168 Mall is No More

I know this is a bit late but I guess I needed a few days to recover. =) Last week's news talked about the raid in 168 mall in Divisoria (or is it Binondo?) and due to reported non-payment of taxes, the goods were confiscated and stalls padlocked.

If I heard or read the news correctly, 168 Mall has since been closed down.

Shucks! Since I heard of this mall sometime mid-last year, I've always meant to go but never found the chance to do so because of work. I've talked to relatives, friends, and co-parents in school who have all been to the mall and who all say that the goods are really cheap!They've warned me though to go on a weekday rather than on a weekend to stay sane and to maximize the visit. What do you know? I will never get around to doing that. I guess the mall's increased visibility (it suddenly became so famous) was not too good for it after all.

Just another lesson in doing what you want to do soonest. You never know till when the opportunity will last. As for the closure of the mall, am all for following the law and paying what is due but isn't there also some inequity committed when establishments charge buyers exorbitant prices? Can we blame people when during economically difficult times, they patronize sellers who offer their goods at cheap prices? I guess that's the same thing that will make it difficult for governments to stop or totally eliminate piracy. I wonder when the legit manufacturers and operators will finally think of taking on the pirates head on by producing the cheaper items themselves? Am sure all these producers (whether DVD, VCD, fashion goods, computer software, etc.) can offer lower-priced products (with maybe slight quality differences) and capture a bigger part of the whole market altogether. Just a thought.

So, as one of my all-time favorite movies, Dead Poets Society states: "Carpe diem -- Seize the day." Seize the day for you never know -- tomorrow, the goods may already be seized. =)

I wonder, can government take on other establishments where sellers have a wider vocabulary than "3 for 100"? Let us see if the law will be fair and equitable. Abangan.