Marcos vows to address rising rice prices, make Kadiwa stalls permanent
MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. promised to address soaring food prices and bare plans to make Kadiwa stalls a permanent fixture nationwide during his third State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday. Despite impressive economic data showing the Philippines as one of the best-performing countries in Asia, Marcos said that the statistics mean nothing to Filipinos grappling with the high prices for goods, particularly rice. "Bagamat maganda ang mga istatistikang ito, wala itong kabuluhan sa ating kababayan na hinaharap ang realidad na mataas ang presyo ng mga bilihin, lalo na ang pagkain — lalo’t higit, ng bigas (Although these statistics are impressive, they mean nothing to our fellow citizens who face the reality of high prices for goods, especially food — especially rice,)" the president said. Marcos, who served as agriculture secretary for 17 months before billionaire and fishing tycoon Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr.
