PRESS RELEASE
31 March 2016
Coconut farmers back Duterte-Cayetano manifesto on coco levy fund distribution
A known coconut farmers' group today hailed Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte and Senate Majority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano for being the only tandem in the upcoming polls to show political will and offer concrete solutions in addressing the decades-old problem on the undistributed coco levy funds.
In a radio interview on Thursday (March 31), Joey Faustino, executive director of the Coconut Industry Reform (COIR) Movement Inc., lamented how the government had been neglecting their calls to distribute the multibillion-peso fund to small coconut farmers. He also slammed recent statements made by Senators Grace Poe and Francis Escudero absolving Eduardo "Danding" Cojuangco, Jr. from any guilt for the delay in the funds' deployment.
"Ikinalulungkot namin ang naging statement ni Senator Grace Poe na tila parang hinihiwalay si Mr. Danding Cojuangco dito sa usapan ng coconut levy, samantalang kami na matagal nang nakasubaybay sa kaso kasama ng mga magniniyog ay alam naman namin na sa mahabang panahon, ang nagpapatagal ng kaso ay si Danding Cojuangco," he said.
Cojuangco is among those who allegedly used the farmers' funds to buy businesses during the Marcos regime. His San Miguel Corp. (SMC) still owns shares of the total funds. In 2015, two executive orders (EOs) were issued for the inventory of coco levy funds and their subsequent distribution. But these were suspended due to a petition filed by the Confederation of Coconut Farmers Organizations of the Philippines (Cocofed), Cojuangco's alleged dummy organization.
"First 100 days"
Faustino, meanwhile, said their group fully supports the three-point manifesto crafted by the Duterte-Cayetano tandem, which asserts the duo's pledge to end what they described as the "systemic oppression of small coconut farmers.” Faustino was one of the two witnesses who signed the manifesto. The other signatory was Oscar “Ka Oca” Santos, former Quezon Rep. and renowned coco levy recovery advocate.
The document entitled, "Panata para sa Maliliit na Magniniyog," was presented by Duterte and Cayetano during their Ronda-Serye listening tour with coconut farmers in Catanauan, Quezon. They noted that while other candidates prefer to protect the big and powerful, their tandem will protect the small and the weak. “Hindi tulad ng ibang kandidato, hindi kami hawak sa leeg ng kahit sino.”
Through the manifesto, the tandem vowed to implement the following, if elected:
1.) The distribution of the coco levy fund for the benefit of small coconut farmers and in consultation with legitimate farmers' groups in their first 100 days in office
2.) Additional budget, over and above the coco levy funds, for the development and modernization of the coconut industry; and
3.) Help pursue the remaining part of the fund
"Mabibigat ang binitiwang pananalita nina Mayor Duterte. Sabi nga niya sa mga magniniyog, itong problema na ito ay kailangang tapusin na. Nagpanata sila na kung sila ay maupo, sa first 100 days ay may matitikman ang mga magniniyog mula sa coco levy. Pangalawa, naniniwala sila sa tinutulak naming paglikha ng trust fund. Pinakamahalaga, sila ay bukas na ang iba pang hindi nababawi na bahagi ng coco levy funds ay kanila ring aasikasuhin," Faustino noted. #
