Please certify Coconut Levy Fund Bill as urgent

(This is an open letter to President Rodrigo Duterte regarding House Bill no. 62 or "an act creating the coconut industry trust fund, providing or its management and or other purposes" introduced by Rep. Karlo Nograles and Rep. Jericho Nograles)

President Rodrigo Duterte please, it is only your action certifying the proposed bill as urgent and that of your political allies would pave the way for the immediate passage of the proposed measure leading to the release of the coconut levy fund.

I  belong to the small coconut farmers group the so called SCFO (Small Coconut Farmers Organization). I have already sent two letters to the previous administration of former president Benigno Aquino III but nothing happened.

Now I believe and trust your administration without any reservation the sincerity in supporting the countryside agricultural sector especially the coconut farmers which is the less fortunate, the home of the poorest of the poor. If this sector will be given an opportunity to work in the agri-business farm financed by the proceeds of the Coconut Levy Fund, chances are this will be the solution to poverty.

Upon the release of the coco levy fund it must be used to rehab the six coco oil mills, put up a coco processing plant per regional coconut areas, multi-agricultural farming system, intercropping under coco farm like for instance the pineapple and banana plantation, the rice production, cacao, coffee, corn, vegetable and other high value crops. The more agri-based industries in the rural areas will establish the creation of more jobs either directly or indirectly.

At the end of the day as what the think tank of economies say, "jobs is the best antidote to poverty." Speaking of agribusiness there are several agribusiness organizations willing to assist and provide through private-public partnership like the AgriTech Intergrated Service Corporation who has the latest innovation in rice mechanization production and with partners with Philippines Coconut Authority, Department of Agriculture in the technology transfer programs and assist in improving the technical capability of private agribusiness.

If this will happen there will be an increase of food production without sourcing other resources except the coco levy fund. So naturally there will be a lower cost of food, in this situation the labor sector are already contented with lower wages, because their minimal income can purchase more food with no more labor unrest and there is already an industrial peace with a win-win solution between the management and the labor groups. The agribusiness sector and other industries can now comfortably venture into mass production strategies with lower-priced products flooding the market. In this regards, we will change the mindset of our young generation, instead of  believing that agriculture is the sunset sector, we will assure them that there is now a future in farming through coco levy fund.

We are almost 3.4 million coconut farmers and workers under the coconut industry and we have 12,500 coconut farmers' organizations and cooperatives scattered in more than 22,000 coconut-producing barangays and 68 out of 82 provinces and I am one of them. My co-leaders of the association in this advocacy have already passed away. I am afraid if this administration will not prioritize it will take another six years or go to square, meaning litigation in court.  If this coco levy will be released with proper implementation to finance the countryside agribusiness industries, there is a big possibility that the decongestion problem in urban areas will be minimized. The impact in this situation is, instead of flocking to the cities seeking greener pastures, the people will just comfortably stay in the localities to work the countryside agribusiness corporation established by coco levy fund.  

Paterno Munez Sr.

Tambongon, San Remigio, Cebu