Malacañang said a new KADIWA ng Pangulo center opened at the Clark Special Economic Zone in Pampanga on Monday, expanding the government’s initiative to make food items more affordable especially for minimum wage workers in the area.

At the same time, the KADIWA ng Pangulo also rolled out President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s flagship program, Benteng Bigas, Meron Na, for minimum wage earners in the freeport zone.

“Bilang tugon sa hangarin ni Pangulong Marcos Jr. na maiparamdam ang tunay na diwa ng Pasko, isang pamaskong handog para sa mga manggagawa ang isinagawa ng Clark Development Corporation kaninang umaga sa Pampanga kung saan bida ang KADIWA ng Pangulo program,” Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said during a Palace press briefing.

“Layunin ng KADIWA ng Pangulo sa Clark na maipaabot sa mga manggagawa ang abot kayang bilihin at suportahan ang mga lokal na produkto ng mga magsasaka doon,” Castro also said.

Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. led the launching of the KADIWA ng Pangulo outlet and the Benteng Bigas, Meron Na program at the Clark Special Economic Zone.

The Benteng Bigas, Meron Na program delivers locally produced rice at PhP20 per kilo to vulnerable groups, including senior citizens, persons with disabilities, solo parents, 4Ps beneficiaries, indigenous peoples, minimum wage workers, farmers, fisherfolk, public transport workers, beneficiaries of the Department of Social Welfare and Development Walang Gutom Program, and low-income families.

“Kasabay nito, namahagi rin ang pamahalaan ng bigas na tig 20 pesos kada kilo — isinama na rin dito ang mga minimum wage earners bilang beneficiaries ng KADIWA ng Pangulo sa Clark,” Castro also said.

According to the DA, the KADIWA ng Pangulo and the PhP20 per kilo rice program will prioritize low-salaried workers identified by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and the Clark Development Corporation (CDC) among the freeport’s 151,000 workers.

The event also marked the turnover of CDC’s state-of-the-art tissue culture laboratory to enhance the DA’s research capability, improve the quality of planting materials, and support sustainable food production. ǀ PND