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Video: ReCLAIM: Farmers in pursuit of the coco levy funds


Coconut farmers recently formed a group, CLAIM (Coco Levy Funds Ibalik Sa Amin), to demand the return of the multi-billion peso coco levy funds that were extracted from small farmers during martial law. Late last year, P56 Billion of the coco levy funds were remitted to the National Treasury. The Aquino administration formed the Presidential Task […]

coco levy farmers protestCoconut farmers recently formed a group, CLAIM (Coco Levy Funds Ibalik Sa Amin), to demand the return of the multi-billion peso coco levy funds that were extracted from small farmers during martial law.

Late last year, P56 Billion of the coco levy funds were remitted to the National Treasury. The Aquino administration formed the Presidential Task Force on Coco Levy Funds headed by National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) to administer the funds.

But farmers say that the funds are in danger of being corrupted by government officials and used for other purposes, such as the Conditional Cash Transfer and the “bogus” Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program.

This video documents a three-day protest of coconut farmers, including a siege of the NAPC office, to underscore their demands. They are proposing the creation of a council composed of small coconut farmers, which will allow them to administer the funds themselves.