Senator Francis Pangilinan on Tuesday pressed the House of Representatives to hasten the hearings on the Coconut Trust Fund Bill, saying its passage would unlock the P75-billion coco levy funds for the benefit of the 3.5 million Filipino coconut farmers.
Pangilinan said the Senate has already concluded its hearings on Sept. 1, and is in the process of preparing its committee report.
“We have a clear message from the administration to correct this particular Martial Law injustice. Let’s do it as soon as possible for the sake of our impoverished coconut farmers,” he said.
“We should not keep our farmers waiting much longer. This is something that is more than 40 years late,” Pangilinan added.
Earlier, the Duterte administration recognized that the monies cannot be distributed to the farmers as it had promised during the election campaign because those who contributed to the levy more than 40 years ago cannot be determined anymore.
Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez and Agriculture Secretary Manny Piñol also pointed out that a temporary restraining order of the Supreme Court is preventing the government from using and distributing the funds.
The Supreme Court has issued a TRO on two executive orders of then-President Benigno Aquino III seeking to transfer a portion of the funds to the government’s general fund.
The P75-billion fund is already with the national treasury and cannot be spent without congressional approval or a new law.
In 2012, the Supreme Court ruled that the coco levy fund is public fund, and awarded it to the government solely for the development of the coconut industry.
Pangilinan, who chairs the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Food, said the needed legislation requires the prompt action of both houses of Congress.