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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Senate minority bloc: PBBM can have a DA secretary and still focus on PH agri woes

Senate minority bloc: PBBM can have a DA secretary and still focus on PH agri woes

Published Oct 21, 2022 09:05 am

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III reiterated his call for President Marcos to leave his concurrent post as Department of Agriculture (DA) secretary and appoint a a replacement.

‘’Napaka lawak ng activities ng DA (The activities at DA is so wide). It is like a mini-Philippines already,’’ Pimentel said in a reply to queries on the President’s decision to stay on as DA secretary.

‘’By having a full time Secretary, the President gains a person who can help him with agricultural matters,’’ he pointed out.

Pimentel stressed that the President does not have to let go of his focus on agriculture.

‘’He can have a DA secretary and yet still focus on agriculture as the priority of his administration,’’ he said.

Senator Risa Hontiveros had joined Pimentel in making a similar call for the President to leave the DA post.

Hontiveros said the President has many jobs in his administration that he needs a secretary at DA working in tandem.

She said economists had warned that the country is in the midst of an impending food catastrophe.

Many issues surrounding the DA were revealed in the recent budget hearings such as smuggling in rice, vegetables, and fish and the continued importation of rice and sugar.

The DA had been told to also focus on agricultural industries such as corn and root crops and the effect of climate change to agriculture.

Related Tags

DA SECRETARY Risa Hontiveros Marcos administration agriculture koko pimentel
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