Residents of Barangay Luzviminda in Puerto Princesa City gathered this week to buy basic needs and food products including rice, fishery products, vegetable, eggs and other farmers’ produce in a Kadiwa organized by local cooperatives, which is in line with the government’s Kadiwa ng Pangulo program.
Palawan Agrarian Reform Communities Cooperative Federation (PARCOFED), a federation of farmers cooperative in Palawan, KC Plus, a cooperative based in Puerto Princesa, and DARPEMPC, a cooperative of Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) employees initiated the holding of Kadiwa.
Kadiwa is a market system which sells major agricultural goods at reasonably low prices to help poor Filipino households and consumers.
But what the buyers are most after for, is the P20 per kilo of rice. The prices of rice available in rice retailers in Palawan range from P55 per kilo to P 65 per kilo, which is P35 to P45 pesos higher than what is available in a Kadiwa organized by local cooperatives themselves.
The organizers limit the rice up to 2.5 kilos per buyer, so that other buyers can still avail cheaper-priced rice. They are targeting more than 300 individuals to avail the cheaper rice.
Raymundo Imaysay, general manager of PARCOFED said that few hundreds of low income and indigent individuals in the area availed 2.5 kg rice at a price of only P 20 per kilo.
Early this year, a group of irrigators association and farmers’ cooperative hold a Kadiwa in Narra town, in southern part of Palawan province. It was made possible through the effort of various irrigators association and farmers’ organization and cooperatives. Imaysay said that the activity was made possible through the help of Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) and Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).
“Napagsagawa na tayo ng Kadiwa nitong Enero sa Narra at pangalawa itong sa Luzvinda.The activity was made possible because of their intervention of the DA, DAR and DTI. Apat na beses gagawin ang Kadiwa ang tina-target natin. After nitong sa Luzviminda ay isusunod natin sa Sofronio Espanola. Ito ay naisakatuparan din dahil sa collaboration ng iba’t ibang cooperatives,” he said.
Imaysay heads PARCOFED, while CK Plus is headed by Roberto Cebedo and DARPEMPC is headed by Rosenda Natividad.
Punong Barangay Laddy R. Gemang of Barangay Luzviminda said that he is pleased with this initiative of local based cooperatives which many of his constituents. Gemang is also the president of the Liga ng mga Barangay of Puerto Princesa City and a member of the City Council.
“Maganda itong ginawa nila kahit papaano ay nakatulong doon sa mga nangangailangan. Lalong lalo na ang murang bigas” Gemang said. Imaysay, who is also a rice farmer and businessman based in Princess Urduja, Narra, Palawan said this is their way of helping the government, through making food products available at reasonable and lower prices compared that in public market and talipapa.
“Ito rin ay aming pasasalamat sa pamahalaan sa mga interventions na itinulong nila sa aming mga farmers. Kaya kami naman ay gumagawa ng paraan upang makatulong kapwa natin Pilipino sa pamamagitan ng pagtitinda ng mga produkto sa mas mababang presyo” Imaysay said.
He further explained that due to high price of basic commodities, people preferred to buy in Kadiwa to avail fresh and quality farm and fishery products at lower prices. Imaysay hoped that their initiatives will inspire other cooperatives to help reduce poverty by selling lower priced basic goods.
“Kung ganito rin ang gagawin ng mga kooperatiba sa iba’t ibang parte ng Pilipinas, nakakatulong tayong maibsan ang kahirapan. Kung sa mababang halaga, mabibili na nila, bigas man o gulay, o isda, napakalaking tulong. Sana itong pinapakita naming ay makabigay din ng inspirasyon upang gawin din ng ibang farmers’ cooperative,” he said.