The militant Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) vowed to block the confirmation of Danny Coronacion to the Coconut Industry Investment Fund (CIIF), and renewed its call that the said company be abolished. 

According to Ka Willy Marbella, internal deputy secretary general of KMP, “ Coronacion it seems is worse than  Rolando Golez, the latter is a small racketeer compared to Coronacion, who as the chair of the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) signed the memorandum of agreement for the P8.4 billion coco hybrid project in Agusan del Sur,”

“We also found out that he was also involved in a multi-million dollar fertilizer anomaly in the PCA under the Small Coconut Farmers Development Project (SCFDP) worth $121,800,000 from the World Bank. The fertilizers were bought since 1991-1999 and were supposedly to be distributed to small coconut farmers for free but this never happened,” added the peasant leader.

“Also based on a Commission on Audit report dated December 17, 2000 which was given to Coronacion’s office on April 2001, there are still 529,964.75 bags remaining worth P129,903,907.13 and his office should have distributed it already,” added Marbella.

“But Coronacion’s only answer to the COA was that indeed there was still a total balance of 257,343.59 bags that were still to be distributed. Considering his record then it is best that he should decline his appointment and account were the money went. The government should also abolish the CIIF and support the call for the coco levy funds to be returned to the small coconut farmers completely and immediately,” ended Marbella. # # # 
 

KMP - 17 May 2005