March 2003
Destination: Manila

Tutuban:
Shopper's Paradise
by Jennifer Sy

During holiday seasons, more and more people come to visit bargain shops to do their holiday shopping. With the current economic downfall and difficulty in earning money, who would want to send their hard-earned money to waste? As the masses yearn to see justice in their spending, bargain shopping becomes a fad. Greenhills, Baclaran, Divisoria and Tutuban are just a few places to name. Unless you have the luxury of time to travel all the way to Baguio to dig into "ukay-ukay," let your burning shopping desire be cooled down in more accessible place. So let me take you in a brief review of today's hottest "tiangge"---Tutuban.

A brief history
My memories of Tutuban Mall can be traced back to my grade school years. Formerly a Philippine National Railways train station, Tutuban was built in the early 90's. Tutuban Centermall 1 and 2 were consecutively built with fast-food chains and branded stores as their attraction. Centermall 2 held four cinema theatres by Silverscreen, the same company which manages SM's cinemas. I could remember that Mission: Impossible was the first movie I watched there. Some more years and the beauty of the theatre faded...the last movie I remember watching was The Sixth Sense, back in third year high school in 1999. As the attraction slowly faded and eventually died, Tutuban promoted "Binggohan sa Tutuban" as its central attraction, also located in the Centermall 2.

As Cluster Mall begin to make its name, Tutuban became the place to be for budget shoppers. Did you know that most Cluster store owners have stores in either Divisoria Mall or Divine Mart, both located at the heart of Divisoria? Yes, as store owners foresaw the business opportunities found in Tutuban, they now put up two stores with identical products. Cluster Malls 1 and 2 offer a wide array of products including clothes, shoes, accessories down to pirated cds and vcds.

Biggest bargains in Manila
Today, Tutuban Mall offers the biggest bargains in the greater Manila area. As Divisoria Mall and Baclaran area are less accessible, Tutuban Mall offers a great location advantage. A ride to Divisoria can get anybody to Tutuban and have their shopping done in no time.

As Tutuban recently opened their newest addition to the family, namely Primeblock and Parking Tower, shopping to the crowd became readily available. Both recent malls encapsulate what Cluster Malls offer, only with less redundancy. While Cluster Mall could tire both your feet and mind, Primeblock and Parking Tower offer the same shopping spree with lots of convenience on the side.

Tutuban's development is indeed comparable to the metamorphosis of a butterfly; developing from a cocoon, struggling to get out of the shell and finally becoming a colorful creature. Who would think that this bargain giant started as a forgotten train station? If you're looking for cheap stuff and convenient shopping stores, the Tutuban Malls are definitely the places to be.

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The best meal is not always found in a five-star hotel or in expensive restaurants. There are places where you could get food that is hotel quality but the price is very light for the pocket.

A decade ago, bargain hunting was never heard of since choices were quite limited. With the boom of industrialization, new businesses erupted thus giving way to more choices and extreme competition.

In the quest to find the cheapest clothes and experience shopping galore, one has to eagerly wait for a mall-wide sale. But of course, expect the troubles you will have to go through just to buy the things that you need at the most reasonable price.

During holiday seasons, more and more people come to visit bargain shops to do their holiday shopping. With the current economic downfall and difficulty in earning money, who would want to send their hard earned money to waste?

Aling Merta Salvacion, 36, started being a 'tindera' of tiangge since she was in her teenage years. "Feeling ko nga dito na ako tumanda (sa tiangge). Dito na ako nagkaasawa at nagkapamilya," she relates.

If it makes no sense to you to fly to Bangkok or Hong Kong just to buy cheap clothes and knick-knacks, there’s one place that’s your best bet for imported stuff at the right price: Greenhills in San Juan.

Establishments such as Greenhills, Divisoria, and Tutuban are known for offering good bargains to customers. This enables Filipinos to buy products for a very cheap price.