Albay 3rd District Rep. Raymond Adrian Salceda has hailed President Bongbong Marcos for highlighting the government’s sustained efforts to ensure food security and his commitment to the revitalized growth of the coconut industry, in his 2025 State of the Nation Address (SONA). .
Salceda also thanked the President for urging legislators to amend the Coconut Farmers and Industry Trust Fund Act or Coco Levy Act. “I earlier expressed my hope he would take it up and as it turned out, it was one of the topics he asked Congress to legislate on,” he said.
“Following the President’s clear directive, I will file our version of the bill on the Coco Levy Act as soon as possible. The coconut sector is one of the largest sectors, by land area, in Philippine agriculture. It is also among our largest exports. Food security is absolutely essential,” stressed the neophyte Congressman, a nephew of former Congressman Joey Sarte Salceda.
The Bicol Region, particularly the provinces of Albay, Sorsogon, Catanduanes and Masbate, is among the country’s largest coconut and copra producers.
The President, in his SONA delivered at the House of Representatives on Monday, bared the list of the current programs of his administration designed to help enhance agricultural production, aside from support infrastructure for the sector such as more farm-to-market roads, as well as the industry’s modernization through machineries and new technologies.
Salceda also urged Congress to amend the Coco Levy Act and attune it to current situations and the actual needs of coconut farmers, and foster the regeneration of the coconut industry.
“Hopefully, President Marcos will also order concerned agencies to expedite their action and initiatives on their proposals relative to the proper use of the Coconut Levy Funds, yearly disbursements from which have remained very minimal.
Among the ten (10) proposed measures Salceda submitted on the first day of filing bills, was a bill that provides additional P10 per kilo of palay when the National Food Authority (buy) the grains from farmers, to be funded from the ‘excess tariff revenues,’ to support NFA procurement and help improve the agency’s storage capacity. The proposal seeks to amend Section14 of R.A. 11203, also known as the Rice Tariffication Law.
Aside from proposed legislations to strengthen agriculture, the young Salceda is currently pushing for fair wage hike, and has filed House Bill 55 that seeks to abolish the regional wage boards and establish a uniform daily pay for both Metro Manila and provincial workers.
The neophyte lawmaker is currently a leading figure of the “Fair Wage Block” in Congress. He said he hopes that President Marcos, aside from his focus on food security, will also include climate change mitigation in his agenda.
“Climate change and volatile trade conditions make it very difficult for us to be a net importer of food. It is thus vital for government to focus on food security, particularly since we decidedly have the capability to be self-sufficient in food, including corn and fish,” he explained.