Otso Diretso bets disappointed over coco levy bill veto

Senatorial candidates under the Otso Diretso opposition coalition on Wednesday expressed disappointment over President Rodrigo Duterte's move to veto the measure that would have created a P100-billion trust fund for Filipino coconut farmers.

In a press conference in Quezon City, former solicitor general and senatorial bet Florin Hilbay said that the move to veto the Coconut Trust Fund bill is a simple manifestation of the phrase "justice delayed is justice denied."

"Hindi lang dekada ang hinihintay ng ating magniniyog yang pera na yan para magamit para sa kanilang interes pero hindi pa rin naisabatas," Hilbay said.

"Nakakalungkot na hanggang ngayon, hindi pa rin nagagamit para sa kapakanan ng mga  magniniyog. I am very disappointed of the very slow pace of the use of the coco levy funds," he added.

According to Duterte, he vetoed the bill due to supposed lack of safeguards and concerns it may violate the Constitution.

“After much deliberation, I have come to the conclusion that the bill may be violative of the Constitution and is lacking in vital safeguards to avoid repetition of painful mistakes committed in the past,” Duterte said in his letter sent to Congress on February 14.

But former Quezon pepresentative and senatorial candidate Erin Tañada said he does not understand why Duterte vetoed the bill when he could have shaped it the way he wanted.

"Sino ba natutulog sa pansitan dito?" Tañada asked in a statement.

"The coco farmers definitely were not sleeping. The early version of their very own initiative bill... vests the management and utilization of the fund to a Trust Fund Committee under the Office of the President, cognizant of the institutional problems that beset the PCA (Philippine Coconut Authority)," he said.

Tañada added: "The coco farmers too expressed dissent on a free for all access to the benefits of the fund rather than limit it to small coco farmers whose land is five hectares and below."

Re-electionist Senator Paolo Benigno "Bam" Aquino IV also expressed disappointment to the move, saying that he and his fellow senators worked hard for it.

He is expecting that in the next Congress, a similar bill would be filed, approved and enacted into law for the benefit of the farmers.

"Hindi makagawa ng closure sa issue na ito dahil hindi mapasa-pasa itong batas na magbibigay ng tulong sa ating coconut farmers. Mahalaga na magawa yung batas na ito mapirmahan at ma-implement nang maayos," Aquino said in an interview on Tuesday. —LDF, GMA News