MORE problems in the agriculture sector can be immediately addressed with President Ferdinand R. Marcos at the helm of the Department of Agriculture (DA), an official said Sunday.

DA spokesperson Assistant Secretary Kristine Evangelista backed Marcos’ decision to stay as DA chief amid mounting calls by some lawmakers to appoint a full-time agriculture chief.

In a radio interview, Evangelista said having the President serve as Agriculture chief allowed for quicker coordination between the DA and other government agencies which ultimately meant more problems were solved.

“Ako po sa tingin ko nakakatulong po na ang mahal na Presidente ang siyang pinuno ng DA dahil po marami pong mga pangangailangan ang agriculture sector that will involve other agencies as well (I think it helps that our dear President is the head of the DA because the agriculture sector has many needs that will involve other agencies as well),” she said.

“If our agency is able to work well with other government agencies, then we can solve mas marami pong mga problema ng aming mga (more problems of our) stakeholders,” she added.

Staying

On Thursday, Marcos said he is staying as DA Secretary because there are matters that only the President can do, especially over years-long problems in the department.

“There are things that a President can do that a Secretary cannot. The problems are so difficult that it will take a President to change and turn it around,” he said at the 48th Philippine Business Conference and Exposition of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry at The Manila Hotel.

He said the problems in the agriculture sector are so “deeply embedded” so it would take some time before these are addressed.

“Hindi ganun kabilis, hindi ganun kadali na ibalik sa ating magandang sistema dati. Kaya’t (It’s not that fast, it’s not that easy to bring it back to the good system it was before. So) I think I am still needed there,” he added during a chance interview.

However, he expressed a willingness to find someone to replace him once “DA’s functions are properly institutionalized” and “structural changes have been made.”

Based on the results of PUBLiCUS Asia’s Pahayag 2022 Quarterly Survey on September 16 to 20, around 63 percent of 1,500 adult Filipinos approved of Marcos’ decision to take on the DA portfolio.

Modernization

Meanwhile, Senator Cynthia Villar said agricultural modernization is the key food security and will play a major role in President Marcos’ programs on economic recovery.

She said the country has all the ingredients for a successful food program but the lack of mechanized farming and proper training hamper growth.

The chairperson of the Committee on Agriculture and Food said the proposed PHP163.8 billion budget of the DA for 2023 will be enough to fulfill the administration’s objectives, lessen the dependence on importation, and modernize the sector by buying equipment and conducting training.

“They can use the fund to buy seedlings and modern agricultural equipment, the reason why we are not competitive compared to other nations is because we lack those),” Villar said in a radio interview. Philippine News Agency