The Commission on Appointments (CA) on Tuesday, Dec. 5, confirmed the ad interim appointment of Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. as the Secretary of the Department of Agriculture (DA).
During the plenary session, CA majority floor leader and Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Raymund 'LRay' Villafuerte Jr. endorsed Laurel's confirmation.
Senate President and the concurrent CA chair Juan Miguel ‘Migz’ Zubiri banged the gravel after there were no objections from the members.
Laurel has vowed that he would not favor anyone, especially his family's company.
Prior to his appointment in the DA, he was the President of the Frabelle Fishing Corp.
"There should be no special favor for my family's company, no special accommodation. My family would not allow that," he said.
The DA Chief said he would practice transparency to ensure that there would be no special treatment.
In a brief message during the plenary, Zubiri recognized Laurel's brave characteristics.
"I've known this gentleman for a long long time, maybe 35 years. We were teenagers, we were together in martial arts. Sabi ko nga kanina, matapang iyan. Huwag mong kalimutan yung tapang mo Secretary to deal with smugglers and even in [dealing with] inefficient and ineffective members of DA," he said in a brief message.
The Senate President said President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. appointed and trusted Laurel "for a reason".
In November, Marcos announced the appointment of the fishing tycoon as his successor in the agriculture department.
