CEBU CITY, Cebu, Feb. 27 (PIA) -- President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos, Jr. launched the “Kadiwa ng Pangulo” sa Cebu at the Cebu Capitol on Feb. 27.
 
Around 50 exhibitors composed of farmers and fishers cooperatives as well as Micro-, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) displayed their products during the Kadiwa event spearheaded by the Department of Agriculture.
 
The “Kadiwa ng Pangulo” aims to address the rising costs of food by allowing farmers to directly bring their agricultural produce to the Kadiwa site to be sold at low prices. “We help them bring their produce to the event para makamura (to save on costs),” said Pres. Marcos.

Kadiwa was institutionalized in the 1980s, where agricultural produce/products were displayed in various KADIWA outlets and sold at low prices for the Filipino consumers to avail.
 
The Kadiwa program aims to ensure that food commodities are made available and accessible in high consumer demand areas by harnessing private sector participation, capacity enhancement of farmers’ cooperatives and associations, and engaging community organizations’ participation in the food supply distribution system.
 
The success of the Kadiwa sa Pasko in December 2022 pushed Pres. Marcos to launch its expansion to make it more accessible to more Filipinos, which led to the ‘Kadiwa ng Pangulo’ initiative.
 
“Kaya’t ito na ang aming sagot doon sa nagiging krisis dito sa ating pagkain, sa ating pagtaas ng presyo. Ipagpatuloy po natin ito at para naman ang ating mga kababayan ay hindi na masyadong naghihirap. Sama-sama tayong babangon muli, kasama ito doon sa ating pagbangon,” the President said in his speech during the said event.
 
Also present during the launching were Department of Tourism (DOT) Sec. Christina Frasco, House Speaker Martin Romualdez, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Sec. Fred Pascual, and Cebu Gov. Gwen Garcia.
 
The president also announced the impending launch of "Kadiwa sa Manggagawa" program for laborers. (MYP/PIA7)