SUPPORT LOCAL, BUT NOT THE RESIDENTS

December 24, 2022 Opinion

It was a sad day when I learned that the nuns of Good Shepherd banned Baguio locals from entering their compound, in turn, barring sale of all products. The nun’s decided locals were so enterprising that they jack up prices of the coveted goodies to extreme levels that it merited the exile from their kingdom, making tourists the priority as they pose to be most vulnerable from the clutches of the evil local folk who live to profit from the noble goals of the institution.

Prices of their products have really shot up and to the unsuspecting visitor, could be exorbitant.
Poor tourist. My friend, an unsuspecting Baguio local, went to the gates of the famed maker of ube jam and had the fine intention to buy two bottles which the family will partake at their humble
Christmas dinner. Making sure to be there before 8am to avoid the lines he went, only to be turned
away by security personnel, just because he was a local.

The good guard said, Baguio folk and people from Region 1 were not allowed to go into the compound and buy the products, advising them to contend with the prices local stores subject the products to and grit it out. Poor local. Good Shepherd has given countless children scholarships, making the lives of many bearable with the gift of education and of course a renewed love for humanity.

The place also is a source of livelihood for a multitude of workers, giving their families a source of income and shielding them from poverty. A lot of farmers are likewise grateful for the business that
the institution has given, making their produce have a steady market. It is a private institution
and nobody can contest decisions they make, but this is not the first time that residents have taken the back seat to tourists in this city.

We give way to tourists every year, may it be for the flower festival, holy week, long weekend or even the Sunday Session Road Closure, we accept that this is the life that we have signed up for being a tourist town. We have gracefully stayed at home to give way to those promenading the streets and our parks. We have heeded the call to be patient amidst the traffic gridlocks that have
become an everyday struggle for many.

We follow protocol and continue to be kind to everyone who visits the city, making this highland town, a mecca for the tired and weary. The locals have toughed it out and have been gracious hosts to many, but to take away our ube jam, how cruel. Have a Merry Christmas dear sisters in Christ.