Tiangges in the City

Since the Hispanic era , People from every town and cities across the country would come to the market center to buy and  sell their products during the fiesta. Traders  from far flung barrios and municipalities come and trade during market days.

tiangges / bazaar /   flea /  saod ( Bicol term for market place).  These  market started as a small outdoor market with a lot of cheap bargain prices , old antiques, export overruns , imported items  and exotic goods that are available for sale !

plant stalls within the Quezon Memorial Circle

Some of the more common flea markets are those in Marikina , Greenhills in San Juan, Tutuban night market in Manila, Baclaran street stalls in Paranaque.

AANI weekend market inside the Quezon Memorial Circle

a more recent additions are the Lung Center sunday market, Salcedo Park sunday market, AANI weekend market in Taguig and Quezon Memorial Circle, Strata Food Stall in Emerald Avenue in Pasig among others.

a food stall in Stata street market

The Stata food street market is located near the Strata building hence the name, The food market  is also known as Emerald Avenue night  food market / Banchetto night food market  were over 100 stalls were rented out .

Monster Burger outlet at the Emerald Avenue night market

Most of the clients were office workers, call center agents, passers-by , joggers ,  residents of nearby places like Ortigas, Pasig .

There are ready to eat meals, candies, drinks, imported  chocolates and home-cooked meals that were available and ready to be packed for those hungry customers.

pasta carbonara, macaroni ,pancit palabok

home-made cookies, cakes and sweets

The phenomenon started when a group of entrepreneurs started to set-up about 200 stalls within Sidcor Resort in the present day Makro in Cubao, Quezon City in mid 1990’s.

plant stall

Sidcor Resort was  a swimming  style resort were several areas were used  to accommodate people.   Ka Earnie Baron, Mr. Zacarias Sarian and several television and radio personalities used to conduct weekend seminars and trainings . At one time,  Philippine Orchid Society used to rent a space within the compound in the mid-1990’s .

stall selling various native bags and ready to wear

As the tenants and buyers increased, the organizers started to looked for possible alternative areas to be the next market place . After the Ayala group bought the land from the owners of Sidcor in the mid- 2000 , With  series of negotiation , organizers found  the alternative  nearest and most accessible place was the Lung Center compound.

vintage collectible  glasses and fancy mugs from Japan

Lung Center tiangge can be a bit overwhelming, but not confusing. There are an estimated 450 to 500  stalls with  similar items being sold  are clustered together. The present area were fully occupied , The stall tenants usually set-up their items for sale during  late saturday evening or early sunday morning.  Plant traders usually come during late saturday evening.

car plates from the United States- collector items

Majority of the stall owners pack-up their things by 12:00 noon. Some tenants may linger for about an hour or so after the 12 noon deadline.  Some of the tenants may sell their produce at an even lower price, instead of  returning their goods or produce back home, some will give -in to the request of additional discounts to their  insistent customers. ” Minsan binibigay na namin ng mura , kesa naman masira o magbayad ng dagdag freight ”

stall selling export overruns of  children and infant dress

“Sometimes we give our customers lower prices instead, to prevent spoilage or paying additional freight” according to one of the stall owners. This is another opportunity for bargain hunters to come -in! Baratan Time !!!!

The market also had a smattering of cooked delicacies, including breads and cakes, sweets and kakanin (rice cakes), carinderia style eateries, leche flans (crème caramel) and sumans on offer. In fact, the mix of vendors was a little unique and aimed at a wide audience of buyers. The people who go to this market must represent a relatively broad cross-spectrum of society, though that may be a stretch as most probably came in cars while some were definitely commuters.

stall selling native fruit wines and vinegar

weekend market is also a place were new products , services or even a venue to advertise one’s  own business.

stall tenant selling vintage items from Japan and Korea

There were sections for Ukay-ukay from Japan, Korea and China  were all sorts of mugs, plates, cups, dolls, books, bottles, vases,  ceramics are sold . Bargain hunters and collectors of vintage stuffs used to frequent the place every sunday.

Dr. Micheal Tan inspecting the vintage items

Dr. Micheal Tan an anthropology professor ,  Philippine Daily Inquirer columnist and  collector of vintage stuffs frequents Lung center flea market .

Tita Rosie Santos an orchid and plant dealer from Quezon City

The sunday market is like a social activities were friends , relatives and barkadas usually meet . In some cases, a group of native orchid and plant enthusiasts  usually went to the center the night before!

Ceratocentron fesselii Senghas 1989

This miniature  orchid depicted above is found in Luzon, central Philippines in montane forests as small sized, cool to intermediate growing, monopodial epiphyte found on tree trunks between 900 to 1,300 meters in elevation that need to be mounted on tree pieces to  yet kept moist at all times . This species has an erect, monopodial growth habit with very leathery, dark green, elliptic, obtuse, leaves that are basally con-duplicate and clasping the stem which blooms in the winter on an axillary, erect, short, 2 to 4 flowered, often more than one inflorescence per leaf axil. flower color may vary from yellowish to dark orange.

Synonyms Hymenorchis javierii

Popular Ineng’s barbecue started its operations in flea market

Some stake-out at the wee hours of the saturday night or early sunday morning just to buy the plants coming from as far away as Quezon, Laguna, Batangas, Bulacan, Nueva Viscaya, Bicol.

silverware from Thailand

This is the trill of plant hunting on the tiangge style, Just to be ahead of your potential rivals! Bring flashlights and Have a keen set of eyes !  Some even pre-order the plants or goods way ahead of others! During the past few years, as the strict enforcement of DENR  regulations on the trade of  wild plants and animals  , fewer and fewer native plants including orchids are being sold ! So most orchids being sold are supposed to be grown in farms.

customers haggling

RTW, linens, curtains, pets, brick-a-bracs, seafood, poultry, meat, fruits, vegetables, breads and pastries, cooked food (with an adjacent area with tables and chairs where you can eat al fresco) and plants.

Oncidium orchids  inter-generic hybrids on sale

Bazaars have been popular these days primarily because of its unique appeal. Also, they are affordable, they have a wide variety of products or goods and more enjoying than your usual grocery shopping at the supermarket.

This market has been known for it’s enticing fresh products that still came from far-off provinces. Fruits and vegetables were of high quality and the sea foods are those not usually found on our local markets.

roasted calf

Prices are quite reasonable , While the art of  haggling and grappling is not frowned upon (of course, it’s a tiangge!). Be sure to be  early in order to get  discounts based on buena mano.

ube jam

There is also a section were fresh organically grown fruits, vegetables, produce which are being sold . There are also free taste on new products.

How to get to Lung Center of the Philippines:

Commute: From MRT Quezon Avenue station, best to hire a cab or if you feel like really commuting, board a bus or jeepney bound for Fairview/Lagro/Philcoa or UP and drop off in front of the Lung Center of the Philippines. (this is opposite the pedestrian entrance of the Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife Center) also on Quezon Avenue. From Manila, jeepneys and buses with signboard Fairview, Lagro and Philcoa all pass by the place. From LRT Monumento station (good for those coming from Cavite), you need to board buses going to Baclaran or Cubao then alight on Quezon Avenue before transferring to a Fairview-bound jeep or bus.

Commute : From Novaliches /Monumento/ Valenzuela / Caloocan  – ride any bus going to the south ( Baclaran, Alabang, San Pedro, Makati  )  go down at the MMDA foot bridge near  the Philippine Women’s University then walk towards the Jeepney station below the Quezon Avenue flyover / there is a Lagro / Philcoa jeeps .

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