President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.'s "Kadiwa ng Pasko" program ought to be institutionalized by Congress so that it may help more Filipinos.

Thus, said AGRI Party-list Rep. Wilbert T. Lee on Tuesday, Dec. 27 even as the lawmakers backed proposals to extend program beyond the current holiday season into next year, 2023.

According to Lee, extending the program would help Filipino families cope with the continuing increase in food prices.

"Suportado natin ang pagpapatuloy ng Kadiwa kahit sa susunod na taon (We support the continuation of Kadiwa into next year). In fact, we should be looking at institutionalizing this program and implementing it on a much larger scale because this is a program that helps not just consumers but also producers," Lee said.

The program, which was launched nationwide in November 2022, aims to provide a market to local farmers and small enterprises while also giving the public access to affordable food and other basic necessities.

Consumers can buy National Food Authority (NFA) rice for as low as P25 per kilo, and sugar at P70 per kilo, at the Kadiwa ng Pasko rolling stores.

Lee said the Kadiwa stores provide the ideal template that the country should achieve to fulfill the public's right to cheap and healthy food, and ensuring the viability of farmers' and fisherfolk's livelihood.

The Bicol solon also noted that the extension of the Kadiwa program would be "at least a year-long gift for Filipino families groaning under the weight of expensive food".

To institutionalize the program means to make the program's implementation a matter of law and not just directive from the executive branch. Lee or other members of the House of Representatives can file a bill to this effect.

Lee shared that, as per the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas' (BSP) fourth-quarter Consumer Expectations Survey (CES), the sentiment of Filipino consumers was "more pessimistic".

The overall consumer index weakened to -14.6 percent from the previous quarter's -12.9 percent due to concerns over surging commodity prices and household expenses, low income, and fewer available jobs and working family members, the BSP said.