‘Coco levy funds, ibalik sa amin’- farmers
Following their violent encounter with the Quezon city police in the morning, hundreds of farmers from various provinces held a solidarity/cultural night in front of the National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) January 31 as part of their campaign to demand the government for distribution of the “coco levy funds.”
According to Willy Marbella, deputy secretary general of the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP), they are protesting the use of about P11 billion of the funds for the five year “Poverty Reduction road map of the Coconut Industry.”
“The money will [supposedly] be used for monitoring and institutional building...but we believe it will only be used for the elections,” he said.
“My father has already died,” added the 55-year old. “And until now, we have not been able to use the coco levy [funds] despite having proof that the money is rightfully ours.”
The farmers have also asked NAPC chief Joel Rocamora to clearly explain where he will be using the money and also hear out their proposals as to where it ought to be used.
“It should be used, first of all, for social benefits like pension and... educational assistance to the farmers’ children. A portion should also be set aside for medical assistance... and livelihood,” Marbella said.
The cultural night featured various presentations from groups like the Southern Tagalog Cultural Network and Sining Na Naglilingkod sa Bayan. KMP and the claimants’ movement Coco-Levy Funds Ibalik sa Amin (CLAIM) spearheaded the event. Other farmers’ groups from Quezon, Batangas, Central Luzon, Cagayan and Bulacan also attended to show their support.
According to Marbella, the most common problems experienced by coconut planters are lack of their own lands, low selling price of copra and the monopoly of foreign owned coconut industries.
“This night is important first because it consolidated the claimants of the coco levy fund. It also raised their level of awareness as to its status now,” said Marbella.
The 500 in attendance during the night is expected to increase another 500 when they march to Mendiola tomorrow.
