Tillers reject Aquino plans to take over coco levy funds

Tillers reject Aquino plans to take over coco levy funds

Return the coco levy funds to the coconut farmers.

This remains the call of the farmers organization Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) in the wake of reports that President Benigno Aquino III has plans to utilize the coco levy funds instead of releasing it to the coconut farmers. The group warned that if the Aquino government is allowed to proceed with its plans, small coconut farmers will continue to be denied of their rightful ownership of the funds.

Recently, reports came out that the Aquino administration intends to put the multi-billion coco levy fund in a trust fund to be managed by an inter-agency team composed of Department of Agriculture and Department of Finance officials along with bankers and supposed farmers’ groups and their members. Reports also quoted Euclides Forbes, administrator of the Philippine Coconut Authority (Philcoa), as saying that the fastest means way to revive the industry would be to use the coco levy funds to build a multi-agency trust fund. It was also reported that Aquino might also issue an executive order to set up the mechanism for the proposed agency.

KMP deputy secretary general Willy Marbella said coco farmers stand against these plans being hatched by the Aquino administration, saying that the latter only intends to use the funds for self-serving purposes that will in no way genuinely benefit farmers.

Marbella is a farmer who hails from Bicol and he still has in his possession father’s stock certificates from the coconut oil mills established through the coco levy funds.

(Photo courtesy of Agriculture.ph Blog / bulatlat.com)

“With this scheme, we fear that the money that was stolen from coconut farmers would be stolen yet again. The coco levy funds would only change hands, from one Cojuangco to another Cojuangco,” Marbella warned. The “theft” of the coco levy funds, Marbella said, was done by former Marcos crony, presidential uncle and current San Miguel Corp. (SMC) chair Eduardo “Danding” Cojuangco Jr.

The peasant leader insisted that small coconut farmers cannot entrust their money to agriculture officials who have been previously involved in the notorious fertilizer fund scam during the previous Macapagal-Arroyo administration..... MORE

Source:  Bulatlat.com

URL: http://bulatlat.com/main/2012/02/02/tillers-thumb-down-aquino-plans-take-over-coco-levy-funds/