Partido ng Demokratikong Pilipino-Laban (PDP-Laban) vice presidential candidate Senator Christopher “Bong” Go has lauded President Duterte for fulfilling his campaign promise to return the coconut levy fund to the nation’s coconut farmers.

Go, during a meeting by the Joint National and Regional Task Forces on Ending Local Communist Armed Conflict at the Quezon Convention Center in Lucena City, Quezon, met with the President and other officials to witness the handover of a copy of Republic Act No. 11524 or the Coconut Farmers and Industry Trust Fund Act, which Duterte signed last February.

“Napakatagal hinintay ito ng ating mga coconut farmers. Napakaraming administrasyon ang nagdaan at ngayon lang ito napirmahan. Patunay ito sa malasakit ni Tatay Digong sa ating mga magsasaka (Our coconut farmers waited for this for so long. Past administrations have gone and yet it is only now that this law was signed. This is proof of the President’s sympathy to our farmers),” said Go, who served as a co-author of the law in the Senate.

Go said he is confident this would maintain the growth and improvement of the Philippines’ coconut industry, which is one of the biggest in the world.

“Maiaangat din nito ang kalidad ng produksyon at pamumuhay ng ating mga magsasaka. Patuloy sana natin suportahan ang ating mga magsasaka at tulungan natin silang malampasan ang paghihirap na dulot ng pandemya dahil ang sektor na ito ang bubuhay sa ating bansa (They will be able to level up the quality of their production and the life of our farmers. Let’s all continue to help our farmers and help them overcome hardships brought about by the pandemic),” he added.

At the same time, the senator reiterated his call for the Department of Agriculture (DA) to increase access to training and financing opportunities for the agricultural workforce sector to address the issues of unemployment, poverty and unequal economic growth.

Go noted that many Filipinos living in the provinces are agriculture-driven and the primary source of income come from agriculture.

“Marami pong nawalan ng trabaho at kabuhayan dahil sa krisis. Maraming mga Pilipino ang napilitang umuwi sa kanilang probinsya kung kaya’t dapat bigyan natin sila ng oportunidad pang-livelihood na akma sa kanilang lugar (Many have lost their jobs and livelihood during the COVID-19 crisis. Many Filipinos were forced to go back home to their provinces, that’s why we should provide them livelihood opportunties that are appropriate with their locality,” Go stressed.