The House of Representatives, under the leadership of
Speaker Lord Allan Velasco, is optimistic that the bill creating the coconut
levy trust fund will be signed into law by President Rodrigo Duterte this time
around.
According to Quezon 1st District Rep. Wilfrido Mark Enverga,
the concerns on the first coconut levy bill that was vetoed by President
Rodrigo Duterte last year have been addressed under the new measure which the
House approved on third and final reading earlier this week.
“We are very careful in crafting this new version of the
bill so we are confident that we have resolved everything,” said Enverga, who
chairs the Committee on Agriculture and Food that earlier endorsed for plenary
approval House Bill 8136, or the proposed Coconut Farmers and Industry Trust
Fund Act.
Enverga added: “We ensured that there is a limitation of 99
years. Secondly, with regards to the broad powers given to PCA (Philippine
Coconut Authority), we addressed this by delineating powers of implementing
authority to the newly-constituted Board of PCA.
“We also established a Trust Fund Management Committee,
composed of the DBM (Department of Budget and Management) and DOJ (Department
of Justice).”
Enverga also expressed his gratitude to Speaker Velasco for
making HB 8136 one of his priority measures, ensuring that the same will be
passed by the House before it goes on a Christmas break.
He likewise praised Velasco for finding ways to coordinate
with the Executive department to ensure that the bill will reach the table of
the President for his consideration.
The Speaker earlier lauded his colleagues in the House for
the approval of the said measure. He also looks forward to its passage into law
and help change the lives of poor coconut farmers and their beneficiaries.
HB 8136 is expected to benefit around 3.5 million coconut
farmers from 68 coconut-producing provinces, who own not more than five
hectares of farmland. It aims to increase the income of coconut farmers,
alleviate poverty and promote social equity, and rehabilitate and modernize the
industry towards farm productivity.
With this bill, Enverga said the government will be able to
invigorate the coconut farming sector by investing in the industry itself.
“We would want to see the coconut farmers to advance in the
value chain for them to be able to earn more as compared to pagko-copra lang
ang kanilang inaasahan,” Enverga pointed out.
“Maari na silang mag-level up sa production. Yung value ng
kanilang kinikita, mas tataas,” he added.
