Leading agri group backs Recto's appointment as finance chief
The Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura (SINAG), a leading agricultural group in the Philippines, said it is fully supporting the impending confirmation of Secretary Ralph Recto as head of the Department of Finance (DOF).
SINAG vouched for Recto’s nomination ahead of the scheduled confirmation of his ad interim appointment before the Commission on Appointments (CA) on Wednesday, March 13, 2024.
“It is high time that the DOF will be headed by someone who is not only competent in the field of finance and economics; but more who had deep understanding of the agriculture sector,” said SINAG Chairman Rosendo So.
According to So, local producers have long worked with Recto from the time he was elected as the Representative of the 4th District of Batangas in 1996, and as a three term senator from 2001-2007 and 2010-2022.
Recto, they also said, was a key ally in the enactment of the Rice Tariffication Law and in exposing the persistent problem of agricultural smuggling and other illicit trade that have greatly impacted the development of the country’s agriculture sector.
“We are confident that the narrative of further tariff reduction of agri commodities will be reversed under the leadership of Secretary Recto,” So stressed.
So said local farmers believe that as DOF chief, Recto will be able to oversee the Bureau of Customs (BOC) effectively and put an end to the rampant practice of undervaluation and misdeclaration of agricultural imports that deprive the government of much needed revenues.
Likewise, Recto is supportive of the construction of the country’s first ever Cold Examination Facility in Agriculture (CEFA), a state-of-the-art examination facility of all imported animal, fish, plant, and other agricultural commodities, in Angat, in Bulacan.
“CEFA is crucial in our efforts in strengthening our first border inspections capabilities that will lessen, if not totally eradicate, agricultural smuggling,” the group said.
“We are looking forward in finally working with the DOF, thru the leadership of Secretary Ralph Recto,” SINAG also stressed.