Duterte appoints ex-Agri chief William Dar to replace Piñol

President Rodrigo Duterte has appointed Dr. William Dar secretary of Agriculture, replacing Emmanuel Piñol who will be transferred to the Mindanao Development Authority.

Senator Christopher “Bong” Go, a former top aide of the President, confirmed this development on Monday.

Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea confirmed in a separate a text message that Dar has been appointed as Agriculture acting secretary.

GMA News Online has asked presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo for a statement but has yet to receive a reply as of this posting.

A horticulturist, Dar briefly served as Agriculture secretary from 1998 to 1999 under President Joseph Estrada. He was also a director general of the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), an organization with headquarters in India conducting agricultural research in rural development.

Duterte earlier considered tapping a retired military officer head the Agriculture department.

Piñol had offered to resign and be transferred to MinDa following reports that Duterte wanted him to lead the agency.

Last month, the President said in a television interview that he wanted Piñol as his point man in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) as there was “nobody on my side talking to the BARMM to make necessary arrangements for this entity to grow and their needs.”

Duterte said Piñol’s transfer to MinDa had the approval of Bangsamoro leaders who had expressed their apprehension about the plan given Piñol’s previous position against the struggle of the Bangsamoro. —VDS, GMA News