DA chief: No need for revamp amid isolated issues

MANILA: Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. assured Monday that all operations within the Department of Agriculture (DA) are upbeat amid "isolated" concerns in some of its attached agencies. Laurel's statement came following the dismissal of Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) director Demosthenes Escoto. A month earlier, National Food Authority (NFA) Administrator Roderico Bioco was slapped a preventive suspension. The Office of the Ombudsman dismissed Escoto after being found guilty of grave misconduct in relation to the procurement of BFAR's communications equipment in 2018 while Bioco remains under probe due to alleged improper rice sale of NFA rice buffer stock. Despite these, Laurel said there is no need for a "revamp" within the DA as operations remain unhampered. "I think these are isolated incidents... It's just unfortunate na magkasabay (that it's simultaneous). I think everybody naman is upbeat and moving forward," Laurel said in an interview, referring to continuous op erations in the NFA under the helm of Officer-in-Charge Administrator Larry Lacson. He also said Lacson has an intact top management working with him to normalize operations despite the ongoing probe. "Well, sa (in) NFA si Larry Lacson we have a new acting administrator and he's quite good. I believe he's gonna do a good job," Laurel added. The agriculture chief has yet to decide on the replacement of Escoto as the head of the parallel panel probe on the alleged improper NFA rice sale. "Iyan ang problema dahil hindi pa final iyong investigation tapos nawala siya (That's the problem because the investigation is not yet final then he was dismissed). So I have to get another guy to do the investigation," Laurel said. He hopes to have the results of the investigation by May. To date, the panel is still rolling out its work under DA Legal Service chief Willie Ann Angsiy and Assistant Secretary James Layug. Black protest Numerous BFAR personnel, meanwhile, wore black ribbons around their arms during Monday' s flag ceremony in support of Escoto. "Well, I feel for them, maganda iyong reputation ni Director doon (Director Escoto had a good reputation in BFAR)," Laurel said. BFAR OIC Isidro Velayo Jr. described Escoto as "dedicated and humble." "We cannot also ano [reject], iyong sympathy ng mga empleyado (the sympathy of employees) because it's very shocking on our part. Bigla talaga lahat e. Ang amin lang (Everything's sudden. But for us) that is the message, to do our respective roles," he said in a separate interview. Velayo, meanwhile, vowed to work on his designated function. Before his designation, Velayo served as BFAR assistant director for technical services, national coordinator of the agency's seaweed program, and was a former director of the Zamboanga Peninsula regional office. Source: Philippines News Agency