Marcos quits as Agri chief, appoints fishing magnate

PAGADIAN CITY – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr has relinquished his post as Agriculture secretary and appointed industrialist and fishing magnate Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. as the new Secretary of the Department of Agriculture (DA).

Marcos said the appointment of Laurel to the DA only shows the importance of the partnerships between the private and the public sectors as he banked on the new secretary’s credentials to lead the agency, adding Laurel knows how the agricultural system works in the country.

“Ang pagtingin natin sa ating private sector ay partner sa lahat ng mga ating gagawin. Kaya naman ang pagpasok ni Secretary Laurel sa kanyang position na Department of Agriculture Secretary ay para na natin sinama dahil matagal na siya sa industriya ng fisheries,” Marcos said.

“Nagsimula siya sa pangingisda ngunit ‘yung mga iba’t ibang panig ng agrikultura ay napasukan na niya kaya’t nauunawaan niya, hindi lamang kung ano ‘yung problema kung hindi ang mga solusyon sa problemang ‘yun,” he added.

Marcos said Laurel’s connections will also be an advantage for the government to address the problems of the agricultural sector in the country including climate change. “Kaya’t malaki ang trabahong ibinigay ko sa ating bagong Kalihim at handa naman kaming lahat, hindi lamang sa pamahalaan, kung hindi pati na sa private sector na siya’y tulungan dahil naging kaibigan na rin natin ito,” he said.

Who is Laurel?

Laurel is the former president of the Frabelle Fishing Corp. from 1985 to Oct. 31, 2023 and a member of the agriculture sector group of the Private Sector Advisory Council. He also held positions in various companies including president of the Frabelle Shipyard Corp.; Chairman of the Westpac Meat Processing Corp.; Director of Frabelle Properties Corp. and president of the Markham Resources Corp.

He was also the former chairman of the Diamond Export Corp.; president of the Bacoor Seafront Development Corp. and chairman/president of Bukidnon Hydro Energy Corp. as well the Commander of the Naval Affiliated Reserve Force-National Capital Region, and the Chairman of the World Tuna Purse Seine Organization.

Laurel said he thanked Marcos for his trust and confidence and vowed to continue the advocacies and programs of the government in the agricultural sector.

“Pangunahing adhikain ko ang pagtiyak na sagana ang ating ani at siguraduhing ito ay nakakarating sa hapag ng bawat Pilipino. Layunin ko na tiyakin na may sapat at masustansyang pagkain na mabibili ang ating mga kababayan sa tamang halaga,” Laurel said.

“Susi dito ang modernisasyon ng sektor ng agrikultura, kasabay ng [pagpapabuti] sa kapakanan ng mga kapatid nating magsasaka at mangingisda. Ating sisiguraduhin na sila’y makikinabang sa mga bunga ng kanilang pagod at pagsisikap,” he added.

Laurel said his office will remain open to all farmers and fishermen. He emphasized that he is close to the sector for he personally witnessed their struggles and their aspirations for the agricultural sector.

He asked for cooperation from the public. “Handa akong makinig at makatrabaho kayo. Higit sa lahat, ako'y handa na magtrabaho para sa inyo. Lubos po akong naniniwala na kaya nating mapalago ang produksyon ng ating agrikultura sa tulong ng ating Presidente, ngunit hindi ko ito kakayanin mag-isa. Kailangan ko ang tulong at pakikiisa ninyo at ng buong Sambayanang Pilipino,” he said.

Marching order

Marcos ordered Laurel to ensure prices of all the agricultural commodities are regulated. “Well, the obvious one is to try and gain control of the prices of all the agricultural commodities that are going up,” he said. “In the immediate term, kailangan natin ma-control at tingnan natin kung paano natin gagawin.”

The President also mentioned his order on taking measures to mitigate the effects of climate change on top of increasing productivity in the agriculture and fishery sectors. He said the Philippines continues to partner with its neighboring countries, particularly those in the ASEAN, to improve the practices and technology in the said sector.

“Tinitingnan natin ang mga ginagawa ng ating mga karatig bansa such as Thailand, such as Indonesia, such as Vietnam at baka mayroon tayong matutunan sa kanila na puwede nating na bagay dito sa Pilipinas and that’s the first that our new Secretary will have to do,” he said.

Laurel, for his part, said he will be initially meeting the DA executives and employees today, hoping for their unified support under his leadership. “Ang hingiin ko lang sa kanila talaga sa ngayon is their full cooperation dahil importanteng buo ang departamento sa isang goal…which is basically modernization at increase of production,” he said.

Before Laurel’s appointment, Marcos had to lead the DA in order to introduce several reforms and programs, especially on addressing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the country’s food supply and prices of basic commodities.

Marcos has also ensured support to farmers by providing them sufficient supply of seeds, fertilizers, farming equipment and irrigation, among other programs as he worked towards the commercialization of locally developed fertilizers and other agricultural technologies.

He also strengthened cooperatives for a more strategic delivery of interventions and expanded the KADIWA program to provide more citizens access to affordable food, and imposed the price ceiling on rice to control rising prices.

Marcos had also facilitated the access of food products to markets abroad such as durian to the Chinese market, pili nut to the European Union, shallots to Indonesia and fresh mangoes to Australia. (Mindanao Examiner)