The son of businessman Eduardo “Danding” Cojuangco has taken up the cudgels for Senator Grace Poe in the controversy surrounding the use of coco levy funds.
Former Pangasinan Rep. Mark Cojuangco said Poe does not have control over the pace of the coco levy trust fund bill’s passage in the Senate because she is only a vice chairman of the Senate agriculture committee.
He aired his two cents on the matter on Twitter after Maritess Gozon Viterbo, daughter of GMA Network CEO Felipe Gozon, posted Liberal Party spokesperson Akbayan party-list Rep. Barry Gutierrez’s statement on the matter with the caption, “I hope Grace Poe explains this.”
In his statement, Gutierrez said Poe should explain why the measure failed to pass the Senate when she was a vice chairperson of the agriculture panel. He also took the senator to task for not co-authoring the bill.
Cojuangco shot back in response to Viterbo: “Explain what? As VICE CHAIR, she is not in control. The CHAIR controls. Sino ba?”
When it was pointed out that the chairperson of the agriculture committee is Senator Cynthia Villar, the lawmaker said: “So bakit pilit ng Inquirer at LP na sisihin si GP, at isangkot si ECJr. sa isang pekeng kuno”
Poe has drawn flak from her political rivals and other groups after she said that the use of coco levy fund is now a government matter since it is no longer under Danding’s control.
The Inquirer published the story on Thursday (March 10) with the headline, “Grace defends Danding on coco levy.”
The camp of Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte has slammed Poe for her remarks, calling her a “puppet” beholden to the elder Cojuangco, the founding chairman of the Nationalist People’s Coalition.
Cojuangco’s son, meanwhile, has been vocal about his support for Vice President Jejomar Binay’s candidacy for president.
