Duterte vetoes bill strengthening PCA

President Rodrigo Duterte has vetoed the bill strengthening the Philippine Coconut Authority.

Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea sent the veto against Senate Bill 1976 and House Bill 8522 entitled An Act to Further Strengthen the Philippine Coconut Authority to Congress on Friday.

The President’s veto message, however, was not read on the floor and was just entered into the record.

In the letter addressed to the Senate dated February 8, Duterte said the bill "regrettably lacks vital safeguards to avoid the repetition of painful mistakes in the past."

He said the powers given to the PCA under the bill "undermine relevant regulations and safeguards that were established precisely to avoid abuses."

"I am certain that neither Congress nor the Executive can bear to see our coconut farmers being exposed to injury by the very legislation that was intended for  their benefit and protection, especially if such injury could have been prevented by the institution of necessary safeguards," Duterte wrote.

The provisions of the said bill, he added, "do not reflect our ultimate goal of accelerating the full utilization of coco levy assets and funds for the benefit of our marginalized coconut farmers and the coconut industry."

In November 2018, the Senate adopted and ratified a bicameral conference committee report on the PCA, together with the bill seeking to set up a P100-billion trust fund for coconut farmers.

The PCA bill was created to complement the coco levy bill as it was planned that the agency would handle the funds. — DVM/KG, GMA News