Senatorial candidate Panfilo Lacson, supported by the administration, is advocating for a new law to permanently establish the Kadiwa ng Pangulo program, a key initiative of the Marcos administration aimed at reducing inflation. Speaking at a press conference in Iloilo City organized by the Alyansa Para sa Bagong Pilipinas, Lacson explained that the program facilitates direct sales from farmers and food producers to consumers, cutting out multiple intermediaries and thereby lowering prices significantly.
Lacson emphasized his desire to explore legislative measures to institutionalize the Kadiwa stores, stating, ‘I want to study how to institutionalize the Kadiwa stores through legislation so that we can lower or control inflation.’ The program, which supports President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s goals for food security and affordability, allows consumers to purchase essential agricultural products like rice, vegetables, fish, eggs, and meat at reduced rates.
The proposed legislation aims to make the Kadiwa program a lasting solution to stabilize prices and combat inflation. Lacson highlighted the crucial role of local government units in enhancing the program’s effectiveness, noting that direct sales would eliminate numerous middlemen with the assistance of these units.
Former Senate president Vicente Sotto III, also running for senator under the Alyansa coalition, endorsed Lacson’s proposal. Sotto connected it to his own initiative, which would require the government to purchase 50 percent of the nation’s total agricultural production to support farmers and stabilize food prices. Sotto remarked, ‘What Senator Lacson mentioned aligns with my proposal that the government should buy 50 percent of all the output of all farmers in the country.’
The Department of Agriculture recently announced a price reduction in the Rice for All options under the Kadiwa ng Pangulo program, with prices expected to decrease by PHP2 to PHP3 per kilogram starting February 12.