Citing the benefit that "Kadiwa ng Pasko" stores will give to poor Filipinos, Quezon City 5th district Rep. PM Vargas thanked President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. for coming up with the project.
“We express our all-out support to government programs that can ease the burden of our constituents especially from the higher cost of living caused by the pandemic-induced recession,” Vargas said in a statement Wednesday afternoon, Nov. 16.
The opening of the Kadiwa ng Pasko store in Quezon City Wednesday morning was graced by Vargas; President Marcos’s eldest son, Ilocos Norte 1st district Rep. Sandro Marcos; and Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte.
“The establishment of Kadiwa store in Quezon City is a step closer to achieving a more prosperous Christmas by our QCitizens especially those who belong to the marginalized sector of our society,” the Quezon City solon said.
Kadiwa Stores offer basic goods at cheaper prices to Filipinos. They are also meant to help farmers and producers by bringing their products to Metro Manila and nearby areas while providing access to fresh and affordable food to consumers.
Aside from Kadiwa ng Pasko, the Department of Agriculture (DA)-hatched program has three other variants — Kadiwa on Wheels, Kadiwa Retail, and Kadiwa Online, where people can buy cheaper goods like rice grains at P25 per kilogram.
Eleven other Kadiwa ng Pasko stores were launched Wednesday in the National Capital Region (NCR); one in Tacloban City, Leyte; one in Davao de Oro; and one in Koronadal City, South Cotabato.