Local produce to be prioritized in bagsakan centers

These are the current prices of rice at the Inayawan Public Market in Cebu City as of March 18, 2020. CDN Digital photo | delta Letigio

CEBU CITY, Philippines — In order to provide income to local farmers, local produce will be given priority in the “bagsakan centers” that the Capitol will soon open in its component towns and cities.

Governor Gwendolyn Garcia, in a press conference on Monday, March 23, 2020, said once the bagsakan centers are in place they would encourage farmers to sell their harvests there so they could also have their income while ensuring food security for their community.

“It will become a bagsakan center in the true sense of the word kay ini-encourage pod nato nga anha sa gyms or sports complexes nga ang produce sa farmers ila pod mabaligya,” Garcia said.

(It will become a bagsakan center in the true sense of the word because we are encouraging them to have the bagsakan center in gyms or sports complexes so that the farmers can also sell their produce there.)

Garcia said the bagsakan centers, which would sell basic goods at lower prices, was targeted to be in place in all 44 towns and 7 cities in Cebu within the next two weeks.

Read: Gwen wants bagsakan centers in localities to combat ‘overpricing’ of basic goods

The establishment of bagsakan centers is a means to combat those who hoard basic goods and sell them at excessively higher prices amid the incidents of panic buying due to the threat of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

“In as much as what would be locally available, atoa man gyud na nga buhaton…Ang lisod lang ug gani atong himuon nga flagship project sa provincial government — ang mais.  Although kusog ta mangaon og mais, kadaghanan sa mais kinuha pa na nato sa Mindanao,” Garcia said.

(In as much as what would be locally available, we would do that … if this will be made the provincial government’s flagship project, it would be difficult to make available corn grits. Although there are many of us, who are corn grit eaters, it would be difficult to make it available in the centers because the supply of corn grits are from Mindanao.)

Garcia said she would be meeting with the mayors this Thursday, March 26, so that she could listen to their insights in the putting up of the bagsakan centers.

She added that the Capitol could not just merely open the bagsakan centers, but they would also need to agree on the protocols that would be implemented when it would start to operate.

“Kinahanglan nato realistically ma-put in place first ang mga pamaagi. Kanus-a ihatod, kinsay mobantay, social distancing. Kinahanglan klaro ug duna say protocols,” Garcia said.

(We need to realistically put in place the procedures first. Who will deliver, who will be selling the products, how will social distancing be observed. We need to clear things first and see to it that there are protocols to be followed.)/dbs