President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. on Thursday expressed his desire to make "Kadiwa ng Pasko" a national program that will continue to provide access to lower-priced goods even after the holiday season.
“At masasabi ko na kahit pagkatapos na ng New Year ay hindi naman namin ititigil ‘yung Kadiwa ng Pasko. Patuloy nang patuloy na ‘yan," Marcos said in his remarks during the caravan in Quezon City on Thursday.
(I would say that even after New Year we won’t stop Kadiwa ng Pasko. It will go on and on.)
"Hangga’t maaari ay patuloy ang Kadiwa para maging national program, para lahat ng buong Pilipinas ay makikita naman nila at makakatikim naman sila nung savings doon sa kanilang mga binibili," he added.
(We want Kadiwa to become a national program. So everyone in the Philippines could see and enjoy some savings on their purchases.)
Marcos Jr. said the current supply in the Kadiwa stores can last until February and March of 2023.
"Hopefully, by then, the prices of commodities in the market will have normalized," he noted.
Once the goal of lowering prices is achieved, the President said Kadiwa could be a vehicle to distribute goods in far-flung areas through mobile stores.
During his visit to Quezon City, Marcos lauded the LGU and said it has been “the government model” in the Kadiwa implementation.
“Kaya kung kakayanin nung sistema ninyo ang Quezon City, eh kakayanin ‘yung mas maliliit. Kaya’t we were looking and seeing ano ‘yung mga kung tawagin ay best practices ay tinitingnan namin para maging mas maganda," he said.
(If your system in Quezon City can do it, the smaller areas can also do it. That’s why we were looking... at what we call the best practices so it can be better.)
As the Agriculture Secretary, President Marcos spearheaded the return of Kadiwa stores in November, which allows farmers, fishers, and microentrepreneurs to sell their products directly to consumers amid the rising prices of commodities in the country.
In his speech during the nationwide launch of “Kadiwa ng Pasko” in Mandaluyong City, Marcos said the government is close to achieving the goal of lowering the price of rice to Php 20 per kilo.
