MANILA -- This summer Arlene Mangga visited a state-subsidized minimarket seeking rice at a cheaper price than what was available at her local market.
Once inside the outlet, called a Kadiwa store, Mangga turned to the vegetable stand and saw that most of the prices weren't much different from those at the market close to her home in an informal settlement in Manila. Disappointed but embarrassed to leave empty-handed, she bought half a kilo of eggplant though she later regretted it.
