DUMAGUETE CITY, Negros Oriental (PIA) — Over 500 COCOFED Scholarship Program scholars of the Save Coconut Foundation Inc. (SCFI) along with coconut farmer groups in Negros Oriental recently gathered during a national convention in the city.
SCFI president Chito Delorino said the foundation is paying it forward to the coconut farmers who has been supporting the scholars in their studies.
Delorino emphasized the importance of equipping the farmers with new skills and updated technologies to ensure that they will not be neglected in this rapidly changing world.
“We encourage the government to increase the allocated funds for the farm projects, such as planting of coconut trees not just in the province of Negros Oriental but in the whole Philippines, as we positively envision the country to become the top coconut industry in the global economic arena,” said Delorino.
In the same event, the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) continues to support the coconut industry in the country through dialogues, collaboration, and innovation focusing on value-adding activities, reskilling, and upskilling of coconut farmers.
In his keynote address, PCA administrator and CEO Dr. Dexter Buted emphasized the significance of the convention as a beacon of hope for the Philippine coconut industry.
“We are united here with a common purpose to forge a sustainable future for our beloved coconut farmers and to uplift the very essence of our agricultural heritage,” Buted stated.
He also emphasized PCA’s commitment to social protection for coconut farmers, including healthcare and medical assistance.
The PCA also plans to establish partnerships with hospitals in coconut-growing regions and hold medical missions in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas.
The PCA showed commitment and support to the SCFI, scholars, and the entire coconut sector highlights its pivotal role in ensuring the industry’s future for generations.
Virginia Jumaw-as, coco farmer and president of Zamboaguita Coconut Farmers Multi-Purpose Cooperative, is grateful that their cooperative has been granted the amount of P250,000 from the program.
For Grexon Vince Rubio, a Biology student at Negros Oriental State University (NORSU) and a recipient of the Coconut Scholarship (CoScho) program of Commission on Higher Education (CHED), shared how the scholarship program has positively changed his life.
‘’Your investment in our education is not merely an investment in our future but also an investment to the future of our communities and the world at large,” Rubio said.
The CHED’s CoScho is implemented under Republic Act 11524 or the Coconut Farmers and Industry Trust Fund Act.
CoScho currently has around 2,800 scholars this year and is expected to increase in the following years. (JCT/PIA-7 Negros Oriental with reports from Jonah Nicolas and Princess Ayne Avellana, NORSU Interns)
