MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Thursday said the Kadiwa store project, which is an initiative of the Department of Agriculture (DA) which he concurrently leads, may continue until February or March next year.
Marcos said the Kadiwa store outlets will remain open until the price of basic commodities have stabilized.
“Once we get to a point where it’s no longer necessary, where the prices in the markets are the same as what we can give in the Kadiwa, then we don’t need the Kadiwa anymore,” he said.
“Maybe, just for distribution para sa mga far-flung areas. Diyan na siguro papasok ‘yung dating programa na may mobile na Kadiwa. But we’re not yet there at that point, pinapakalat lang natin around the country right now,” he added.
(Maybe we can use it for distribution of goods in far-flung areas, that is where we can revive the old program of mobile Kadiwa stores. But we’re not there yet, for now we are still trying to propagate this.)
The Kadiwa program enables the public to buy goods at cheaper rates by creating a direct and efficient farm-to-consumer food supply chain.
“Dumidiretso kami sa supplier, dumidiretso ang pamahalaan, ang maganda sa pamahalaan na nangunguna ay ang pamahalaan ay hindi kailangan kumita. Kaya’t kahit walang kita kung ano yung binili kung magkano binili ganoon din ipinagbibili. Kaya ito ‘yung naging lamang ng Kadiwa,” Marcos said.
(The government goes directly to the suppliers and the government does not need to earn anything that is why the goods are cheaper. This is the advantage of the Kadiwa.)
The President also said he wants the Kadiwa project to become a national program through tie-ups with local government units (LGUs).
The Kadiwa project is the best Christmas gift that the government can extend to the public, Marcos said, adding that “it is the gift that keeps on giving.”
The Kadiwa ng Pasko program aims to provide a market to local farmers and fishermen for their produce, and to small business enterprises selling basic necessities.
The project os backed by the Department of Trade and Industry , Department of the Interior and Local Government, Department of Social Welfare and Development and Department of Labor and Employment.