Hontiveros to Marcos: Appoint 'competent, full time' DA chief

Opposition Senator Risa Hontiveros on Thursday prodded President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. to reconsider his position and appoint a competent and full time Agriculture secretary who will end the controversies within the department and address the looming food crisis.

“This fiasco with the SRA (Sugar Regulatory Administration) is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the chaotic organization and operation of the DA. The President should reconsider his position and appoint a competent person who would take charge of the DA, end all controversies in the department, and focus on helping farmers and ensuring adequate food supply in the country,” the minority lawmaker said in a statement.

“Kapag tumaas ang presyo ng asukal, magmamahal din ang presyo ng maraming produkto at bilihin. Sobrang pahirap na iyan sa mamamayan. Hindi pwedeng part-time job ang pagtutok sa krisis na ito. Kailangan natin ng magaling at maayos na Secretary sa DA na full-time na tutulong sa mga magsasaka at konsumer,” Hontiveros added.

(When the price of sugar increases, the prices of other products and commodities go up as well. That is a burden to the public. We need an efficient and full-time DA secretary to address the crisis and help the farmers and consumers.)

GMA News Online sought Malacañang's comment on Hontiveros' statement but they have yet to respond as of posting time.

The senator said the recent controversy on the alleged unauthorized order by the SRA shows the need for a revamp in the Department of Agriculture and its attached agency, especially now with reports of looming shortage and high prices of sugar in the Philippines.

At present, Marcos is sitting as the DA secretary which makes him the chairman of the SRA Board.

“It is clear by now that having the President also perform the tasks of a DA secretary only causes confusion and dysfunctionality in the bureaucracy. Take note, this took place within the first 100 days of the current administration. The public will continue to suffer from more of these blunders if no reforms are made to the DA’s leadership structure,” Hontiveros said.

Recently, several SRA and DA officials, including DA Undersecretary Leocadio Sebastion resigned from their positions after the issuance of Sugar Order 4, which provided for the importation of 300,000 metric tons of sugar without Marcos' approval.

Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles said Marcos had rejected the proposal to import 300,000 tons more of sugar. She said the importation order was illegal.

Despite Malacanang's statements, Hontiveros noted that there are media reports which stated that Sebastian had been given authority to sign contracts, memoranda of agreement, administrative issuances, and administrative and financial documents involving the DA by virtue of a July 15, 2022 memorandum issued by the office of Executive Secretary Victor Rodriguez.

The lawmaker observed that the said order also contained the President's own signature but Malacanang said that this has been faked, insisting that Marcos rejected plans to import sugar into the country.

She then stressed that Marcos is already heading numerous government offices apart from him being the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

“As clearly shown by the situation in the DA, it is very difficult to do all of those responsibilities and at the same time focus on the myriad of programs that must be handled by the DA secretary,” she said.

On Wednesday, the President said the SRA will be reorganized in the following days following the controversial issuance of the sugar importation order but he will leave the investigation to Congress.

After the reorganization, Marcos said he would have arrangements with industrial consumers, planters, millers, and sugar suppliers to address the issue on supply and prices.

On the other hand, Senator JV Ejercito welcomed the plan to reorganize the SRA, reiterating his support for Marcos as DA chief.

"That's a welcome development. The President himself taking on the Department of Agriculture is already very welcome—that he, himself, will be hands-on in tackling all the problems of the agri sector particularly in this case, the sugar industry," Ejercito said in an ANC interview.

The lawmaker also lamented that the Sugar Industry Development Act of 2015, which was intended to strengthen and revive the local industry, was not implemented properly due to overdependence on importation.

Ejercito said the law provides P2 billion funds annually for the research and mechanization of sugar farming methods but it was reduced to around P700 million because it was not utilized.

"I really feel frustrated that these laws went to waste because of too much importation," he said.—AOL, GMA News