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Duterte-Cayetano to distribute coco levy fund to farmers in just one month

If it's up to the tandem of Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte and Senate Majority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano, it will only take them one month to distribute the coco levy fund.

"All it takes is political will. The Supreme Court already decided to return the fund to the farmers. Thus, if elected, in just the first month of our term, Alan and I will immediately give the fund back to the coconut farmers. Failure to do so is tantamount to Estafa," Duterte said.

Asked to comment on the statements made by fellow presidential bet Senator Grace Poe and her running mate, Senator Francis Escudero, which allegedly protected businessman Eduardo “Danding” Cojuangco Jr. from any responsibility for settling the funds, Duterte said it is the senators' problem.

"It's their problem. As far as I'm concerned, Alan and I will only protect the interest and welfare of the coconut farmers. If other candidates prefer to protect the big and powerful, we, on the other hand, will protect the small and the weak," Duterte said.

Lacking in knowledge and courage

Meanwhile, Cayetano described Poe’s and Escudero's stand on the issue as lacking both in knowledge and courage. He said Poe’s position to absolve Cojuangco was grossly erroneous, noting how two 2015 executive orders for the supposed distribution of the funds were suspended due to a petition filed by the Philippine Coconut Producers Federation (COCOFED), Cojuangco’s alleged dummy organization.

"Ang kailangan sa issue na ito ay matapang na solusyon at mabilis na aksyon. Hindi pupwede dito ang protektor ng mayayaman o liderato na pateka-teka," Cayetano said.

Reverse privatization plans

The senator said he and Duterte will push for bold solutions such as reversing the administration’s privatization plan and refashioning the coconut levy assets to consolidate the benefits due to coconut farmers. Cayetano said that they will then convert these assets into stakeholders-shareholders-state equity partnership (SSSeP) to guarantee the farmers’ hold of the assets. Cayetano also planned to use the funds to create village level farm-based processing industries.

Cojuangco heads the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC), which recently endorsed the tandem of Poe and Escudero. He is among those who allegedly used farmers' funds to buy businesses during the Marcos administration.

parehang borit. isog lang kay kandidato pah. maybe it's because usa lang ka boto si cojuangco whereas and coconut farmers are in the thousands.

while the coconut levy funds had always been questionable and unfair like the cocofed scholars, come on, who's kidding who?  the finance world is more complicated than a campaign bluster.