My statement on Senate, House OK of ChaCha

Whatever was discussed during the summit does not bind the Senate in any way, and a separate act of the Senate is necessary if this is to become official. As it stands everything is unofficial and without any binding effect on any of the Senators. Even the creation of the Committee between both Houses needs Senate approval before it can bind the Senate.

There has been no Senate caucus to discuss this. There have been no Committee nor plenary debates held on the issue, and so I am wondering why it is being reported that Congress already has a position on the issue of Charter Change.

We take the inputs made during the legislative summit as inputs to help guide us should we see the need to discuss Charter Change in the plenary, but the individual Senators are not bound by what was discussed there. Until it is brought to the plenary, debated and approved, there is no official Senate position. The way it is made to appear by some quarter that ChaCha is a done deal is most unfortunate. It does not help their cause any as it preempts the rest of the Senators on the issue.

The proper procedure is for the inputs of the summit to be forwarded to the Committee on Constitutional Amendments for proper action. Creating a Committee between both Houses preempts the work of the Senate Committee on Constitutional Amendments. We should not take legal shortcuts to fast track Charter Change debates because to do so will be harmful in the long run. Charter Change debates should be inclusive and not exclusive. I suggest those pushing for Charter Change to review the direction of effort: Don’t put the cart before the horse.

The action points agreed upon in the summit requires Senate sanction; otherwise it has no binding effect on the Senate.

Revive dying coconut industry, benefit from upsurge in Coco water demand

We welcome the news from President Benigno Aquino III’s U.S. trip regarding potential foreign investments in the Philippine coconut industry. The President disclosed on Friday that two U.S. companies, Pepsi Co. and Vita Coco, are looking to invest $15 million within the next four years, to meet the surging demand for coco water. The Philippines’ very own ‘buko’ juice is believed to be rich in electrolytes and minerals and could therefore be a healthier alternative to sports drinks.

These foreign investments will mean nothing if our coconut industry is dead. We called on the Department of Agriculture to allow five billion pesos from the irrigation budget to help save the coconut industry, because no less than the Philippine Coconut Authority had said that our coconut trees are dying.

The first order of business is to bring the coconut industry back to life.

We need to revive this dying industry, invest the necessary government funding to boost coconut production and ensure the income of our farmers, and develop a roadmap for the sustainability of coconut production.

Aside from the U.S., let’s also look at other markets for buko juice and other coconut products worldwide, especially now that demand is on an upswing again.

The bottomline for these efforts would be to lift coconut farmers out of poverty. While the Philippines is known for its coconut products, its coconut farmers earn only P30,000 a year.

How can anyone live or raise a family on just P30.000 a year, or just P2,500 a month? This is totally unacceptable and unjust. With these new investments should come a resurgence in the coconut industry and a better life for our coconut farmers. Government and the private sector should make sure that we don’t lose out on this opportunity.