Aling Pia in Dangwa

Aling Pia in Dangwa
by Jeremiah Angelo Alcala

            A line on a commercial of a famous coffee brand goes, “Para kanino ka bumabangon?” (To whom do you rise up?). The things that we do in life are one way or another rooted to something that drives us in going through our everyday living. Motivation allows us to give ourselves an extra push whenever going through an obstacle.  It can be an A in an exam for students, a gold medal for an athlete, or even dinnertime to someone who’s hungry. But for Aling Pia, it was something different.

My first encounter in Dangwa and of Aling Pia

            It was my first time going to Dangwa, the most talked about go-to flower shop place in Metro Manila. As I was headed towards the block wherein the famous flower shops reside, I can already see a platoon of flowers from the outside. It seemed like a wet market with a lot of people coming in and out. But instead of fish, and vegetables, it was all flowers.

            As I was looking for one of the flower shop owners, I saw one that caught my attention as it had the most numerous flowers on display. I asked an old lady, dressed in plain clothes with a pair of dirty rubber gloves unto her hand, as to who was the owner of the flower shop. With a giggling face she turned to me: “Eh sir, ako po ang may-ari niyan” (Sir, I am the owner of that store.). As it turned out, I was already facing at the owner of PNGL Flower Shop, Mrs. Pia Perez.

The start of an unexpected journey

            The calm and timid 50-year old who started out in small beginnings and had faced a lot of adversities has forged herself into one of the most successful businesswomen in the flower shop industry. Yet despite her success, she remains humble and true to herself as she continues to run the business. She insists me to address her “Aling Pia” rather than “Ma’am” or “Miss”. Without hesitation, she didn’t decline my request to interview her. She removed her gloves and offered me a seat for us to talk.

            “Hindi ako nag-expect na magkakaroon ako ng isang flower shop.” (I didn’t expect to run a flower shop business.) At 50 years old, she only finished high school and started as a service worker in her hometown in Zambales. Having enough salary to feed her family, she was already contented with their situation. But everything changed when she lost her job after 2 years. She had to move from job to job in order to support her family. “Mahirap humanap ng trabaho lalong lalo na ‘pag ika’y high school graduate lang.” (It’s very hard to find a job especially if you only finished high school.) Finally, her friend in Manila invited her to work with her in a flower shop in Dangwa.

            “Doon ko natutunan kung paano tumakbo ng negosyo at kung paano dumiskarte.” (There I learned how a business runs and how to be wise.) Later on, her experience in working in a flower shop made her put up one of her own and has been running it for almost nine years.  

            But running the business is a more challenging task than setting it up in the first place. “Sa flower shop business, kailangan talaga na mautak ka.” (In the flower shop business, you should be able to make good decisions.) There are risks that one has to take and problems to consider. Some of these problems are flowers that eventually wilt, customers who don’t get their orders, and the lowest seasons of the year where the sales are at its lowest. 

            In a competitive market like Dangwa, she puts her business on the map which separates her flower shop among the other flower shops in Manila. She gets her supply of flowers from different parts in the country like Baguio, Cebu, Butuan, and even from outside the country like China. Aside from a rich supply, she keeps herself in sync with the latest technology especially in advertising in order for her to popularize her business.    

            At this point in her business career, Aling Pia has no plans of expanding her business because she feels contented with her achievement in life. Moreover, she does not want to stress herself out even more. With a humor in her she says, “Ayoko nang ‘tong palakihin, magiging mas masakit pa ulo ko nyan” (I don’t want to expand my business, it will only bring even more pain in my head).

            Instead of expanding, she would like continue running the business with the way it has been. “As long as nasusuportahan ng negosyo ko ang pamilya ko, okay na ako.” (As long as my business will continue to support my family I’m contented with it.)

The secret of her business

            As I was interviewing her, I realized she would always talk about her family. From there, I realized that her family has been the source of her motivation. It has been the reason why she devoted herself into her business along with the trials and challenges that come with it. She rises up for her family, and her family alone.

            Aling Pia has four children and three of them have finished schooling with jobs of their own. She also has two lovely grandchildren that I myself saw. I can see her face so happy and elated whenever she sees her grandchildren. It felt like all the hardships in life that she had were worth it because of the happiness that her family brings. From that moment on, Aling Pia made me realize the value of family in one’s life. It was something that was greater than the success of her business or more precious than any rare flower that she has.

            Aling Pia is a good example to every Filipino family. Her motivation to put food on her family’s table, send her children to school and to keep them away from the streets resulted into success that she never imagined. Therefore, drawing motivation from something or someone that you love is the greatest motivation of all.