BASEY, Samar (PIA) — In a significant move to alleviate the burden of rising food costs, the local government unit of Basey in Samar formally launched its Kadiwa ng Pangulo (KNP), with its key feature, rice sold at P20 per kilo.
LGU Basey, through the Municipal Agriculturist Office, would like to prove a point, selling rice at P20 per kilo is not impossible with the government’s right support, careful planning, and restructuring of the rice value chain.
Basey Municipal Agriculturist Jesus Jabines said they have been providing low-income families and the marginalized sector with the P20 per kilo rice option even prior to the government’s launching in May, fulfilling President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s campaign promise.
“It has never been a far-fetched dream. However, this program demands long-term commitment, inter-agency coordination, and farmer inclusion at every level,” Jabines said.
The Municipal Agriculture Services Office strategy of providing rice farmers with seeds and fertilizers on a per hectare basis and with farmers in return, repaying the support in-kind by supplying milled rice after harvest is what’s making the P20 per kilo rice program possible for Basey.
Meanwhile, municipal government of Basey is also aiming to expand its newly launched Kadiwa ng Pangulo, a government-run mobile market and pop-up retail system that sells affordable basic commodities – from rice and vegetables to eggs, poultry, sugar, and fish – directly to consumers.
This mobile market, which have started even before its formal launch, has tapped into local farmers’ cooperatives and fisherfolk groups to shorten the supply chain and eliminate middlemen, lowering commodity prices by at least 30%-50%.
The KNP in Basey, which opens weekly, sells agricultural produce straight from the farmlands and community gardens, local crafts, processed goods, and many others, supporting microenterprises and empowering women-led community groups.
The KNP which started as a short-term pandemic response has grown into a flagship anti-inflationary initiative of President Marcos, aiming to directly link producers to consumers and shield low-income Filipinos from volatile food prices. (ACR/PIA Leyte)
