Bersamin: Marcos seriously considering several persons for DA top post

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. is "seriously considering" several individuals to be appointed as the secretary of the Department of Agriculture but he has yet to decide on the matter, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin said Wednesday.

"The president is seriously considering several people to appoint on a permanent basis or a regular basis to represent or minister the DA portfolio but he has not signified yet to us that he is ready to announce his decision," Bersamin said when asked if he supports the position that the president should consider appointing a permanent and qualified Agriculture chief.

"But for now, he is addressing all these problems together with the Cabinet, particularly those that are relevant to food production and food security," the Executive Secretary added.

Currently, Bersamin said the DA is being handled daily by an undersecretary but the president and the Office of the Executive Secretary "also monitor very closely the activities there."

In October, Marcos said he would leave his post as agriculture chief only when structural changes have been made at the department.

The Senate minority bloc earlier urged the president to appoint a full-time DA secretary that will ensure food security in the country.    —NB, GMA News