AGRICULTURE Secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol has appointed Ricardo M. Oñate Jr. as the new regional executive director for the Department of Agriculture in Region 11 (DA-11).
Oñate will take over the post of Regional Executive Director Remelyn R. Recoter, who will be assigned to Region 6, Iloilo City.
Oñate has been in DA-11 since 1986 and rose from the rank as engineer II to now OIC-regional executive director. He led the establishment of the Rice Processing Complex (RPC), a one-stop service center for post-harvest rice production in Matanao, Davao del Sur.
As RPC project manager, Oñate has sustained its operations, which enabled rice farmers in the region to have access to state-of-the-art processing facilities and ensured consumers of safe, quality and affordable rice.
He is also the president of the Department of Agriculture Employees Association (DAEA) in the region, where he initiated pro-employee policies. Recently, DAEA under his leadership has signed a memorandum of agreement with Social Security System (SSS), which enabled job-order employees to avail themselves of SSS benefits.
“I don’t turn my back on any tasks given to me. And when I was offered to head DA-11, I took the challenge with conviction to do my job well because, like President Duterte, I am from this region,” Oñate said in his message during the simple turnover ceremony held on Monday at DA-11 grounds.
“Each and every employee is important [in the organization]. Magtinabangay ta [let’s help each other] so I urge all of you to do your job so we can make significant contributions, especially meeting food-sufficiency targets in our region,” he added.
Oñate said he will further strengthen coordination with the local government units (LGUs) considering they had been DA’s strong partners in the delivery of agricultural services to the farmers.
Oñate, 49, is a graduate of Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Engineering from the Ateneo de Davao University. He is married and has two daughters.
Following the commitment of President Duterte and Piñol, Oñate vowed to break the norm to deliver what is due to the farmers with least effort and minimum cost at the shortest possible time.