Ten-minute Market

When you find yourself stuck in traffic, waiting for the green light at the corner of Quirino Avenue and Roxas Boulevard, here’s a friendly reminder: look out the window–you never know what bargains could be waiting for you. There’s a whole market in this intersection just waiting to be explored. No need to get out of your vehicle, really–a honk, a wave or a whistle is all it takes to see the merchandise up close.

Indeed, for almost a decade, this particular intersection has been host to a literal "bazaar-on-the-street". Between the noontime hours to around six in the evening, vendors from all over Manila congregate here to peddle their wares. Most of them arrive on foot, with big plastic bags bulging with items in tow. Why they chose this corner, you see, is no big mystery: the constant traffic of this busy area, coupled with the junction’s especially slow stoplight, makes it an ideal place for an "on-road sale."

"Back then there used to be very few of us," says Mang Ruben, who has been working the junction for nearly eight years. "Most of the newer vendors came from other street corners. They probably heard that business is better here."

This veteran tindero, however, doesn’t quite like that idea. Mang Ruben’s merchandise consists of a dozen cheap toys, half of which he sells during the course of a day. He thinks that more vendors will just lessen his revenues.

"That’s not true. There’s enough buyers for everyone!" another hawker replies. "It just depends on the effort you’re willing to put in to earn."

Notwithstanding the "street economics" that drives it all, watching them at work is seeing sipag and tiyaga in action. They weave through the jumble of cars, braving harsh sun and a possible sideswipe, carrying all sorts of stuff to satisfy the passing motorists’ needs. For hungry souls stuck in traffic, there are ripe, ready-to-eat lanzones from Laguna and guavas from Cebu, as well as barquillos (egg rolls) from Iloilo and the usual kanto fare–boiled quail eggs and peanuts, yosi, menthol candies etc. Bored passengers, on the other hand, might be interested in the weird, wacky, tacky toys for sale: foot-long helicopters that actually fly (P180 each), plastic guns called "knockouts" that launch fists instead of bullets (they cost P25-P50, depending on the mood of the seller), or "skeleton balls" that enlarge to twice their size when tossed. If you’re lucky, you might spot the rare "pretty boy" hawker–he sells an umbrella hat that guarantees a dry head in case of rain (and a stupid look). There’s also the small, felt-skinned "animals" with bobbing heads–dogs and horses usually–to be placed on car dashboards for that "taxi look".

There’s a lot more to be bought, of course, like miniature dustpan and broom sets, anti-static feather dusters, even the occasional Nokia car cellphone charger. Whatever you decide to buy, just be sure to get it quick, as the red light stays on for only ten minutes at the most–and the green light a lot less, so the guy behind you will not look kindly on your holding up traffic to complete a purchase.

But despair not if you missed this chance, for you can always come back any time (or head straight for the Roxas Blvd./Coastal Mall junction, a similar haven for street peddlers). It’s an impulse-buyer’s market; one that goes on from morning till sunset, seven-days-a-week–no credit cards, please!