ng pamilya, nabibili mo yung gusto mong bilhin, di naman luxury no, kumbaga medyo maayos na kita, napapakain mo ng three times a day yung pamilya mo, minsan may sobra pa—nakakapasyal, nakakabili ng gamit na gusto mo,” he said.
Life post-Valentine's Day
When there isn't a demand for flowers like during Valentine's Day, both Elba and Papa Vhaer said that working in the blooms industry can get difficult.
At the height of the pandemic, the flower vendor recalled how most businesses, including hers, were greatly affected by the restrictions.
“Mahirap talaga,” she said, sharing how they decided to throw out a significant number of flowers due to limited business operations.
“Nalugi talaga ako dun, pero pinilit ko rin na bumawi, awa ng Diyos naka-recover kami,” she said.
Despite the hardships, Elba is sure to stay in the business for a long time.
“Nung bata kami talagang ‘yung mga magulang ko ito na ang hanapbuhay; Dito kami nakapag-aral, kaya malapit talaga ako dito,” she said.
Meanwhile, the former bouncer said that while being a florist is challenging at times, nothing beats the fulfillment of meeting customers’ satisfaction.
“Kami naman hindi naman trabaho yan, ine-enjoy [kasi] namin e, siyempre ‘yung mapaganda namin ‘yung flower arrangement, masiyahan ‘yung customer, secondary na lang ‘yung kita e,” he said. “Ang importante ‘yung masatisfy namin ‘yung customer.”
Standing tall at the age of 59, Papa Vhaer keeps himself young with the colorful blooms he holds, with loads of banters with his co-florist in between.
“Pag nagkaka-edad ka na kasi, ayaw mo na ng sobrang maingay, gusto mo tahimik na lang,” he said. “Kahit mura, [o] mahal, basta ginawa mo nang may pagmamahal ‘yung arrangement, ok na ‘yon.”
Flowers add that “magic” touch to any occasion—may it be a birthday, anniversary, or even sad ones like death. There doesn't even need to be an occasion to give yourself or a loved one a pretty bouquet. You can buy flowers just because.
Despite being busy during the love month, Papa Vhaer makes sure to make his loved ones feel his care and admiration for them whenever.
“‘Yung Valentines ‘di naman natin yan sine-celebrate lang ng February 14, kailangan throughout the year, everyday,” he said with a laugh, quipping that he gives her wife a money bouquet on a romantic day.
Like flowers for any occasion, the love that's shown and given during Valentine's Day isn't confined to a day or a month. Love can be celebrated at any time. One thing you can count on, workers in Dangwa make sure that there’s a flower available at every hour of the day for the whole year.