Flower vendors on Pelaez Street in Cebu City are preparing for Kalag-kalag with far fewer orders than usual, with two longtime sellers saying on October 15 that they fear weaker sales this year as inflation and a looming El Niño squeeze both their customers and their supply.
Myraluna Borres, 58, and Alexander Monteclar, 68, told CDN Digital that orders had dropped sharply just days before the Halloween season, when families traditionally buy flowers for graves on All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day on November 1 and 2.
The two vendors gave different reasons for the slump. Borres blames El Niño and thinner household budgets. Monteclar points to expensive stock and suppliers who now demand payment upfront.
A peak season that is not peaking
Kalag-kalag is one of the two biggest dates on the flower trade calendar, alongside Valentine's Day. Vendors normally start buying baskets, floral foam and blooms a month ahead to meet the rush.
This year the buyers are holding back. Borres said households are saving for the holiday itself and putting flowers last.
Karon medyo hapit na ang kalag-kalag minus-minus jud ang buyer namo kay kahibaw ka ang mga tawo nag-save para sa kalag-kalag.
Even though the holiday is near, she said, buyers are few because people are saving up.
The numbers behind that caution are stark. The Philippine Statistics Authority reported that national inflation rose to 7.2 percent in September, while Central Visayas accelerated to 8.3 percent from 8 percent in August.
For a family already stretching every peso, a flower spray is the first thing to go. Borres said she and her helpers hesitated before restocking, afraid of being left with unsold blooms.
Naghuna-huna mi nga kanang mag-order mig balik [og buwak], in kaso og di mahalin, unsaon na lang?
We thought about ordering flowers again, she said, and asked ourselves what happens if they do not sell.
El Niño threatens the supply side
The uncertainty does not stop at the cash register. Borres fears that the dry spell forecast by the state weather bureau will hit growers in the uplands, where the flowers she sells are cultivated.
Pagasa said in an October 7 advisory that a strong to very strong El Niño is present in the tropical Pacific and could peak before the end of 2026, raising the likelihood of below-normal rainfall and dry spells in parts of the country.
Akong nalantaw karon nga umaabot ang El Niño, basin minus ang supply sa buwak. Kay ngano, ang buwak dili mabuhi kung walay tubig.
She expects the coming El Niño to cut flower supply, she said, because flowers cannot survive without water. Even a deep well will not save a farm once the water table falls, she added.
Her worry is shared beyond the stall. Analysts have warned that El Niño, coming on top of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas' rate hikes, could push food, fuel and electricity costs higher for ordinary households, as