MANILA Mayor and Aksyon Demokratiko standard bearer Isko Moreno yesterday said he will expedite the return of coco levy funds to some 1.4 million coconut farmer-beneficiaries if he is elected as the country’s next president in the May elections.
Moreno made the assurance during his campaign sortie in Lucena City, Quezon province, one of the leading coconut-producing provinces in the country.
Moreno, 47, said coconut farmers from Quezon, Laguna and Batangas, many of them now diseased, have yet to enjoy the benefits of their labor.
He was referring to the 2014 Supreme Court decision which said that 24 percent of San Miguel Corporation’s stocks belong to the public. Then valued at P74 billion, the stocks are now worth around P76 billion.
To recall, President Duterte signed on Feb. 26, 2021 Republic Act No. 11524 that created a trust fund for the country’s coconut farmers.
Under RA 11524, the Coconut Farmers and Industry Development Plan will be crafted by the Philippine Coconut Authority. The plan will then set the directions and policies for the development and rehabilitation of the coconut industry within 50 years.
Moreno also said corruption should not be accepted as something that is normal in our world.
Moreno made the comment when reporters sought his reaction to the remark of another presidential candidate, former senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., that corruption is not a “Philippine condition” but rather a “human condition.”
Marcos, whose family is accused of ill-gotten wealth during the regime of his father, the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, said corruption also takes place in other countries and there are dishonest people everywhere.
Even as he shrugged off Marcos’ remarks, Moreno said corruption should not be seen as something that is constant and there is nothing that can be done to prevent it from happening.
“That is his idea, but at the end of the day, the world, the people, the government, are not perfect. But at least, we should not accept that we cannot do anything about it,” Moreno told reporters.
“In fact, he can start doing good to the country. For example, the law for regular families that if the child receives wealth from his parents, the government must retrieve the tax for the government and the people,” Moreno said.
