Minority bloc Senators are not keen on prodding President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to promptly vacate and fill up the still vacant Cabinet post of a full-time Secretary of the Department of Agriculture (DA) tasked to ensure food sufficiency and crackdown on agri-smuggling syndicates.
“We also appreciate that the President himself is serving as concurrent Agriculture Secretary, if this means he will really use the full weight and power of his office to respond to the food crisis to avert a looming food catastrophe,” said Sen. Risa Hontiveros.
She indicated the opposition senators are not raising an objection “if it is for the longer term, and will really help the agriculture sector grow, as mentioned by Minority Leader Franklin M. Drilon earlier.”
Hontiveros conveyed in a news conference that several “agricultural modernization advocacy groups are also very keen to engage President Marcos and the DA on its agenda.”
She added, however, they are also keen to know who are heading the Bureau of Customs, notably on the implementation of the findings at recommendations of the Senate Committee of the Whole in the previous Congress.
At the same time, Hontiveros indicated that even if President Marcos made no mention on his administration’s anti-drug policy at his SONA, she is poised to push additional proposals to boost the government’s anti-drugs campaign.