Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte assured the public that the local government will continue to find ways to offer cheap but quality food and non-food items amid rising prices of basic commodities.
Belmonte made the commitment following President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s visit to the Kadiwa ng Pasko at the Quezon City Hall grounds.
President Marcos even tagged the Quezon City Government as the model city for the national government’s programs, citing its best practices and swift response to the recent price hike on basic commodities.
“We have to thank siyempre ang ating mga LGU dahil sila talaga ang nagtake ng initiative nito and again to Mayor Joy Belmonte who was one of the first to put up Kadiwa, mabilis siyang nagrespond agad nung nagtataasan na ang presyo,” President Marcos said.
Quezon City hall is one of at least 20 sites nationwide taking part in the flagship project of the Marcos administration, aimed at providing a market to the country’s local agriculture producers and giving the public access to affordable and quality products.
“Kaya ang Quezon City medyo model namin ‘yan eh, tinitingnan namin ‘yung ginagawa ninyo because you do it on a different scale than the others. Kaya kung kakayanin nung sistema ninyo, eh kakayanin ‘yun ng mas maliliit [LGUs]. Kaya we were looking and seeing ano ‘yung mga tinatawag ko na best practices ay tinitingnan namin para mas maging maganda,” President Marcos added.
Meanwhile, Mayor Belmonte expressed her gratitude for having the City as part of the national government’s program.
“Lubos kaming nagagalak dito sa Lungsod Quezon dahil isa ang QC sa mga piling lungsod na kabahagi ng programang Kadiwa ng Pasko na pinangungunahan ng ating minamahal na pangulo at ng DA. We will continue to regularly provide avenues for food producers to sell their goods directly to our QCitizens,” Mayor Belmonte said.
According to the President, the Kadiwa ng Pasko program will continue to be available next year.
“Patuloy na nang patuloy ang Kadiwa para maging national program para lahat ng buong Pilipinas… makakatikim sila ng savings sa kanilang binibili kaya palagay ko ay magiging magandang pamasko ito. I hope it is the gift that keeps on giving, that is what we have been working towards,” President Marcos said.
In partnership with QC Small Business and Cooperatives Development Promotions Office, the program hosts about 40-60 stalls which consist of vendors from the DTI Diskwento Caravan and QC Fresh Market.
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