President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s move to extend the "Kadiwa ng Pasko" until next year gained support from a lawmaker who is seeking to institutionalize the initiative as it helps both consumers and producers.

The Chief Executive earlier this month said he wants the "Kadiwa ng Pasko" to become a national program through a partnership with local government units so it will be implemented even beyond the holiday season.

"We support the continuation of Kadiwa until next year. In fact, we should be looking at institutionalizing this program and implementing it on a much larger scale because this is a program that helps not just consumers but also producers," said Agri Representative Wilbert Lee on Tuesday.

The lawmaker has been pushing to institutionalize the Kadiwa Agri-Food Terminals program, which would aid in developing a national network of agricultural and fishery food terminals in each city and municipality across the country through his House Bill 3957.

Kadiwa was the original initiative of the Chief Executive's mother, former First Lady Imelda Marcos.

The "Kadiwa ng Pasko" program was launched nationwide in November to provide a market to local farmers and small enterprises while giving the public access to affordable food and other necessities.