Senators have pressed the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) to extend its deadline and streamline the processes for the registration of coconut farmers.
The Senate agriculture committee on Thursday, June 10, inquired on the status of the country's coconut farmers' registry.
The creation of the registry was mandated by the Republic Act No. 11524, or the Coconut Industry Trust Fund Act. The law, which took effect, on March 13, 2021, tasked the PCA to complete the registration of coconut farmers and farmworkers within 90 days from its effectivity.
With this, registration would end Friday, June 11, senators noted.
Under the law, only coconut farmers registered on the National Coconut Farmers Registry System (NCFRS) will be able to benefit from the P105-billion coco levy trust fund.
"With the passage of the long awaited Coconut Farmers’ Industry Trust Fund Act, all our coconut farmers are positively and critically looking at the implementation of the law, to ensure that the actual beneficiaries of this law truly receive what they are entitled to," Senator Cynthia Villar, committee chairperson, said during the hearing.
"It is crucial to know who are our beneficiaries under the law," she pointed out.
In the inquiry, senators observed the lack of coordination between the PCA and local government units on the data about coconut farmers within their jurisdictions.
Farmers' representatives also cited the lack of manpower from the PCA to gather the list. But Villar said local executives and municipal agricultural officers should be tapped for the job.
And even with the government's ongoing information campaign, lawmakers also mentioned the lack of awareness among the farmers, and their difficulty in understanding the requirements since the registration forms were in English.
Senators Risa Hontiveros and Francis Pangilinan said the government must extend its deadline to accommodate more coconut farmers.
"Our coconut farmers are among the poorest Filipinos, and the saga on the coco levy funds has been too long. There should be no more obstruction in the process of paying back the country's debts," Hontiveros said in a mix of English and Filipino.
“We don’t want any eligible coconut farmers, landless or owning land to get excluded. And number two, we want to make sure that those in the list are in fact legitimate and bona fide to benefit from this law,” Pangilinan, for his part said.