The militant Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) aired its doubts on the real cause for the resignation of Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) chair Haydee Yorac. According to Ka Willy Marbella, internal deputy secretary general of KMP, “as far as her records go Haydee Yorac has a relatively good standing on our fight for the retrieval of the Marcos ill-gotten wealth and especially the coco levy funds, her resignation we think is more of a graceful exit because Malacanang has other plans for the P150 coco levy funds and she was shown the door so that her reputation would not be sullied,”

“But this is extremely alarming because with Yorac’s resignation Malacanang would basically have a free hand on what to do with the coco levy funds as well as the Marcos ill-gotten wealth. Our doubts stems from the fact that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo seems to be reshuffling her political operators and bagmen and concentrating them on agencies where the coco levy funds and the Marcos ill-gotten wealth are located,  cases in point are the Department of Agriculture where Sec. Arthur Yap is located, the Philippine Coconut Authority where Jesus Paras was recently appointed, the Department of Land Reform, where Sec. Rene Villa is located and now the PCGG, whose new chair would be Camilo Sabio,” added the peasant leader.

“Most of these men are close to the president and indebted to her. No wonder that Yap and Paras are still pushing for the P8.4 B coco hybrid project in Agusan del Sur when many sectors have expressed opposition to it. We think that their primary reason for the project is to get a huge chunk from the coco levy fund,” said Marbella.

As for his part Carl Anthony Ala, public information officer of the group, “the regime also has the propensity to enter into compromise deals with the very people responsible for plundering the coco levy funds like Danding Cojuangco as what happened with the entry of Kirin in SMC and now the dilution of SMC stocks.We are now issuing a challenge to the new PCGG chair Camilo Sabio to continue the fight for the rights of the small coconut farmers and not let the funds to go to unscrupulous hands, if not then you will be reduced to being a mere lackey of Malacanang and be hated by the people,”

“One thing is sure though our vigilance in guarding the coco levy funds should be raised to a higher level, because vultures are now surrounding it,” ended Ala. # # # 
 

KMP - 28 April 2005