The president of the Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines (ULAP) urged his fellow local leaders to ensure that people in their communities have easier access to affordable food.
This, as a recent Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey showed that 46 percent of Filipino families considered themselves “food-poor”, the highest since the 49 percent obtained in June 2008.
“I urge my fellow local leaders, let’s make food access a top priority, especially since we are nearing the holidays already. Huwag naman sana maging malungkot ang Pasko at Bagong Taon nang dahil hindi makabili ng pagkain ang mga kababayan natin,” Qurino governor Dax Cua said.
According to the DA, there are so far a network of 504 Kadiwa markets nationwide, including 17 Kadiwa centers, 280 Kadiwa stores, 153 pop-up stores, and 54 KNP events as of August 20.
The survey noted that self-rated food poverty was highest among respondents in Mindanao at 61 percent, followed by those in the Visayas at 49 percent, and Metro Manila and the rest of Luzon at 39 percent.
Cua suggested that local government units link local farmers with communities.
“In doing so, we can pay our food producers more even as our people pay less for food,” the governor said.
He added that this is exactly the aim of the Department of Agriculture’s Kadiwa ng Pangulo program, as he called on LGUs to coordinate with the national government so that Kadiwa markets could be setup in their respective jurisdictions.
“We should actively work to make the goal of having at least one Kadiwa store in the 1,500 municipalities and 149 cities in our country,” said Cua.
According to the DA, there are so far a network of 504 Kadiwa markets nationwide, including 17 Kadiwa centers, 280 Kadiwa stores, 153 pop-up stores, and 54 KNP events as of August 20.
The DA is targeting an increase to 40 and 60 Kadiwa centers and KNP events, respectively, by the end of 2024.
