BIZ BUZZ: A different demand during INC rally

Business is good for hotels near Quirino Grandstand, the location of the three-day anticorruption rally organized by the religious group Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC), whose hundreds of thousands of members flocked to the area to call for transparency amid the widespread corruption scandal hounding the government.

At Orchid Garden Suites, located about 5 kilometers from the site, occupancy climbed to more than 90 percent even before Sunday, the rally’s first day, attended by more than 650,000 INC members.

On a typical Sunday, only 40 percent to 50 percent of the hotel’s 85 rooms are occupied, sometimes dipping to 30 percent, said Marisa Aron, the director of sales for the Malate hotel.

At Bayview Park Hotel Manila, a 10-minute walk from the grandstand, the surge extended beyond room bookings to food demand. The hotel even opened additional penthouse rooms to accommodate guests and began offering packed meals.

While some stayed in hotels, many INC members opted to camp in makeshift tents set up around Quirino Grandstand. Some tents were even spotted as far away as the perimeter of Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, a 40-minute walk from the rally area.

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Although the rise in room demand from INC members was “definitely” welcome, Aron said she hoped such events would not become frequent, as they only reflected the Philippines’ sorry state of politics.

“I just wish na ‘yong ganitong [rally] ay hindi madalas. Sana hindi na siya maulit kasi lalo mong malalaman ‘yong political instability ng country. Nakakalungkot, actually. Sana wala na munang ganito,” (I just wish rallies like this won’t happen too often. I hope it doesn’t happen again, as it makes you more aware of the country’s political instability. It’s sad, actually. I hope there won’t be anything like this for now.) she said.