Only a system change can save our country; Coconut trees are dying

I despair when I read the 1001 things from graft to sheer ignorance to human rights violation in this administration. Is there still a chance for Filipinos to achieve their potential as our heroic forefathers envisioned? The answer is yes, but with a big IF. That IF is if Filipinos can be united in purpose on how to achieve a viable future not just in the near term but for the distant future as well. It cannot be business as usual with competing individuals and their hordes of followers whoever should be next in power without fixing the system that has caused the malady in government.

Recently, a friend who went to the party of a known political operator (and proud to say that he is in every administration in power) said most of those who attended were from the yellow regime. These may be early birds but they are jumping from a sinking ship.

The guest who came said they seemed all very happy because as they expect they had no less than the constitutional successor, Vice-President Jojomar Binay honoring the party. I have no quarrel with that but to political reformers, the obsession with personality on who should fill in after Aquino without fixing the system is distressing and bound to fail again.

We must prioritize fixing the system instead of holding victory parties. “All the yellows were were” exclaimed my friend. And we can expect more to jump out of the sinking ship even before 2016. But will it help in pushing for the country’s viable future? At most it will be the euphoria of victory and that is as temporary as the next election. This is not how to build a nation that will last for our children and out children’s children. Our choice is not whether we should keep a system that has not worked for us, look deep into the problems it engendered and what we can do to change it. It is a very poor choice indeed if we will be confined to a corrupt official reared and bred in the  present system, a son of the oligarchy or the more palatable complete innocent from outside without any experience in governing.

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Do you want to help the country and our poor farmers now? When you buy cooking oil, please make sure you buy coconut oil even if it is a little bit more thanpalm oil that is imported from Malaysia. 

 Too few are aware of the seriousness of the coconut industry’s problem. All you need to do is ride through the Slex and Star Tollway to see the effect of the dying coconut trees that once had been the boast of the country as the biggest supplier of coconut to the world. If I remember correctly, the President himself boasted in a trip to the US that the country’s economy can be saved by selling coconut water. And at least for a little while there was a surge of activity in the buko water market after his trip that quickly dissipated. Ningas cogon is what we should export!

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I met Rene Pamintuan in FB. He wrote me this.

“I occasionally read your articles that you also post in our facebook 100,000 Natural Farmers by 2016 of which I am administrator.

Another similar advocacy we have is the SAVE THE COCONUT MOVEMENT also related to the protection of our natural resources, environment and food supplies.

Lately, we have had the controversial CSI and Brontispa infestations that is about to destroy our ascendant coconut industry. We learned that PCA has not done concrete actions for the last 7 years, and that has exacerbated the problems until this year when finally the same Tanauan Mayor Lirio who has reported this 3 years ago, exasperatedly reported the death ultimately of 150,000 trees in his area alone. The scourge is now nationwide with greatest hits in the Calabarzon areas, but now even reported too in the Basilan areas.

Today with media asking too many questions and the change in the helm of the Food and Agriculture bureaus of the government to Kiko Pangilinan, he has began to work with the problem quickly. However, our happiness was nipped shortly when we learned he has given the go signal for the use of the foreign banned neonicotinoid injections to our trees. The injection will lodge chemicals into our trees and buko nuts. We fear the backlash of the world markets when they learn that our coconuts are chemical laced. Note that we lost the NATA DE COCO markets to Thailand when it was discovered that some of our exports have chemicals in them. But THIS TIME IT IS GOVERNMENT PUSHING THE CHEMICAL INJECTIONS!

We can lose our P2B export market for different coconut products worldwide instantly in the wink of an eye when news of these injections are circulated in worldwide news.?We now know that there are insect predators/parasitoids out there defeating these pests and Dr. Mario Navasero, UPLB Scientist DOST, has reported in his voluntary works with farmers that his QUICK APPRAISAL WORKS with his teams has shown that 80% of the CSI are now parasitized. The tipping point of the biological battle is being won, and the use of these neonicotinoid is no longer necessary.

 The sale of these is also controversial, since ONLY ONE SUPPLIER has been contracted to do this.?We seek alliances for this advocacy specially with people in the environment and green food movements. We hope you can be with us too.“ — SAVE THE COCONUT MOVEMENT, Rene Pamintuan, co-convenor [email protected]?

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