Nilecturan ni Sen. Cynthia Villar si Sen Kiko Pangilinan sa tama at naaayon sa batas na pagpapatupad ng pamamahagi ng Coco Levy Fund sa mga magsasakang beneficiaries ng programa.
Sinimulang pagdebatehan ang panukalang magbibigay tulong o trust fund para sa mga coconut farmers sa pamamagitan ng pagbebenta ng assets na nabili o kinita ng coco levy fund.
Sa Senate Bill 1396 o ang Coconut Farmers and Industry Trust Fund Act, ang gobyerno ay aatasan na magbenta ng mga assets ng coconut levy sa susunod na 5 taon upang lumikha ng isang trust fund para sa 2.4 milyong mga coconut coconut sa bansa.
Kasama sa panukala ang mga sumusunod:
- Shared facilities for processing, ten percent (10 percent)
- Farm improvement through diversification and/or intercropping (10 percent
- Development of hybrid coconut seed farms and nurseries, to encourage self-sufficiency (10 percent)
- Empowerment of coconut farmer organization and their cooperatives (10 percent)
- Scholarship program (10 percent)
- Health and medical program (10 percent)
- Credit provision through the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) and Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP) (10 percent)
- Infrastructure development, ten percent (10 percent)
- Training of farmers in farm schools thru the Technological Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) (10 percent)
- Planting and replanting (10 percent)
“These (coco levy assets) are not giving income… I am against holding them for free, without getting any income.
“The coconut farmers are the poorest in the country. They earn only about P1,500 a month. This bill will help them,”
“It’s not anymore getting profit from it. It’s about getting our money from them,” she said.
“Pagbili na lang lahat ‘yan at gawing pera.”
I don’t care if they sell it cheap or sell it high… Sell it all, get the proceeds, put it in a trust fund and give the proceeds to coconut farmers.”
~ Sen. Cynthia Villar