Magsasaka Partylist Rep. Argel Joseph Cabatbat welcomes the decision of President-elect Ferdinand Marcos to take the helm of the Department of Agriculture (DA) once his Administration begins.
Cabatbat said that the DA needs a new leadership amidst concerns of a global food shortage crisis but he did not expect the decision of the incoming President 'to go into the frontlines',
"Nagulat kami. Hindi namin ito inaasahan pero yung pagkagulat namin ay may halong saya," Cabatbat said on Tuesday, June 21, during DZRH's Damdaming Bayan.
Cabatbat expects that Marcos, as the Agriculture secretary, will put a stop to the involvement of some DA personnel in the smuggling of vegetables and other agricultural products into the Philippines.
"Ito yung sa tingin ko ay immediate solution kasi mahihiya naman sila. They are answering directly to the President tapos gagawin ulit nila yung pagpapalusot ng mga agricultural products even without valid permit," Cabatbat stressed.
Cabatbat said that the decision of Marcos makes sense, and will serve as a moral booster to not only DA employees but also to local farmers.
In a press conference on Monday, June 20, Marcos said that he will head the DA 'for now' in order to address the severe problems faced by the agriculture sector in the Philippines.
