Senators said they are working to fast-track the approval of an enabling law that will pave the way for the long-delayed disposition of the P75-billion coco-levy fund awaited by coconut farmer beneficiaries.
Senate Majority Leader Vicente C. Sotto III confirmed on Tuesday that senators may be able to pass the remedial legislation before Congress adjourns anew on March 17, when lawmakers go on Holy Week recess.
“It is possible,” Sotto said, when asked about the prospects of the coco-levy disbursement bill.
Sen. Francis N. Pangilinan, chairman of the panel tasked to craft the enabling bill, assured the members of the Committee on Agriculture and Food are also keen to pass the needed legislation that will facilitate disbursement of the fund to coconut farmer beneficiaries.
“We would like to see that happen,” Pangilinan told the BusinessMirror, adding: “we will work on it as best we can.”
Even President Duterte earlier assured that the coco-levy fund would be exclusively disbursed for the benefit of coconut farmers, indicating he would readily sign into law the remedial legislation long expected by thousands of coconut farmer beneficiaries.
Yolanda rehab
The Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) on Tuesday said it is on track in completing its rehabilitation program for Yolanda-affected coconut-planting areas by July.
“We will spend all the money allotted or intended for the Yolanda rehabilitation program. Because we have a commitment to use all the unspent funds, especially for Yolanda rehabilitation,” PCA Administrator Avelino Andal told the BusinessMirror.
“We can do it and finish it by July this year,” Andal added.
He said the PCA will immediately bid out the remaining fertilizer to be distributed to coconut farmers in Eastern Visayas.
“We still need to purchase multi-nutrient fertilizers, which are with the PITC [Philippine International Trading Corp.,]” Andal said, adding that the two agencies have to “iron out kinks” in the bidding process for the fertilizer.
Once the agency’s Yolanda Recovery and Rehabilitation Program (YRRP) is completed, he said he would also set up coconut-related enterprises in Yolanda-affected regions.
The YRRP is PCA’s master plan for rehabilitating coconut farms damaged by the supertyphoon in November 2013.
The four-point YRRP is composed of debris management, replanting, fertilization and intercropping.
Of the P2.8-billion YRRP budget, the PCA allocated around P700 million for its fertilization program.
With a report from Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas