Pampanga First District Representative Carmelo “Pogi” Lazatin, Jr. has filed House Resolution No. 278, urging the Department of Agriculture (DA) to establish KADIWA “Benteng Bigas Meron Na” Rolling Stores in the First District.
The KADIWA Rolling Store program, officially launched in Batangas on July 10, 2025, is part of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s food security initiative that provides rice at ₱20 per kilo. It has since expanded to the Cordilleras and La Union, with 162 locations nationwide now offering the subsidized rice.
Despite its nationwide reach, Lazatin noted that Pampanga still lacks enough outlets to regularly serve vulnerable communities. In a letter to DA Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr., Lazatin committed his office’s support to ensure the program’s rollout in the district.
“The KADIWA program is significant in addressing food security, especially for marginalized communities, and it will greatly benefit our residents in the First District if we could have rolling stores established here,” Lazatin said.
Food security has long been a central advocacy of Lazatin. As Mayor of Angeles City, he spearheaded the “Walang Plastikan, Plastic Palit Bigas” Program, a nationally recognized initiative where residents exchanged plastic waste for rice.
Launched in 2022 with an initial ₱90 million budget, the program continued with ₱100 million in 2023 and ₱90 million in 2024. Over three years, the city distributed a total of 2.9 million kilos of rice in exchange for an equal amount of plastic waste.
The program notably benefited Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) families, with 87% (3,356 out of 3,858) of beneficiaries availing of the rice-for-plastic scheme.
In 2024, the Walang Plastikan initiative was recognized as one of the 17 National Finalists in the Walang Gutom Awards by the DSWD and Galing Pook Foundation, with Lazatin highlighting its alignment with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly Zero Hunger (SDG 2) and Responsible Consumption and Production (SDG 12).
“Walang magugutom. Walang kalam ang tiyan. No one goes to bed hungry,” Lazatin emphasized during the final presentation of the program.
