President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. (File photo)
MANILA – Malacañang on Sunday announced that the very first “Kadiwa ng Pangulo” outlet in the Bicol region has so far generated around PHP1.21 million in sales.
In a news release, the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) said the Kadiwa stalls in Pili, Camarines Sur reached a total PHP431,162 on the first day and PHP780,912 on the second day.
“More Filipino sellers and consumers are enjoying the benefits of the Kadiwa ng Pangulo program of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.'s administration as the outlet launched in Pili, Camarines Sur has generated around PHP1.2[1] million in sales,” the PCO said.
The Marcos administration has so far launched more than 500 Kadiwa ng Pangulo outlets nationwide.
The PCO likewise announced that the Kadiwa ng Pangulo in Cebu City posted a total sale of PHP931,329.
Earlier this month, Marcos led the launch of a special Kadiwa ng Pangulo outlet dubbed “KNP Para sa Manggagawa” at the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines head office in Quezon City.
The program is part of the continuing expansion of the Kadiwa centers nationwide aimed at giving a platform for Filipino farmers, fisherfolk and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to generate more income through direct farm-to-consumer trade.
Marcos has repeatedly vowed to prioritize providing consumers with cheap basic goods amid the rising inflation in the country.
He said the current government thrust is to assist MSMEs to recover from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
At the Kadiwa ng Pangulo, consumers can buy rice at PHP25 per kg as well as other agricultural products.
Launched in November last year, the Kadiwa ng Pangulo pop-up stores remove middlemen in the movement of agricultural products from farms to consumers, allowing food and agricultural products to be sold at cheaper prices.
This project is an initiative of the Office of the President and led by the Department of Agriculture (DA), which is headed by Marcos.
First in Albay
On Saturday, the Kadiwa Agri-Food Terminal opened in Legazpi City.
It is the first branch in Albay and is located near a mall and right in front of a bus terminal.
For now, it will operate on weekends only from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Rep. Wilbert Lee of Agri Partylist, who graced the opening, said in an interview that he is pushing for all cities and municipalities to have their own Kadiwa centers “in order for all the agricultural products to become available to the consuming public at low prices compared to their prices in markets.”
He had also filed House Bill No. 2419 or the Agripreneurs Scholarship Program Act that will encourage students to enroll in any agricultural courses by giving them a PHP60,000 yearly allowance for school expenses.
Legazpi Mayor Geraldine Rosal said in another interview that the City Agriculture Office (CAO) recently distributed fertilizer vouchers to the 1,099 members of the Legazpi City farmers association.
The group is enrolled in the Registry System for Basic Sector of Agriculture as required by the DA.
“The city government through the CAO has also distributed planting materials of hybrid palay to the rice farmers as part of the DA’s subsidization program to boost livelihood," she said. (With a report from Emmanuel Solis/PNA)
