CA confirms Dar as agriculture chief
Credit to Author: Bernadette Tamayo| Date: Tue, 17 Dec 2019 07:25:29 +0000
THE Commission on Appointments (CA) confirmed on Tuesday the ad interim appointment of Secretary William Dar as chief of the Department of Agriculture (DA).
The powerful bicameral panel approved Dar’s appointment three days before the Senate and House of Representatives (HoR) go on a monthlong holiday break.
Sen. Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan was among CA members who co-sponsored Dar’s confirmation as DA secretary.
“We believe that Secretary Dar’s background – both in his personal history and in his professional experience – would do well in the job for the benefit of millions of Filipinos who work in agriculture,” he said.
Pangilinan said that on December 16, Dar announced that beginning December 23, farmers in 33 rice-producing areas, farmers most affected by low palay prices because of the Rice Tariffication measure, would get an initial P5,000 cash grant from the government.
“This representation has sought various relief initiatives, including this much-needed compensation, starting August – when we delivered a privilege speech on the plight of the men and women who feed the country here in the Senate,” Pangilinan said.
He filed two resolutions seeking to urgently address the “calamitous effects of the Rice Tariffication Law” on rice farmers.
“This cash compensation is a good start and hopefully a start of much-needed interventions to support our farmers,” Pangilinan said.
“We thank the man of the hour, Agriculture Secretary Willy Dar, as well as Finance Secretary (Carlos) Sonny Dominguez, for sitting down with us several times to figure out where to get the money to address this crisis they now face — and more programmatically later,” he added.