QUINAPONDAN, Eastern Samar — Eastern Samar lawmakers are throwing their support behind President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s push to modernize the coconut industry, with a new bill proposing the construction of a modern oil milling and refinery plant in this coastal town.
House Assistant Minority Leader and Eastern Samar Rep. Christopher Sheen Gonzales has filed House Bill No. 121, which seeks to establish the facility in Quinapondan, a municipality identified for its access to port infrastructure and transport routes.
The measure is co-authored by House Minority Leader Marcelino “Nonoy” Libanan of the 4Ps Party-list.
“This is about readiness,” Gonzales said. “The President has committed to planting 100 million coconut trees in the next few years. We want to make sure Eastern Samar is not just planting—but also processing and profiting.”
In his fourth State of the Nation Address in July, Marcos emphasized the need to revive the coconut sector, promising to distribute at least 15 million high-quality seedlings annually to support millions of farmers dependent on the crop.
Gonzales said the proposed mill would allow local farmers to process copra into oil and other high-value products locally, cutting transport costs, opening up new markets, and creating jobs—not just in agriculture but in logistics, packaging, and other related industries.
“Right now, our farmers are stuck at the bottom of the value chain,” he said. “We send out raw materials and buy back finished products at higher prices. This bill changes that.”
If passed, the project would be implemented under the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) and serve not only Eastern Samar but surrounding coconut-producing provinces in Eastern Visayas.
Eastern Samar, one of the country’s poorest provinces, is largely rural and reliant on farming and fishing. Gonzales believes that anchoring a key processing facility here could “reposition the province as a value-adding hub rather than just a supplier of raw goods.”
According to the PCA, around 3.5 million coconut farmers are registered nationwide, working across 3.6 million hectares of plantations. About 25 million Filipinos derive income, directly or indirectly, from the coconut sector.
The timing of the bill also coincides with bullish forecasts for the global coconut oil market. In June, the PCA projected the country’s coconut oil export earnings could surpass the record $2.2 billion posted in 2024, driven by rising global prices and growing demand for coconut-based products across industries—from food to cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and even biofuels.
“Eastern Samar can be a player in that space,” Gonzales said. “But we need to build the infrastructure now—while the opportunity is here.” (via Ricky Bautista)
