ZURICH, Switzerland — President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. is not in favor of the idea that he should appoint someone from the military or police to lead the Department of Agriculture (DA), underscoring that the DA head should be an expert in the field of agriculture.
Marcos, who concurrently acts as the Agriculture Secretary, said this in response to a question if he was considering appointing a former military or police official to lead the DA to ensure its orderly operations.
"Hindi, kailangan eksperto sa agrikultura (No. It should be an agriculture expert)," he told Manila-based reporters here.
"Agriculture is a very complicated subject. Hindi lang kung sino-sino basta’t magaling mag-manage (You cannot just pick someone who's good at managing)," he added.
According to the President, the Agriculture secretary should know the ropes of the sector.
"They have to understand the science. They also have to understand the system. So it’s no," he said.
"I don’t really think that it is the right place for a military man to go," he added.
Marcos, however, said he would only consider appointing someone from the military or the police to lead the DA if they are knowledgeable about agriculture.
"Unless they’re involved in agriculture. Mayroon naman nag-retire diyan (There are retirees), they got heavily involved in agriculture," he said.
"Baka marunong na talaga sila (Maybe they really know their stuff), why not?" he added.
Meanwhile, President Marcos said they must first fix the DA problems before deciding who should lead the department permanently.
"What we’re trying to do now are all the hard things," he said.
"'Pag nagawa na namin ‘yung mga --- ‘yung bucket list namin natapos na namin, aalis na ako (Once we're done with our bucket list, then I'll leave the department), then I will give it to somebody else," he added.