The Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) on Thursday said it is confident that the P75-billion coconut-levy fund would be released within the first quarter of the year.
In a news briefing, PCA administrator Avelino Andal said the Confederation of Coconut Farmers’ Organization of the Philippines (Confed) decision to withdraw its petition before the Supreme Court (SC) to halt the fund’s release would fast-track its distribution to farmers.
“I have already sent my message to the President, through the Cabinet secretary, the intention of the Confed to withdraw their petition,” Andal said.
The PCA chief said the Confed has already started the process of withdrawing their petition before the SC.
Confed filed a petition before the High Court in May 2015 seeking the nullification of Executive Orders (EO) 179 and 180 that dwell on the inventory and privatization, as well as the reconveyance and utilization, of coco-levy assets, respectively.
The SC ruled in favor of Confed, issuing a temporary restraining order (TRO) in the use, control and release of the P75-billion coco-levy fund.
The TRO in favor of Confed orders the halting of EO 179 (Providing the Administrative Guidelines for the Inventory and Privatization of Coco Levy Assets) and EO 180 (Providing the Administrative Guidelines for the Reconveyance and Utilization of Coco Levy Assets for the Benefit of the Coconut Farmers and the Development of the Coconut Industry) both issued on March 18, 2015.
Andal said it was the confidence in both his and President Duterte’s policies and vision for the coconut industry that convinced the Confed to withdraw their petition.
“Based on my understanding, it is automatic that when the TRO is lifted the EOs will take effect because the TRO is based on their petition,” Andal said.
“With the lifting of the TRO, the door is now open for the President to access the funds,” he added.
Duterte had promised to dispose the entire coco-levy fund within the first 100 days of his administration.
The coco-levy fund was collected from small-scale coconut farmers from 1973 to 1982.
Andal said beneficiaries who still have their original proof of receipt will get cash directly from the government. Those who cannot produce a receipt will benefit from the fund via the allocation to their respective farmers’ association.
Coconut farmers that have registered with the PCA have reached 1.5 million, according to Andal. The PCA said this figure could go up to as high as 1.9 million once it concludes the national registration of coconut farmers and farm workers by the end of February.