Former COCOFED scholars were in Dumaguete last week to hold a three-day national convention on the theme, “COCOnvergence of Stakeholders Towards Sustainability of the Philippine Coconut Industry”.
The COCOFED (Coconut Federation of the Philippines) was created by a series of laws in the early 1970s by then President Ferdinand E. Marcos (PFEM). The COCOFED was mainly funded by coconut farmers, P15 to P25 per P100 of copra sold by the farmers.
It was initially designed to consolidate and modernize the coconut industry of the country.
The COCOFED plan included setting up large coconut oil mills and refineries under the United Coconut Oil Mills (UNICOM). A manufacturing plant for coconut-based chemicals was also built called the United Coconut Chemicals Incorporated (UNICHEM). COCOFED controlled copra-buying stations nationwide. The United Coconut Planters Bank (UCPB) was formed, with branches nationwide. Local COCOFED associations sprouted in almost all towns. The PFEM-COCOFED national college scholarships were set in motion.
At first, in theory and from the perspective of the unknowing public, COCOFED was remarkably successful. For instance, over 7,000 college scholarships were provided to so-called children of “poor coconut farmers” in selected renowned institutions all over the country including more than 500 scholars at Silliman University.
But from the insidem where corruption and greed can grow when people’s money flowed in freely, the COCOFED was doomed to a short-lived success.
The UCPB was forced to close after hundreds of billions of pesos were allegedly siphoned off by certain top-level personalities into various private ventures like the San Miguel Corporation.
The poor coconut farmers continued to feed the system but barely benefitted directly from the COCOFED. The coconut industry became a cash cow but was sadly left to struggle with sporadic and short-lived support programs.
Even the scholarships for so-called children of “poor coconut farmers” yielded several scholars from middle-income families (not necessarily coconut farmers). The scholars were truly intelligent but not indigent.
Many gained a scholarship through socio-political connections rather than having dirt-poor coconut farmers as parents.
The COCOFED scholarship was superfluously generous – the most generous scholarship in the country at that time. Scholars’ tuition fees were fully covered. Generous allowances for uniforms and clothing, books, school supplies, board and lodging were provided. Grantees can even take leave of absence for meritorious cases. It even came with travel expenses to Malacañang Palace to serenade the powers back then.
The internal bleeding of COCOFED led to the deterioration of the federation. Finally, the collection of coco levy was stopped in 1982. The COCOFED scholarship was cut. The giant COCOFED itself died.
Looking back, there was one major flaw in the COCOFED scholarship program. We scholars enjoyed great benefits, yet after graduation we were not required to pay a single centavo to the COCOFED or mandated to help the coconut industry. To over 7,000 COCOFED scholars they hit the jackpot!
Good thing, a number of COCOFED scholars have served the government, including the Philippine Coconut Authority, but as career employees, not volunteers.
Now, former COCOFED scholars hold top positions. Remelyn Recoter is the national director of the PCA’s Agricultural Training Institute (ATI); many national, regional, provincial, LGU, PCA, Department of Agriculture (DA) and other known public and private officers and staff are former COCOFED scholars. A former president of Land Bank of the Philippines was also a COCOFED scholar. In a way, they have given back to the coconut industry.
A few more former COCOFED scholars desire to “pay forward,” not merely “pay back” to our great COCOFED scholarship and to the coconut industry. They organized in 2013 the SAVECoconut Foundation Inc (SCFI).
Not merely a social networking organization of former COCOFED scholars, the SCFI has aimed at helping the coconut industry through cooperation with the DA and the PCA.
The national government of President Marcos, Jr. is hoping to roll out thousands of college scholarships soon. The scholarship will be financed partly by the P75 billion recouped by President Duterte from the “missing” COCOFED levy funds. The program is very similar to the defunct COCOFED scholarship of President Marcos, Sr.
We are afraid the history of the COCOFED college scholarship program will repeat itself. There is no pay-back provision in the new coconut college scholarship. The selection of scholarship recipients is not solely based on financial incapability of parents; there are no safeguards against the oft-practiced “socio-political patronage.”
We hope SCFI can clearly breathe experiential wisdom into the new coconut scholarship program. Firstly, there must be somehow a pay-back requirement. Maybe treat it as a “study-now pay-later” scholarship? Secondly, only children of real and truly poor coconut farmers should get the scholarship.
At the 7th national SCFI and COCOFED Scholars national convention in Dumaguete City from August 23 to 25, more than 600 COCOFED scholars have come all over the country, a few from abroad. They are mostly former COCOFED scholars connected with the DA, PCA, and local government units (LGU).
Collaborative and networking sessions among the scholars, government agencies, and coconut farmers and farmer leaders were the focus on August 24th.
A series of speakers include Dr. Dexter Buted (PCA administrator and CEO), Hon. Camille Lydia Villar-Genuino (Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives), Remelyn Recoter (national director of DA-ATI), Region VII PCA and ATI heads. A mayor from Negros Oriental also shared the role of the LGUs.
Dr. Buted challenges attendees to be part of the nationwide coconut replanting program. The young PCA head hopes to have 100 million new coconuts planted by 2028.
The speakers echoed one another in hoping for a revitalized coconut industry through use of hybrid high-yielding coconuts, new technologies, better, sustainable farming and selling practices, and the focus on high-value products for coconuts other than copra for coconut oil.
Coconut production in the Philippines has been fluctuating and on the decline since 2012. Fears still exist as this data do not give a good picture of the decades of replanting program. It is beset by alleged scams and anomalies involving the purchase of fertilizers and salt for distribution to farmers.
The PCA-ATI set up booths showcasing their progress in sustainable practices, technological advancements, and support programs for improvement and sustainability of our coconut industry.
The convention theme (“COCOnvergence of Stakeholders Towards Sustainability of the Philippine Coconut Industry”) indeed sounds very promising although it is quite ambitious and a mouthful; hopefully, it’s also fruitful.
A few convention organizers and political leaders herald this convention as a “milestone” to helping the coconut farmers and rehabilitating the coconut industry. That is an exaggeration!
Holding the national convention is merely a small step towards those goals. The sessions were seemingly inadequate to give justice to the theme. But in any major journey — like rehabilitating and sustaining our Philippine coconut industry — it can start (all over again) with a small first step.
(written in collaboration with Sansen Lee Vendiola, a former COCOFED scholar from Silliman University)
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Author’s email: [email protected]
