Coco levy funds: 42 years and counting

More than four decades have passed since the coconut farmers were ripped off their rights to the coco levy funds. These funds that should have benefitted the coconut farmers and the industry were used and abused by those in power. Today, nothing has changed. The current Aquino Administration has yet to serve long-awaited justice to the coconut farmers as it had promised over a year ago.

In October 2012, some 24 percent of San Miguel Corp. shares amounting to P71 billion was recovered and given back to government. It came after almost 30 years of litigation. With the cash in the National Treasury and the United Coconut Planters Bank, it remained unutilized due to the absence of an Entry of Judgment by the Supreme Court. Worse, the Administration, at the time, could not even utter any word or opinion on how the said funds may be utilized. It took a campaign of the Kilus Magniniyog, a long march from Davao City to Malacañang in 2014, to generate a position from the President and for the Supreme Court to finally book its final judgment of 2012.

Two years have passed since then. It was on Nov. 26, 2014, when then Secretary Kiko Pangilinan of the Office of the Presidential Assistant for Food Security and Agricultural Modernization signed with the coconut farmers the salient points containing the agreements made with the President, such as: (1) only the annual interest of the funds shall be utilized for programs directly benefiting the coconut farmers and the industry; (2) an Executive Order would be issued as soon as the Entry of Judgment has been released by the Supreme Court; (3) a commitment to certify as urgent a legislative bill declaring a Coconut Farmers’ Trust Fund; and (4) a commitment to consult farmer federations to aid in designing or revising programs of the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA).

It took three months after the issuance of the Entry of Judgment for President Aquino to sign Executive Orders No. 179 and 180. The EOs, however, fell short of ensuring protection of the principal amount of the recovered funds and instead opened up utilization of the entire P71 billion. The coconut farmers were left dismayed and disappointed again. So the farmer groups then pushed for Malacañang’s certification as urgent of the Coconut Farmers’ Trust Fund Bill. Given the contentious contents of the EO, a better option for the farmers would be enactment of such a bill. Consistent lobby efforts by the farmer groups in both legislative and executive branches continued throughout 2015.

Last Sept. 21, the Kilus Magniniyog camped out beside the PCA to seek fulfilment of the President’s commitments. And on Oct. 8, the President signed the bill’s certification as urgent measure. A day after, the House of Representatives approved the Coconut Farmers and Industry Trust Fund Bill on third reading. Yet another reason for the farmers to gain hope.

Unfortunately, the same certification did not reach the Senate immediately. Records will bear out that a certification of the same bill, addressed to the Senate President, Franklin Drilon, was received only last Dec. 8. This shortcoming, obviously, contributed to non-prioritization of the said bill by the committee on agriculture, headed by Sen. Cynthia Villar.

Because of this the year 2015 will end with coconut farmers awaiting justice for 42 years and still counting. The issues surrounding this particular portion of coco levy funds recovered have been clearly settled. The Supreme Court, Malacañang and the House of Representatives all agree that coconut farmers should benefit from it. Now, more than ever, coconut farmer groups have actively taken and articulated their position on how it should be utilized for their benefit. What then keeps the enactment of a law that shall correct the mistakes of the past and finally render social justice to the coconut farmers? There simply lies no reason to further delay the process of delivering real and actual benefits to the coconut farming communities.

The 16th Congress is left with very limited time come 2016. The Senate will have to pass its version of the bill prior to a bicameral conference committee to come up with a final version. After finalization, the said bill shall again move up to the President for signing into law. We can only hope now that this process may be hastened by a sincere and strong political will to do justice to a decades-old issue.

It is only this administration that has been granted a great opportunity to make this happen. It had promised so after a dialogue with the coconut farmers in 2014. Only at this point did the judiciary, the executive and the legislative see eye to eye on this issue. But if this administration cannot see this through, then there should be no point in pursuing and continuing with “daang matuwid.”

Joey Faustino is the executive director of COIR Inc.