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Russel Paras comes to Cebu from Pampanga every Christmas season with samples of the unique lantern or parol that his home province is famous for.
Not only do his efforts give Cebuanos the opportunity to own a piece of Pampanga, but Paras also gets a nifty profit out of the lanterns made of ?capiz? shells. He sells smaller versions of the giant lanterns of Pampanga.
He said he sells at least 10 capiz lanterns a day for P1,500 to P3,500 each, depending on the size.
He?s been coming to Cebu with his parol collection every Christmas season for the past nine years.
Despite economic downturns over the past years, Paras said sales of his lanterns in Cebu have not shown signs of weakening.
?I think Cebuanos are not afraid to spend for Christmas. It just shows how much they value the celebration,? he said.
He said he could not earn even half of the income he gets selling the lanterns in Cebu if he were to push the same lanterns in his home province or neighboring Bulacan because of stiff competition there.
Paras said he assembles his lanterns in Pampanga as early as October. By November, he comes to Cebu with a large stock of lanterns and installs lights before offering the lanterns for sale.
But not all lanterns are saleable.
The more expensive capiz shell lanterns are always sold out, said local parol-maker Lourdes Padayao of barangay Sawang Calero, Cebu City.
Those who buy them are usually customers who can afford to spend for extra Christmas decor, she said.
In contrast, lanterns made of tin foil and other cheap materials are not a hit in the market, she said.
?Our tinfoil lanterns are for Class C and D customers who don?t want to spend a single centavo for a lantern and would rather reuse the lanterns from past Christmas celebrations,? Padayao said.
Padayao and other lantern makers in sitio Omega, barangay Sawang Calero, sell their lanterns for P12 to P15 a piece, and usually display them along downtown streets.
But they barely sell two dozen of these lanterns in a day, she said.
Homemade Christmas lanterns are popular in sitio Dirty in barangay Labangon.
Residents decided to construct a giant parol for each house in the sitio. Neighbors pitched in to buy materials and build the lanterns, which are lighted every night.
Novie O?Farell, a sitio resident, said they came up with the idea after the series of typhoons that hit Luzon earlier this year.
?This is our way of thanking God for protecting us from the two typhoons that destroyed so many parts of Luzon. He spared us from destruction,? said O?Farell.
