‘Lack of political will hampers utilization of coco levy shares’

Political will and not any compromise deal would speed up the utilization of the coconut levy funds, a non-government organization (NGO) helping coconut farmer-claimants said yesterday.

According to Romeo Royandoyan, executive director the Centro Saka Inc. (formerly Philippine Peasant Institute), only the keen interest of the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) and Malacañang, and the persistence of the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) would be able to expedite the acquisition and disbursement of the 27 percent shares in San Miguel Corp. (SMC).

"Those who are saying that entering into a compromise agreement is the fastest way (to acquire the coco levy funds) are peddling pure lies," Royandoyan said.

Royandoyan claimed the government’s lack of political will to execute an earlier court decision hampers the speedy utilization of the 27 percent SMC shares ruled as coco levy funds.

Since the anti-graft court had declared on May 7, 2004 that the 27 percent coco levy shares in the SMC is owned by government in trust for all the coconut farmers, the next move is for the government to push the writ of execution for its acquisition and eventual utilization by the coconut farmers, he said.

Royandoyan noted that during the time of the late Haydee Yorac at the PCGG, there already were plans to file the writ of execution for the 27 percent SMC shares immediately after the anti-graft court decision in 2004.

This did not happen, Royandoyan said, since Yorac resigned for health reasons.

The writ of execution was supposed to be filed then by the PCGG and OSG.

"It is important to note that the PCGG and OSG at the time of Yorac were closely working together... there was coordination," Royandoyan said.

"But now, with the PCGG under (chairman) Camilo Sabio, it is noticeable that the PCGG and OSG are apart on this," he said.

Royandoyan pointed out that on Aug. 22, 2005, the OSG filed the writ of execution before the Sandiganbayan. However, the government appears uninterested in pursuing the writ of execution which resulted in the delay in acquiring the 27 percent SMC shares.

Royandoyan said the writ of execution remains unacted on at the Sandiganbayan.

"Why would you enter a compromise agreement when the court had decided that the fund is already yours; you have already won it. You only enter into a compromise deal when you are in a weak position, but the government is not because the money is already declared to be owned by the government," Royandoyan pointed out.

"The view of Malacañang on the coconut levy issue, (is) the reason why it supports the (compromise) deal (and) now all boils down to the political survival of (President) Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo," he added.

On Tuesday, NGOs and coconut farmers’ groups opposing the reported "compromise agreement" on the 27 percent Coconut Industry Investment Fund (CIIF) shares in the country’s largest food and beverage firm launched a signature campaign to counteract the claims of other coconut farmers.

A majority of the claimants are now seeking an out-of-court settlement with SMC chairman Eduardo Cojuangco.

The Multi-sectoral Task Force on the Coco Levy Recovery said they will be going around the 60 coconut-growing areas across the country to gather the signatures to refute claims that a consensus had been reached with the Cojuangco group for a compromise deal on the 27 percent SMC shares.

They intend to initially gather half a million to a million signatures out of the estimated 3.4 million coconut farmers in the country.

The principal coconut growing areas in the country include Southern Tagalog and Bicol regions in Luzon; Eastern, Western, and Central Visayas; and Western, Eastern, Northern, and Southern Mindanao.

From July to September last year, "consultations" organized by the Bishops-Ulama-Priests-Pastors-Farmers-Lumad (BUPFFALUC) were conducted in the coconut-growing provinces and cities, which allegedly resulted in a consensus for the amicable settlement.

Efren Villaseñor, chairman of the 750, 000-strong Pambansang Koalisyon ng mga Samahan ng Magsasaka at Manggagawa sa Niyugan (PKSMMN), claimed that 1,200 or 96 percent of coconut-farmer leaders have agreed to a compromise deal.