Coco farmers press for trust fund OK

Coconut farmers expressed support yesterday for a proposed executive order on the controversial P50-billion coconut levy fund which President Estrada is expected to sign next month.

In a statement, members of the Philippine Coconut Producers Federation Inc. (Cocofed) said the proposed order, which was drafted by a multisectoral task force, "reflected the interest of small coconut farmers."

"The order was reflective of the interest of small coconut farmers and farm workers and concretely addresses the issue of justly uplifting their condition through the rational use of the coconut levy funds," the group said.

Agrarian Reform Secretary Horacio Morales said the President is likely to sign the order next month in time for Mr. Estrada's State of the Nation Address.

The executive order is expected to declare the coco levy fund as public money and call for its audit by the Commission on Audit.

Earlier, some people from the private sector had insisted that the levy, which was collected from coconut farmers during the regime of deposed dictator Ferdinand Marcos, should be audited by a private firm.

Quezon province Rep. Wigberto Tañada, who was part of the group that drafted the order, said coconut farmers believe that since they were the main contributors to the fund, they should also be its primary beneficiaries.

Tañada assured that coconut farmers would have adequate representation in the council which will be created to manage the funds.

Meanwhile in Surigao del Sur, members of the Pambansang Kalipunan ng mga Samahan ng Maliliit na Magniniyog at Manggagawa sa Niyugan have forged an alliance with the COCOFED to push for the adoption of the proposed executive order.

The group's leader, Efren Villaseñor, said what they are pushing for now is for the coco levy funds to be declared public funds and be audited by the government.

"Small coconut farmers cannot agree that the funds will be audited by a private firm. By allowing this, small coconut farmers may end up with nothing," he said.