An Waray Partylist hopeful of coco bill passage

TACLOBAN CITY, Oct. 25 (PNA) – The bill proposing for revitalization of the coconut industry remains a priority of An Waray partylist.

Partylist Rep. Victoria Isabel Noel said the bill has not seen full fruition for lack of material time in the previous Congress but she sees the need for its approval, more because in Eastern Visayas, there is a great need to revitalize the coconut industry.

The bill will promote the rapid, steady and continuous integrated development and growth of the coconut industry in all its aspects and ensure that the coconut farmers, farm workers, processor, lessees and tillers and their families, shall become direct participants in, and beneficiaries of, such development and growth thereby increasing their income and uplifting their quality of life.

Among its primary goal, according to Noel, is to hasten and advance industrialization in the coconut industry and the diversification and proper utilization of coconut products and by-products.

“The coconut industry, with its viability and sustained improvement in the areas of production processing and marketing and intensive research can well guarantee the economic well being of a major part of the country's population,” Noel said.

More so, the bill, if it passes into law, will benefit the Eastern Visayas region, having coconut as one of its major product. Revitalization or the industry is likewise seen to boost the recovery of the region from the super typhoon in 2013, which damaged a major part of the industry and displaced thousands of coconut farmers

The Eastern Visayas region is the second highest coconut producer in the country, with some 46 million trees producing 1, 771 thousand metric tons of coconuts in 2012.

In Leyte province, an estimated 168,000 hectares are coconut plantations. With the devastation of super typhoon Yolanda, optimistically, it is going to take at least 6-9 years before coconuts return to full production.

The “coco bill” as it is dubbed, will abolish the Philippine Coconut Authority, and put in place the Philippine Coconut Industry Development Authority that will also advance into research and technology of the agricultural, industrial, marketing and socio-economic aspect of the coconut industry.

The proposed measure has already passed the Committee on Agriculture and Food, and underwent refinement by a technical working group created by the same.

As she sits on the committee on rules, Noel is hopeful the bill can pass into a law this time around. (PNA)

FPV/SQM/AHLETTE C. REYES/EGR