THE camp of Senator Grace Poe said Thursday the independent presidential candidate is committed to helping thousands of poor coconut farmers by increasing the budget allocation to the agriculture sector.
Poe’s spokesman, Valenzuela Mayor Rex Gatchalian said, she would also be tapping the coconut levy funds to help the coconut farmers once she won the presidential elections this year.
Poe on Wednesday night said in Candelaria, Quezon, that she felt getting closer to the finish line following the Supreme Court’s decision reversing the Commission on Elections’ decision canceling her Certificate of Candidacy for president over the questions on her citizenship and residency.
Voting 9-6, the Supreme Court declared that Poe was qualified to run for president in the May 9 elections.
Meanwhile, some Supreme Court magistrates on Thursday bewailed a newspaper report about a supposed a P50-million bribe to disqualify Poe in this year’s elections.
Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno and Associate Justice Teresita Leonardo-De Castro deplored the insinuation of bribery that was published on the same day the tribunal voted 9-6 on Tuesday to allow Poe to run for president.
Sereno said the high court was aware that some people would like to raise issues against it.
“Some matters are best disregarded or ignored. Some matters are just speculation,” Sereno told reporters during the 21st annual convention of the Philippine Women Judges Association at the Manila Hotel.
Gatchalian said the Supreme Court had rendered its ruling on the real owners of the coconut levy funds.
With its decision, he said, the ball was now in the government’s court. It was up to it if it would abide by the high tribunal’s ruling whether or not to distribute the funds to the coconut farmers, who were among the poorest.
“Attempts to muddle the issue of the government’s non-disbursement of coco levy funds, which rightfully belong to coco farmers will not address the problems of the ailing coconut industry. This is another injustice to our farmers,” Gatchalian said.