Liberalist economies discourage government intervention as this indicates weak governance and institutions, and poor enforcement of laws and policies. If this will be the basis, the Kadiwa stores somehow provides a glimpse of the Philippine government under Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
The Kadiwa stores project is a campaign promise of Marcos Jr., that aims to offer agricultural produce at lower prices – usually in terms of price subsidies and direct farm-to-consumers linkages. A glaring example is the price of onions bought by the government at PhP570 per kilogram and sold to consumers at PhP 120 per kilogram or a subsidy of PhP 450 per kilogram.
The Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and Malacanang announced on Tuesday, March 6, that the lead organizer of the transport strike, Manibela, failed to paralyze Metro Manila and that “it’s like the protest didn’t happen.” Manibela, on the other hand, claimed that its group, along with Piston, turned the National Capital Region into a “ghost town”. The protest is against the phaseout of the Philippines’ transport icon — the jeepneys.
The Philippines is one of the countries in the world facing challenges in food security. To at least ensure food availability, the Philippine government has adopted food importation as a strategy such that in 2021, the country’s Food Balance Sheet recorded an import dependency ratio of 25.1% according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA). Hence, despite being blessed with arable lands and marine resources, the country has been considered as the second largest importer of rice in the world, registering $1.2 billion worth of rice imports, and is the 8th largest importer of fish and crustaceans in Asia worth $625.66 million in the year 2021.
The farmers are usually at the receiving end of the food security debacle blame game. They are usually accused of not possessing the necessary knowledge, technology, and information. All these indeed contribute to low productivity resulting in low if not unpredictable food supply. Blaming farmers, even ridiculing them, is exemplified by Agriculture Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban’s statement in a radio interview on the “oversupply” of garlic and cabbage sometime in 2022. He said that the Filipino farmers are planting without thinking as to where to sell their crops.
The public administration in the Philippines has been largely influenced by the Spaniards and the Americans, and to some extent shaped by the Japanese. Foreign influences, however, curtailed the growth of indigenous knowledge that we need to start rethinking.
Below is a discussion on this topic from the Bridging Leadership Institute.
Polevu 