Surigao del Norte 2nd district Rep. Robert Ace Barbers (left), President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. (Facebook, Speaker's office)



Surigao del Norte 2nd Rep. Robert Ace Barbers doesn't think President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. needs to appoint a full-time Department of Agriculture (DA) secretary. Instead, what Marcos needs is a "lieutenant" at the DA who could help him implement his vision, Barbers said. "President Marcos is obviously passionate about his quest to solve the problems of the agriculture sector. He has made this his personal mission. So why force him to hand over the DA to somebody else? As they say, if it ain't broke, why fix it?" Barbers said. "The most that he can do is to designate a trusted person that could serve as his number one lieutenant at the DA. Having this person on hand will hasten the implementation of the President's directives while he tends to his other pressing duties," the veteran solon explained. Marcos has held the title of concurrent DA secretary since he first assumed the Palace seat on June 30, 2022. He personally chose the portfolio at a time when there was thought to be a looming food shortage in the country. "President Marcos, in my opinion, has done a great job as agriculture secretary. He has nearly achieved his promise of reducing prices of rice to P20 per kilo, as Kadiwa stores now sell rice for as low as P25 per kilo. Through the action of Speaker Martin Romualdez and the House of Representatives, the government was able to address the runaway prices of onions late last year by unmasking the alleged members of the cartel," Barbers said. According to the Mindanaoan, Marcos has earned his position as DA head honcho. "For me, the President has earned the right and the good will to remain as DA secretary. So let him stay and do his thing. It's his prerogative anyway. He just needs an assistant-slash-lietenant at the agency," Barbers said. Marcos has been making various appointments to Cabinet-level positions as of late, making some believe that he would soon name a full-time agriculture chief. Several House members have even asked Marcos to designate a DA secretary. "At any rate, President Marcos can expect the House to support his endeavors toward improving the state of agriculture in the Philippines," Barbers, a Nacionalista Party (NP) stalwart, said.