The militant Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) composed of 1.3 million farmers across the country lambasted the current leadership of the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) for saying that it is open to a compromise agreement on the P130 billion-coconut levy fund. 

According to Ka Willy Marbella, internal deputy secretary general of KMP, “ it seems that the PCGG now is becoming the Judas of coconut farmers. Camilo Sabio is wasting the work of former PCGG chair Haydee Yorac in returning the entire P130 billion coco levy fund to its rightful owners, the small coconut farmers. Our position is no to any compromise deal,”

“Just as we feared Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo through her newly appointed lackeys in the PCGG and the United Coconut Planters Bank (UCPB) are now jostling and salivating to get the coco levy funds. More than anything else what we coconut farmers want is justice. We want those who fooled us and used the funds for their own interest to rot in jail. What Sabio is proposing is anathema to the formation of the PCGG itself,” added the peasant leader.

“Sabio and Bishop Fernando Capalla essentially exonerating the high and mighty crooks especially Eduardo “Danding” Cojuangco, who stole the money from us. We will not allow this to happen. So far Sabio, has two strikes against him, one is the use of the sequestered companies of the PCGG as milking cows and now this treacherous proposal, one more strike and we will call for his resignation,” said Marbella. 

“What we propose is the creation of a body composed of genuine small coconut farmers to manage and handle the funds ourselves so that we can ensure that it is used for the betterment of our sector and the coconut industry. In fact a bill   is already in Congress regarding this body and we hope that it will be fast-tracked,” ended Marbella. # # #
 

KMP - 20 December 2005