With the planned expansion of Program 29 in areas outside Metro Manila, Cong. Wilbert “Manoy” T. Lee urged President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. to include House Bill No. 3957 or the “Kadiwa Agri Food-Terminal Act” as a priority measure in the Third Regular Session of the 19th Congress.
Under Lee’s measure, Kadiwa centers will be institutionalized in every city and municipality to make affordable food accessible to more Filipinos.
“Dapat maging available sa mas maraming Pilipino ang murang bilihin lalo na ang bigas. Our goal is for DA to be able to offer subsidized rice in every Kadiwa store. If we automatically utilize aging stocks for this program, not only will we prevent spoilage of these aging stocks, we would also be able to feed more Filipino families, Winner Tayo Lahat.”
At the sidelines of the 4th Regional Visayas Conference of the Integrated Philippine Association of Optometrists (IPAO) held in Cebu City today where he attended as keynote speaker, Lee said: “Considering the gains of the Bigas 29 Program in Kadiwa stores as effective venue where Filipinos can access cheaper food, this measure aims to support our local food producers and effectively promote the growth of our agricultural markets. These agri-food terminals serve as a place where local farmers and fisherfolk can sell their goods directly to the consumers and the general market.”
“In line with the clear direction of the current administration to prioritize helping our agriculture and fisheries workers and make food products affordable, it is clear how establishing more Kadiwa nationwide can be a concrete and immediate intervention to the food crisis we face,” the Bicolano lawmaker added.
The Department of Agriculture (DA) recently announced that it was expanding the coverage of Program 29, which offers rice at P29 a kilo, to include areas outside Metro Manila. Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said they are expecting to offer subsidized rice in 23 Kadiwa stores plus three more in provincial areas by August 1.
To sustain the supply of the ongoing Bigas 29 Program, Lee also urged DA to automatically assign National Food Authority’s (NFA) aging stocks of rice and unhusked palay to sustain the subsidized rice program and to cover more areas.
“Natutuwa tayo na mag-eexpand ang coverage ng Bigas 29 ng DA sa mga lugar na labas sa Metro Manila. Pero ang maganda sana, kapag may nakitang aging stocks na sa imbentaryo ng NFA, awtomatiko na itong ilaan sa Bigas 29 para mas maraming Pilipino ang makikinabang sa mas murang bigas,” Lee said.
“Hinihikayat natin si Secretary Kiko Tiu Laurel na gawin na itong SOP (standard operating procedure) para sa anumang nalulumang stock ng bigas. Dapat ding siguruhin ng gobyerno na magandang klase pa rin ng bigas ang ipamimigay. Hindi yung mura nga, pero mapapamura at madidismaya ka naman sa amoy, kulay at hitsura na durog-durog na.”
“Anuman ang estado sa buhay, may karapatan ang bawat Pilipino sa sapat at maayos na kalidad ng bigas at pagkain,” the solon from Bicol added.
Aging NFA stocks refer to rice that has been in storage for three months and palay (unhusked rice) stockpiles that have been kept for six months.
“Dapat maging available sa mas maraming Pilipino ang murang bilihin lalo na ang bigas. Our goal is for DA to be able to offer subsidized rice in every Kadiwa store. If we automatically utilize aging stocks for this program, not only will we prevent spoilage of these aging stocks, we would also be able to feed more Filipino families, Winner Tayo Lahat,” he stressed.
“Filipinos deserve better and lasting solutions to their perennial problems, so we should demand better policies that will institutionalize programs to ease their burden. Pagaanin natin ang pasanin at burahin ang pangamba ng ating mga kababayan, lalo na sa pagkakaroon ng trabaho, kita, pagkain, at serbisyong pangkalusugan,” he added.
