Farmers dare gov’t to return coco levy fund

MANILA, Philippines - Militant farmers dared the administration to certify as urgent a bill seeking to return the multi-billion coconut levy fund to its “real owners” to hasten the recovery of small coconut farmers from the devastation caused by Super Typhoon Yolanda.                

The Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) and the claimants’ movement Coco Levy Funds Ibalik sa Amin (CLAIM) issued the challenge after Malacañang was reported to have downloaded to the Philippine Coconut Authority an initial fund of P2.8 billion for the rehabilitation and replanting program in Yolanda-devastated Leyte and Samar,   Panay and northern Cebu and Bantayan island.                   

KMP deputy secretary-general Willy Marbella said in returning the coco levy funds to the real owners, small coconut farmers can use their own money for their own benefit and recovery.                

House Bill (HB) 1327 or the Genuine Small Coconut Farmers’ Fund authored by Anakpawis Rep. Fernando Hicap states that the coco levy funds shall be used exclusively for the benefit of genuine small coconut farmers.

KMP and CLAIM said HB 1327 is the legislative counterpart of the small coconut farmers’ proposal for the “cash distribution of the recovered funds.”              

HB 1327 states that the funds “shall be apportioned to all coconut farmers without discrimination in the form of cash and other social benefits including but not limited to pension benefits; medical and hospitalization benefits; maternity benefits; and educational assistance including scholarships.“               

The Anakpawis bill also seeks “to finance socio-economic projects initiated by small coconut farmers and their organizations and/or cooperatives that shall primarily focus on: livelihood programs and projects meant to provide additional incomes to small coconut farmers; small and medium-scale coconut enterprises, marketing and trading mechanisms, inventions and innovations of machineries and equipment for the development of high-quality coconut and improvement of local coconut production; and, programs that would provide loan facilities for small coconut farmers.”               

“It’s been more than two months since Yolanda, and small coconut farmers are yet to receive direct rehabilitation funds from the Aquino government. We will closely keep an eye on the P2.8-billion rehabilitation fund for coconut farmers. Plunderers will face the small coconut farmers’ fury and we will hold them criminally liable for every peso they will steal from Yolanda victims,” Marbella said.