Philippines: PCA almost done with the drafting of the roadmap under the Coco Levy Act

The Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) is not yet finished drafting the Coconut Farmers and Industry Development Plan (CFIDP), which will serve as the government’s ultimate guide in the distribution of the P100-billion coco levy fund and assets. In the meantime, the agency launched the Coconut Farmers’ and Industry Roadmap (Coco-FIRM), which will serve as the foundation of a much detailed and longer CFIDP, of which the PCA is mandated to come up with under Republic Act No. (RA) 11524 or the Coco Levy Act. In a phone interview, PCA Administrator Benjamin Madrigal clarified that Coco-FIRM is different from the CFIDP but will serve as the “backbone” for the latter. As a start, he said Coco-FIRM has yet to specify the specific roles of all implementing agencies of RA 11524, as well as the criteria for programming and monitoring of projects to be funded by the Coconut Farmers and Industry Trust Fund (CFITF). Madrigal said the crafting of the CFIDP is ongoing and may finish by the end ...