Manila, Philippines - the Coconut Industry Reform Movement (COIR) alleged that the executive order issued by President Benigno Aquino III has put aside what was agreed upon in the November 26, 2014 meeting between the coconut farmers and the president.
Joey Faustino, the executive director of the group, stressed that in the said meeting it was clear to the president and some of his cabinet members present that only the interest of the 71 billion peso coco levy fund will be used for programs that will improve the coconut industry. Malacañang’s executive order, however, disregarded this and opened the whole fund for the picking.
“The Executive Order 180 of President Aquino doesn’t state a limit on the use of fund. What it only requires is for the Philippine Coconut Authority and the office of Secretary Kiko Pangilinan to formulate a road map that will be the basis on how to use the fund. You can’t find in there a cap on the amount that will limit the road map. So the whole fund is open for use,” Faustino said.
The group fears that the fund that is for the welfare of the coconut farmers and for the enhancement of the coconut industry will be used for other matters.
“We were confident that the president fully understood that the fund must be protected. But it’s saddening that the executive order has opened up the 71 billion peso fund for use. There is no limit. In this period that the 2016 elections is near, we are very much bothered by this,” added Faustino.
Even if the farmers were promised to be part of the consultations in crafting the road map and a limit will be placed in the said guidelines, the group has doubts on its sincerity.
According to Faustino, “They gave us an assurance that in the road map they will put a 3 billion peso limit. If so, why was it not placed in the executive order in the first place. For me this executive order is very insensitive. Wasn’t there a dialogue made beforehand with the farmers who exerted effort to solve this issue? They marched from Davao all the way to Malacañang so this issue would resurface and become a priority of the government.”
The Coconut Industry Reform Movement hopes that the bill which is now in congress would be put into law as soon as possible because it contains the very idea they want to be implemented.
In the proposed law, the levy fund will be converted into a perpetual trust fund and a committee will be created that will manage the fund, wherein some coconut farmers will act as members.
Faustino is also hopeful that there will no longer be a recurrence of what happened during the time of former president Ferdinand Marcos wherein farmers were made to believe false promises and were deprived of the fund. (VICTOR COSARE/UNTV News)