NEW LEADERSHIP: President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. swears in Fracisco Laurel Jr. as the Department of Agriculture Secretary. The ceremony was held on Friday, November 3, 2023. | PHOTO: PCO
MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Friday announced that Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. has been appointed as the new Secretary of the Department of Agriculture (DA).
In a last-minute press briefing in Malacañang, Marcos said he had just inaugurated Laurel.
“I have just administered the oath of office for the new secretary of the Department of Agriculture, Francisco Laurel. And, this is because it is time that we have found somebody who understands very well the problems that agriculture is facing,” said Marcos in the briefing.
Before Laurel, Marcos had held the position of DA Secretary for more than a year.
Marcos explained that he had held onto the position because he believed that the problems in the agency could only be solved by the President.
“I think I was proven right that there are many things that only a president could do and the problems were so important and were so deep that I felt that the authority and the, I suppose, moral suasion of a president was necessary for us to be able to figure out,” Marcos said.
Marcos said that he and Laurel were long-time friends and vouched that Laurel was capable of the job.
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