Shopping In Divisoria

The PNR can be a more convenient alternative transport to travel to Divisoria, especially for those coming from down south of Metro Manila.

Commuting the 30-minute ride from San Andres this afternoon to Tutuban is comparably cheaper and more convenient with newly purchased train coaches (bagon). These ply the fixed-route which is halted with the momentary change of lane due to the ongoing construction of SLEX-SLEX Connector road, another landmark of Build-Build program of exiting Duterte program.

From the Tutuban station, it’s a short walk transfer going to Tutuban Mall apparently the gateway of train commuters or a pedestrian hub. Once inside, shops and stalls abound.

These shops, stalls, and assortments are a “sana-all feast”, a sight for the eyes when in Tutuban. With the loosening of Covid protocols, the signs of vigor are evident with the increase of shoppers in all demographics.

Tutuban Mall

Tutuban Mall is just the tip of the iceberg.

Once you go out of the Recto entrance, it’s hard to dispel the palpable sense that you have arrived in the shopping jungle with the towering malls of 999 and 168 waving the skyline.

In fact, an extension of LRT2 will be built in the Tutuban premises along with other commercial redevelopments courtesy of Ayala land, in partnership with Prime Orion which owns Tutuban.

The big project in the planning stage aims to transform the Tutuban complex into a connecting hub between:

• North-South Railway Project
• the LRT2 extension

These will boost the volume and traffic.

That grand design will really give Divisoria its deserving reboot. With the success of clearing the Recto from ambulant vendors, the need for more mass-friendly walkways is needed to accommodate the bigger crowd.

But for now, there is a lone walkway overpass that connects to the multilevel 168 mall.

For go-to shoppers, the arrangement retains the never-ending confusion yet the sheer joy of bargain hunting and unexpected surprise. If only there is a counterpart app that reminds us of crowds or traffic in a mall it could be useful here, especially on some narrow and winding paths called pasilios.

Pasilios looks shinier now as it thrives with the swarm of shoppers, no more emptiness. Pasilio signages are useful guides like a street with landmarks to locate or remember the shop or store. Even more noticeable is the presence of courier service inside the malls as convenient logistic options especially for online sellers, and bulk and wholesale orders. Or even the remittance centers. This syndication spells convenience and makes sense for traditional outsourcers.

168 Mall

168 has restricted the shortcut entry to another adjacent famed 999 mall. I have to wind up to the parkway to check into 999. I was looking for a certain brand of hair grower but some small health and wellness shops have closed or are nowhere to be found.

Items that are seen online are all exposed and spread out ready for your scrutiny. Good thing earlier I remember the girl I met in PNR who offered to me to purchase a rub and massage oil for take-all 100 and said she’s a massage therapist. But not without much success, I gave 999 another round and remastered the routes with the help of pasilios, only to find more presence of health and sanitation products like facemasks and some shops processing online orders from popular shopping apps.

Colorful and unlimited choices that make it catchy and festive to shop in Divi malls Going to 999 and 168 is somewhat a chance to scrutinize the actual product as opposed to what is presented online. Like me, one can be lured to buy items like coffee tumblers. retractable hose. USB fan, thin adaptors but scanning the quality could not be satisfying or measure up with the price.

I discovered a trick idea here before purchasing online you can check the quality of products on hand. If you think the price is just a little higher, you can do the purchase right away but if you think it’s cheaper online due to the sale pitch then hold it up. I guess some products online are mostly sourced out here in Divi coming from some bodegas and warehouses lurking nearby or in Binondo.

After crossing Juan Luna into the seedier street district, restlessness is thriving. A building with green paint that’s the Divisoria Mall is easier to navigate compared to unruly 999 and 168.

This mall housed the old and original Divisoria Market which occupies the basement and was renovated some time ago. Recently it figured in controversy as the mall was auctioned off to a new owner by the city government under Mayor Isko amounting to billions to cover city expenses during the pandemic allegedly without informing the tenants. So it looks like the mall will have its change of admin.

Outside the mall, it’s another story of unexplained madness with the gathering of patrons from the row of wholesale food ingredients until the perimeters of Gindara known for its rows of kitchen housewares and supplies. Going further across is the haven for vegetable seekers in Ilaya known as bagsakan or dropping point, and for sure I needed a large plastic for my vegetable haul.

I should have brought my stroller to help with the burdening weight of my vegetable haul.

With refreshed electrolytes, I needed to advance into Tutuban to be back again in the arms of PNR to catch the next train sked, and alas I made it. Aboard the train, it put a wry smile on my face to survive and overcome Divisoria for the nth time and I knew that adventure will always happen with the same divine spirit as Divisoria was.