Bataan 1st District Representative Geraldine B. Roman believes that President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s program should be expanded, particularly the Kadiwa store, because it is within the reach of more ordinary and poor Filipinos.
This was expressed by Congresswoman Roman in a recent interview with the local press when she said that it would be better for the farmers to further expand the scope of the Kadiwa store project nationwide especially now that the price of basic commodities is increasing at the same time this holiday season.
In support to the Marcos administration, the third-termer lawmaker filed House Bill 5601 or the “Magna Carta for Agriculture Workers and Revitalized Agriculture Value Chain of 2022”.
Roman, now dubbed as the “Pambansang Congresswoman”, explained that through the Kadiwa system, the people will be able to buy lower-cost goods that are truly within the reach of the Filipino masses, including the poorest of the poor.
However, farmers can make a profit from their produce or goods without passing on large production costs to consumers.
“What we experienced during the pandemic should be a lesson learned in terms of logistics and supply chain planning,” said Roman, chairperson of the House Committee on Women and Gender Equality.
In the explanatory note of his proposal, Roman said that Kadiwa will be established as a government arm that directly purchases from farmers, to ensure that the investment is returned and participate in the revival of the agriculture value chain.
“The value chain addresses supply chain gaps within the agriculture industry and develops an alternative market for domestically-produced agricultural goods completely dedicated to maximizing the economic benefit of both producers and consumers,” added Roman.
In the proposal, the lawmaker said an infrastructure map would be established by providing resilience in case the supply chain is compromised by natural or man-made disasters.
“We need to transform agriculture to a sustainable and diversified sector to ensure economic recovery, reduction of poverty, and food security,” concluded Roman.
Roman advocates equal opportunities for all Filipinos. For her, equality is the treatment of individuals without barriers, wrong views, and preferences, except it has a difference and is clearly rational. The lawmaker’s aspiration is firm and open to the advancement of opportunity for all Filipinos regardless of wealth, status, or membership in an influential group. (MHIKE CIGARAL)