More Kadiwa stores seen
UNABLE to stop the skyrocketing prices of goods, the government should be commended for doubling its efforts to increase the number of Kadiwa stores across the country.
Operated by the Department of Agriculture, now headed by President Marcos, Kadiwa stores sell agri-fishery products, including rice, fruits and vegetables, at cheaper costs.
The Kadiwa store system was introduced by the late President Ferdinand E. Marcos to help bring down the costs of agricultural products, drawing cheers from the consumers.
Without doubt, the hard-pressed Filipino people, particularly the poorest of the poor, now want concerned government authorities to address the problem of rising prices.
Thus, it heartening to know that President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr. himself has directed the extension of the operation of Kadiwa stores until March 2023.
In extending the operation of Kadiwa stores, President Marcos noted the huge difference between the product prices sold in Kadiwa stores compared to other markets.
In Kadiwa stores, rice is sold at P25 a kilo. But an individual is only allowed to buy four kilos of rice. On the other hand, a kilo of sugar is sold at P70, while a kilo of onion is sold at P170.
At present, a total of Kadiwa stores are operating in 256 areas throughout the country, with 44 of them in the heavily-populated Metropolitan Manila area.
As well-meaning Filipinos, we cannot overemphasize the importance of providing the people, particularly the jobless and the underemployed, with affordable basic commodities.
It’s a move in the right direction at a time when prices of everything, particularly food, continue to spiral beyond the reach of more and more Filipinos.
