President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. at the MOA signing for the nationwide “Kadiwa ng Pangulo” program in Pampnaga on Monday, July 17, 2023. (Jean Mangaluz / INQUIRER.net)
CLARK, Pampanga — The Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and other government agencies on Monday signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) on the establishment of “Kadiwa ng Pangulo” outlets in all local government units nationwide.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., who serves as the concurrent agriculture secretary, witnessed the MOA signing in San Fernando, Pampanga.
“Ang programa ng Kadiwa ay napaksimple lamang at tayo ay ginagwa natin ay nilalapit natin sa magsasaka ang palengke, kaya’t yung mga middleman, added cost, ay binabawsan natin ng husto yan para sa ganyang paraan ay maipagbili natin ng presyo na mababa,” said Marcos in his keynote address.
(The Kadiwa program is very simple. We we bring farmers closer to markets so that middleman, the added cost will be minimized so the people can buy the products at lower cost.)
According to the Palace, all 81 provinces participated in the simultaneous launch of the program.
“The Kadiwa ng Pangulo centers shall be facilitated by the concerned agencies every 15 and 30 of the month, where local farmers are to sell their produce to their consumers at an affordable price. Produce such as rice, fish, poultry, vegetables, fruits, livestock, and other basic commodities, shall be made accessible and affordable to the marginalized,” said the Palace in a statement.
The farm-to-consumer program was launched as the “Kadiwa ng Pasko” during the Christmas season in 2022, and further expanded to “Kadiwa ng Pangulo” in response to the high food prices in the beginning of 2023.
Marcos had been eyeing the expansion of Kadiwa operations since February 2023.
“Patuloy naming gagawin ito, padadamihin, palalakihin natin, pararamihin natin. Mas importante paramihin natin lalo na sa mga lugar na hirap ang tao. Hindi pa kaya ang presyuhan kung nasa palengke,” Marcos said in February.
(We will continue and expand this. We must expand this, especially in places where prices of goods are still high, especially in the markets.)
The MOA was likewise signed by representatives from the Department of Labor and Employment, Department of Social Welfare and Development, Department of the Interior and Local Government, Presidential Management Staff, and the Philippine Communications Office.