President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. vowed Wednesday to further increase the number of Kadiwa ng Pangulo outlets in the country to help small businesses and producers recover from the impact of the pandemic and at the same time provide the public with affordable basic products.
“Sana naman po ay ito po ay pinaparami po namin. Hindi lang po rito sa Santo Tomas, hindi lang po sa Maynila, kung hindi pati na sa iba’t ibang lugar sa buong Pilipinas. At sa huling bilang ko ay nakalampas na tayo sa 500 na Kadiwa na ginagawa sa buong Pilipinas,” President Marcos said during the launching of the Kadiwa ng Pangulo in Santo Tomas, Batangas.
“Kaya’t pararamihin po natin ‘yan kagaya nga… Basta’t nagkakaisa at nagsasama lahat ng ahensya ng pamahalaan, lahat ng local government, at lahat ng ating mga producers, kasama na ang ating mga magsasaka ay ‘yan po ay makikita natin magiging matagumpay po itong programang ito,” the President said.
His government, Marcos said, has focused on assisting micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to recover from the pandemic because of their importance to the country’s economy.
Thanking the Kadiwa participants, Marcos said: “At ako’y nagpapasalamat sa inyong lahat na lalong-lalong na lahat ng nakilahok dito, lahat ng pumunta rito, lahat ng nagdala ng kanilang produkto, at ito po ay magbubuhay sa ating ekonomiya.”
“At kasama po natin lahat diyan ang Department of Agriculture, ang Department of Trade and Industry, at siyempre ang pinakaimportante diyan lahat ay ang kooperasyon ng national government at saka ng LGU. Hindi po namin magagawa ito kung wala – kung hindi tumulong ang LGU,” the chief executive said.
About 35 sellers, composed of farmers, fisherfolk, associations, cooperatives and MSMEs were invited by the DA, DTI, and the city government of Sto. Tomas to participate in the event.
Kadiwa is a market linkage facilitation program of the DA aimed at making products such as rice, fish, poultry and livestock, fruits and vegetables, and other basic commodities accessible and affordable to the poor.
It also seeks to establish an additional market for small farmers and fisherfolk to sell their products and increase their income, as well as ensure a stable price and supply of food and other basic commodities in areas where poor families live.
Initially launched as Kadiwa ng Pasko, the program was rebranded as the Kadiwa ng Pangulo, with the first outlet launched last February 27 in Cebu City.
The DA reported that from November 5 to December 31 last year, Kadiwa activities generated PP136.1 million in sales nationwide. (PND)
