26/08/2026
๐๐ฎ๐ซ๐ง๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ฉ๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ง๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐๐ฌ ๐ข๐ง๐ญ๐จ ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง: ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ง ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐๐ฒ๐๐ฌ ๐๐๐ ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐๐ฅ ๐๐จ๐๐จ๐ง๐ฎ๐ญ ๐๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ข๐ญ ๐ฌ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐ค๐ฌ ๐๐ง๐ง๐จ๐ฏ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง
150 coconut farmers and entrepreneurs in Eastern Visayas, together with 25 CFIDP implementing agency representatives and partner agencies, participated in the 2nd Eastern Visayas Regional Coconut Summit at the Summit Hotel in Tacloban City last August 17, 2026.
In her welcome message, RD Celerina T. Bato honored the remarkable resilience of Region 8โs coconut farmers. Despite losing millions of trees to super typhoons like Yolanda and Odette, Eastern Visayas remains a top coconut-producing powerhouse.
During the Fireside Chat, it was emphasized that the industry is much bigger than just the farm. The summit showcased how true progress requires teamwork. By combining the DA's agricultural support, DA-PHilMech's mechanization and shared facilities, and DTI's enterprise and market access development, the government is building a seamless support pathway for MSMEs.
Dr. Bernard Nino Membrebe of the Eastern Visayas State University emphasized the need for a paradigm shift in the coconut industry. Instead of asking, โWhat can we sell from the coconut?โ stakeholders are encouraged to ask, โWhat problems can we solve using the coconut?โ This new mindset calls for a transition from the traditional commodity model of selling copra and crude oil toward a value-driven and innovation-focused approach.
Dedicated sessions with the Small Business Corporation, the Development Bank of the Philippines, and the Land Bank of the Philippines gave our cocopreneurs the lowdown on the credit facilities available to help them scale up and invest in value-adding activities.
As the activity drew to a close, PD Meilou C. Macabare delivered a powerful call to action to all participants. The most important question, she emphasized, is no longer โWhat opportunities are available?โ but โWhat are we going to do with these opportunities?โ
The 2nd Eastern Visayas Regional Coconut Summit therefore ended not simply as a gathering of stakeholders, but as a call to turn ideas into action. The challenge now is to move forward with purpose, turning opportunities into enterprises, innovations into products, and resilience into lasting prosperity for coconut-growing communities across the region.
