CABADBARAN CITY, Agusan del Norte – Fil Victor Babanto, OIC Training Center Superintendent II of the Agricultural Training Institute – Regional Training Center 13 (ATI-RTC 13), said that former President Rodrigo R. Duterte signed Republic Act 11524 or the Coconut Farmers and Industry Trust Fund (CFITF) Act last February 2021. The fund will be taken from coco levy assets which should be awarded to the coconut farmers as ruled by the Supreme Court in 2012.

This announcement of OIC Babanto happened during the information caravan held at the Gazebo Pools and Restaurant. There were fifty (50) farmers who attended the activity and they came from the eastern towns and city of Agusan del Norte namely RTR, Tubay, Magallanes, Santiago, Kitcharao, and Cabadbaran City.

During the activity, it was also learned that following the signing of the Act, Executive Order 172 was also signed by the former President in 2022 to create the Coconut Farmers and Industry Development Plan (CFIDP) purposely to allow the release of the CFITF. The plan contains several components as interventions for the coconut farmers and their families such as medical and health support, facilities and infrastructure support, marketing support, crop insurance, training, and scholarship, among others.

The CFIDP hopes to alleviate poverty, especially among coconut farmers, as well as to rehabilitate and modernize the coconut industry.

Among the implementing agencies present during the information caravan were PCA, ATI, LBP, DTI, CDA, PCIC, DA-HVCDP, PhilMech, NDA, PhilHealth, and CHED. Also in attendance were representatives from ACPC and the City Agriculture Office of Cabadbaran.