Minority solons back Laurel's appointment as DA chief

Minority lawmakers in the House of Representatives welcomed the appointment of businessman Francisco Tiu-Laurel as Secretary of the Department of Agriculture (DA).

House Deputy Minority Leaders Wilbert Lee of the Agri-party-list and Bernadette Herrera of the BH party-list were confident that Laurel was capable of putting the programs laid out by President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos' administration for the past year in motion.

“We hope that under [Laurel's] leadership, he will be able to continue the programs and projects implemented by President Marcos Jr. to develop our country's agricultural sector. We believe that for the past year, there are already good policies that the administration put in place, such as granting additional budgetary support for the agricultural sector,” Lee said.

In July this year, the President signed the New Agrarian Emancipation Act, which condoned the amortization of principal payments, interest, and penalties on land tilled by farmers, into law.

The new law, Republic Act No. 11953, would benefit 610,054 agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) as it writes off P57,557 billion of their loans.

“We look forward to working with Secretary Laurel in championing the causes and easing the plight of our agricultural workers,” Lee added.

Herrera, for her part, said Laurel’s experience as a Frabelle Fishing Corp. president would bode well for the new task ahead.

“Secretary Laurel’s impressive 30 years of experience in the sector is a testament to his deep knowledge and understanding of the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead,” Herrera said.

“His extensive background in the industry brings a wealth of practical expertise that will prove invaluable in addressing the unique needs of our agriculture sector. We are confident that Secretary Laurel is well-equipped to lead the Department of Agriculture towards a path of innovation and sustainable growth.” — DVM, GMA Integrated News