PRESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. on Thursday ordered the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) to fast-track the development of the coconut sector.
He issued the call at the 50th anniversary celebration of the agency, which he said should accelerate the modernization of the coconut industry to improve the lives of coconut farmers and their families.
He said the Philippines is in a prime position to harness the potential of the coconut sector because the country is now “a major exporter of coconut oil and other products such as copra meal and desiccated coconut.”
Mr. Marcos Jr. asked the sector to “recognize the challenges that lie ahead of the coconut industry,” citing the effects of climate change, pests and diseases “that remain a significant threat to our trees, endangering the future of our sector, our industry.”
“Let us double our efforts to tackle these issues and invest in technologies and initiatives that will not only safeguard but also ensure the resilience of the coconut sector of our agriculture,” he said.
Mr. Marcos noted that when the government of his father and namesake fell in February 1986, “all of those very important programs for the coconut industry stopped.”
He did not elaborate.
One of the major issues that hounded the administration of the late dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos was the coco levy fund scam, where billions of pesos worth of coconut levy was collected from coconut farmers supposedly to boost coconut research and other programs for the sector.
It is alleged that the late president and his cronies later used the funds for personal gain, particularly in the purchase of United Coconut Planters Bank (UCPB) and a majority stake in San Miguel Corp. The Supreme Court in 2012 ruled the funds were owned by the state.
Meanwhile, Mr. Marcos urged big business to support government efforts to boost micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and the so-called nano enterprises in the country.
He made the pitch during the launch of an MSME center by the Cebuana Lhuillier group of companies.
“We are trying to create an ecosystem for startups,” the president said in a speech. “We are trying to help small businesses who have a good idea.”
Mr. Marcos cited the contribution of MSMEs and nano enterprises to the Philippine economy, noting that 99% of the country’s businesses are MSMEs that employ about 63% of the labor force. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza