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The militant Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) aired its opposition to the appointment of former Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) chair Danny Coronacion, as the new chief of the Coconut Industry Investment Fund (CIIF). According to Ka Willy Marbella, internal deputy secretary of KMP, “our call is for the return of the coco levy funds to farmers, the abolition of the CIIF and for the small coconut farmers to directly control and manage the funds themselves. We do not want another Malacanang appointee who will only tighten Gloria’s grip on the P140 billion coco levy fund. Besides it was Coronacion who signed the Memorandum of Understanding that put the controversial P8.4 billion coconut hybrid project in Agusan del Sur into motion, in the first place. “It seems that resigned CIIF chair Rolando
Golez was just used as a scapegoat of Malacanang to appease the public
clamor for his resignation due to his extravagant spending of the coco
levy funds, and after his ungraceful exit the Palace placed a more experienced
operator in the person of Coronacion. It is like out of the frying pan
and into the fire situation for small coconut farmers,” added the peasant
leader.
Meanwhile Ka Fred Torres, chairperson of the Pinag-isang Lakas ng mga Magsasaka sa Quezon (PIGLAS-Quezon), “Coronacion is indeed fixated with hybrid coconuts and I think that he will do all he can to have the P8.4 billion coco hybrid project to push through. In fact he already started planting coco hybrids in our hometown of Capalong, Real, Quezon. What we fear though is that this fixation of his to coco hybrids may be used as a cover to usurp the coco levy fund, as in the case of the Agusan project,” “Coronacion may not be as extravagant as
Golez in spending for personal luxury but he is more dangerous because
his rackets are in the billions of pesos as compared to Golez’s millions.
Parang pinalitan nila ang isang bayawak ng isang buwaya,” ended Torres.
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KMP - 12 May 2005 |
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